Premnath

Premnath Malhotra, better known as Prem Nath (21 November 1926 – 3 November 1992) was an Indian actor, producer and director, who was best known for his works in Hindi films. Nath made his debut with the film Ajit, and went on to appear in over 100 films throughout his career. He was nominated for three Filmfare Awards, and later retired in 1985.

Personal life

Early life He was born on 21 November 1926 in the Karimpura locality, near Ghanta Ghar in Peshawar. He was the eldest born of his father Rai Bahadur Kartar Nath Malhotra was a high-ranking police officer whose frequent transfers led to his service across different Indian states. His father was also the maternal uncle of Prithviraj Kapoor, known as the patriarch of the Kapoor film clan. His family moved to Jubbulpore (present-day Jabalpur) after partition and he moved to Bombay where he was discovered as an actor.

Relationships and family Premnath dated Madhubala for a brief period in 1951, and they were reported to have contemplated marriage. However, Nath ended the relationship after she became interested in actor Dilip Kumar. Conversely, her sister Madhur Bhushan has attributed the break up to religious differences; Nath wanted Madhubala, a Muslim, to convert to Hinduism for marriage, which her father Ataullah Khan refused. Nevertheless, Nath maintained a lifelong friendship with both Madhubala and her father,

He fell in love with actress Bina Rai during the filming of Aurat. They married on 2 September 1952 and formed a production company together called P.N. films. Their children are actors Prem Krishen Malhotra (born 5 July 1953) and Kailash Nath (Monty) Malhotra (born 25 May 1958).

They are the grandparents of actress Akanksha Malhotra and director Siddharth P. Malhotra who are Prem Krishen's children. Adiraj Malhotra and Arjun Malhotra are the sons of Kailash Nath. His sister Krishna married Raj Kapoor in 1946 while his other sister Uma was married to veteran Hindi Film actor Prem Chopra in 1969. His brothers Rajendra Nath and Narendra Nath were also actors who mostly appeared in comedic and supporting roles. He was also a close friend of the actress Asha Parekh. He was an ardent admirer of Kundan Lal Saigal and had a desire to sing a duet with Saigal had Saigal lived longer.

Spirituality He was religious and, when his career began to decline in the mid-1950s, he went to the Kailash mountain range in Tibet a spiritual retreat, producing a documentary about his pilgrimage in 1957, Kailash Darshan. He was, however, seen on-screen for the first time in Daulat Ke Liye (1947). He got major roles in Raj Kapoor's first directorial film Aag (1948) and Barsaat (1949) which was his first major success.

In 1951, Nath starred opposite Madhubala in Amiya Chakravarty's Badal. The film begot mixed reviews — with a critic remarking that he was "very loud" in his portrayal — but Badal proved to be a box office success. Nath further worked with Madhubala in Aaram (1951) and Saqi (1952). In 1960, Khan cast Nath and Madhubala in his directorial venture, Pathan, but she became sick and was replaced by the newcomer Mumtaz. Starring Nath in the titular role, Pathan was released in 1962 and was a financial failure. The 1963 film Rustom Sohrab marked one of Nath's final films in the leading role.

Villain and supporting roles (1970s to 1985) He started receiving recognition with playing the central villain or supporting role in some of the biggest blockbusters in Indian film history throughout the 1970s. Some of his notable films included Teesri Manzil (1966), (1970), Tere Mere Sapne (1971), Shor (1972), Bobby (1973), Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974), Dharmatma (1975), Kalicharan (1976), Krodhi (1981) and Desh Premee (1982). He also starred in the religious Punjabi film Sat Sri Akal (1977). He earned Filmfare nominations as Best Supporting Actor for: Shor (1972), Bobby (1973), Amir Garib (1974) and Roti Kapda Aur Makaan (1974).

His last film appearance was in Hum Dono (1985) after which he retired from acting.

American productions Apart from Hindi films, he also appeared in an episode of the American television series Maya in 1967 and a 1969 American film titled Kenner opposite former American football player turned actor Jim Brown.

Other work

Books He wrote books, including novels, in both English and Hindi.

Partial Filmography Film

TV series Maya TV series (1 episode, 1967)

Awards and nominations

Filmfare Awards Nominations

1973 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Shor 1974 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Bobby 1975 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Amir Garib 1975 – Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for Roti Kapda Aur Makaan