Actor Shanavas, son of Malayalam cinema legend Prem Nazir, has passed away at the age of 71. He died at 11.50 pm on Monday at a private hospital in Thiruvananthapuram, where he was undergoing treatment for kidney and heart-related ailments. His funeral will be held this evening at the Palayam Muslim Jamaath cemetery.
Born in Thiruvananthapuram to Prem Nazir and Habeeba Beevi, Shanavas completed his schooling in Kerala and Tamil Nadu, and later earned a Master’s degree in English Literature from New College, Chennai. He made his acting debut in 1981 as the lead in Prema Geethangal, directed by Balachandra Menon. He went on to appear in over 50 films across Malayalam and Tamil, including Mazha Nilaavu, Ee Yugam, Maniyara, Neelagiri, and Zachariayude Garbhinikal. He also acted in television serials such as Shankhumukham, Velutha Kathreena, Kadamatathu Kathanar and Sathyameva Jayathe.
After a long break from cinema, he returned in 2011 with China Town and was last seen in Jana Gana Mana alongside Prithviraj Sukumaran. Shanavas worked for some time in the Middle East and lived in Malaysia before settling in Thiruvananthapuram. He had expressed an interest in directing a film, a project that remained unrealised. He was survived by his wife Ayesha Abdul Aziz, sons Ajith Khan and Shameer Khan, and daughter-in-law Hana.