Nishan (actor)

Nishan KP Nanaiah, known mononymously as Nishan, is an Indian actor, from Coorg Karnataka, (studied in Kolkata) - a graduate of Film and Television Institute of India, Pune (Ftii)- has predominantly worked in Malayalam films along with Hindi, Bengali, Tamil and Telugu. Nishan speaks 6 languages, and is very good at picking up languages and dialects.

Personal life
Born Kallichanda Prasad Nishan Nanaiah ... Nishan was born to Kallichanda Somaiah Prasad (K. S. Prasad) a customs officer, and late K. Padma Prasad, in Coorg, Karnataka. He was brought up in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was a professional tennis player, who represented Kolkata university and played many All India and National tournaments. He did his graduation in Mass communication from St. Xaviers college Kolkata and post graduation (in acting) from the Pune Film Institute (FTII).

Career
Nishan debuted in the Hindi film Cycle Kick (Produced by Subhash Ghai) but the film did not release. He got a career break in legendary director Shyamaprasad's Malayalam film Ritu in 2009, (for which he also received great critical acclaim as well as won his Best Debut award), along with a Telugu release Manorama in the same year, opposite lead actress Charmee. He became a notable actor through Sibi Malayil's Apoorvaragam, which was released in 2010, and was one of the biggest commercial hits of that year. It also completed a run of 100 days (which is very rare and a great feat to achieve for a film with newcomers in today's times). Till date Nishan has worked as a leading man in around 14 Malayalam films, 1 Telugu film, 3 Hindi films, 2 Tamil films and 1 Bengali web series. He is currently shooting for a Hindi feature film Nastik (upcoming film), with Arjun Rampal.

Alma Mater
After graduating, he moved to Mumbai to try his luck in Bollywood. He worked with Subhash Ghai in a film titled Cycle Kick, which was released in 2011. As an actor, he believes in expanding his horizons and hence he decided to venture down south. His first southern break was the Telugu film Manorama (2009). The film, along with Nishan's performance was critically very well acclaimed. His character in the film was noted, however simultaneously. He got a call from legendary Malayalam director Shyamaprasad during those days, for playing the lead role in his film, Ritu (2009). About the selection, the actor said, "Shyamaprasad sir had seen my stills from a model coordinator in Chennai. But I was not sure if I could do the film because Malayalam is a tough language. Shyam sir, however, told me that he was confident that I could do the role." Rithu was a critical hit, which won him the best debut award.

After Ritu, he got another notable role in Sibi Malayil's Apoorvaragam. Apoorvaragam was a sleeper hit. It ran for 100+ days. This movie made Nishan a household name as it was a commercial hit. In February, Ee Adutha Kaalathu released in which he played the role of Rustam. This film received positive response from critics and audiences, and is considered a path-breaker for its bold and realistic narration and the innovative style of weaving story threads together. Nishan's role of Rustam was more appreciated as it had a grey shade. He also starred in Bejoy Nambiar's David alongside Vikram. His role of Peter was appreciated by the critics. His last release was Geethanjali (Malayalam) directed by Priyadarshan, starring Mohanlal. The film went on to be a semi hit.

Nishan's forthcoming release is Badlapur Boys (Hindi) directed by newcomer Shailesh Verma. It is based on the Indian traditional rural sport, kabaddi.

Filmography

 * Television
 * 2011 - Vivel Big Break (Surya TV) as Judge (Malayalam)

Awards

 * Asianet Film Award for Best New Face (2009)
 * Surya Film Award for Best Debutant (2009)
 * World Malayalee Council and Kairali TV award for Best Debut (2009)