Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan lays stone for Prem Nazir memorial

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM:  After years of uncertainties, a memorial for actor Prem Nazir at his birth place at Chirayinkeezhu in Thiruvananthapuram, is inching closer to reality. Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan laid the foundation stone of the 15,000 sqft three-storey memorial here on Monday. The building which is being set up adjacent to Sarkara temple will have state-of the art facilities, including a mini theatre. 

Besides, there will be a museum, an open air theatre, stage, library, cafeteria, and board rooms. The `4-crore project is undertaken by the Cultural Affairs department. “Prem Nazir was one of the finest artists ever seen in the history of Malayalam cinema. It was a long-standing demand that a memorial should be constructed at his birth place, which is soon to be a reality,” Pinarayi told reporters. 

Earlier, a ‘Smrithi Mandapam’ was built on the premises of the Prem Nazir Memorial Government Higher Secondary School, adjacent to his ancestral home in Kizhuvilam panchayat, near Chirayinkeezhu, in 2015 in the tenure of UDF government. Nazir is often referred to as ‘Nithyaharitha Nayakan’ (Evergreen Hero). He began his career as a stage actor and entered Malayalam filmdom through the 1952 film ‘Marumakal’.