A warm human being and a  versatile artist. That’s right, Nadirshah enjoys an unique status indeed among South Indian film personalities.

Mimicry that astounds you with a God-given talent for keen observation and ingenious imitation, comedy skits that set off peals of laughter among young and old alike, mellifluous singing in several languages, poised acting, film direction with a proven knack for captivating audiences…. no, you haven’t defined Nadirshah yet! There is much more to the man. He pens lyrics, composes music and is a familiar face in living rooms across Kerala as a television anchor.

Nadirshah was born in Kochi, Kerala on 27 th August 1969 as the eldest of four children of M.A Sulaiman and P.S Suhara. His father worked for Fertilizers and Chemicals Travancore Limited, while his mother stayed at home. He has two younger sisters, Suhara and Shahira and a younger brother, Samad. After receiving his primary education at FACT School in Eloor, Nadirshah joined St. Paul’s College in Kalamassery as a student of Literature. After his father passed away in harness, he obtained a job with FACT. He married Shahina on 12th April 1998 and the couple has two daughters, Ayisha and Khadeeja.

Nadirshah’s artistic career took wings when he was only 16 years old. Showing early signs of excellence in parodies and mimics, he started off as a mimicry artist with India’s first organized mimicry group, Cochin Kalabhavan. He has done several shows for television in his career. It was his initial involvement in theatre productions that formed the bedrock of his mastery at hosting programs on TV and stage. Before donning the film director’s hat, Nadir Shah would juggle television, stage plays, acting, singing, and writing. He was a keen spotter and groomer of talent, bringing to the limelight personalities like Kalabhavan Mani, Salim Kumar, and Dileep who went on to become mainstays in the industry. A close confidante and business partner of matinee idol Dileep, he has the pulse of the Malayalam film industry like few others do.

In 1991, at a period that saw the confluence of two important trends in Malayalam industry – a surfeit of comedy in cinema and the audio cassette revolution in homes, Nadirshah found himself the right man at the right place. Teaming with buddies Dileep and Aby, he launched the enormously popular cassette Onathinidaykk Puttukachavadam. King Mahabali, talking in the voice of actor Innocent and emerging via a pothole in the road to visit his erstwhile subjects, was its main attraction. Combining nostalgia for the good times with satire at its best, the cassette sold like hot cakes during Onam. The series that featured parodies, spoofs and skits galore, had a dream run of 17 years before grinding to a halt some years back.

Nadirshah began his acting career in 1992 with the hilarious movie Kasaragod Khaderbhai. It was followed by films such as Manathe Kottaram in 1994 and Ezharakoottam in 1995. From mimicry to light-hearted entertainers, it was a natural progression for the young man. Even as he explored his acting, the artist began to experiment with his other talents, such as playback singing and writing lyrics for Malayalam films. In 1996, he debuted as a movie playback singer with the song Ennethedi written by Girish Puthenchery and composed by Tomin Thachankary for the movie Maanchiyam. Other hits followed like Manjaadikkunnile Praave for Meenakshi Kalyanam in 1998, and Aa maala ninakkaanu, Pattana naduvil and Vottu nedan for Korappan the Great in 2001.

The last said movie also marked his arangetam as a lyricist. Meenakshi Kalyanam which earned him much recognition had no fewer than six melodies that he penned. Three albums later, Nadirshah wrote, composed and rendered the song Machaane for the Dileep-starrer blockbuster Sringaravelan in 2013. He has written and sang for other people’s compositions in addition to his own.

The year 2015 saw Nadirshah adorn a new role, that of the film director. He made his debut that year with the film Amar Akbar Anthony based on a screenplay by Bibin George and Vishnu Unnikrishnan. This was the culmination of a year-long search for an appropriate story by the artist who also composed the music and sang four lilting numbers in it. The comedy-thriller tells the story of three happy-go-easy friends played by Prithviraj, Jayasurya, and Indrajith and their misadventures. Even though it falls in the comedy genre, the film won plaudits for Nadirshah who injected fresh life into conviviality. Needless to add, the film was a box office hit, making audiences sit up and notice the new director. Since then, he has directed two more movies, Kattappanayile Hrithik Roshan and Mera Naam Shaji. Also set to release in the near future are Eeso, Keshu Ee Veedinte Nathan and I am a Disco Dancer.