Though he never directed any film, Nair had been a great influence in Malayalam cinema since 1950s as producer of several widely appreciated works, most of them based on literary works of authors like Jnanpith laureate M T Vasudevan Nair.
Nair (79) had been keeping indifferent health for some time and survived by wife and daughter, family sources said.
Basically a still photographer, Nair was instrumental in liberating Malayalam cinema from the studio sets to outdoor locations giving free hand to veteran directors like A Vincent. His widely appreciated films included 'Murappennu,' 'Ninamaninja Kalpadukal' and 'Kallichellamma.'
Hailing from Chirayinkil in Thiruvananthapuram district, Nair had for long been part and parcel of Thrissur ever since he set up Sobhana Studio decades ago.
It was his friendship with leading writers and directors of yesteryear like Ramu Karyat and P Bhaskaran that eventually made Nair enter the film world as still photographer for the 1950s black-and-white classic 'Neelakkuyil.'
"He was not a mere producer who invested money in film making. His mission was to create good films. His literary and artistic sense were quite sharp" , said leading actor Murali.
