Nishan UNPLUGGED

Nishan K. P. Nanaiah

Nishan
Born	Nishan K. P. Nanaiah [1] Coorg, Karnataka
Occupation	Actor
Years active	2009–present

Nishan K. P. Nanaiah, known mononymously as Nishan is an Indian actor from Karnataka

who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He debuted in 2009 through the Telugu filmManorama

 and got a career break in Shyamaprasad's Malayalam film Ritu in the same year.

[edit]Biography

Nishan was born in Coorg, Karnataka and lived in Calcutta. He took a diploma in acting from the Pune Film Institute (FTII).^[2] 

After graduating, he moved to Mumbai to try his luck in Bollywood. He worked with Subhash Ghai in a film entitled Cycle Kick, 

which was shelved for time being and never released.^[2] Failed to get another chance, he moved to South India,

 where he got a chance in the Telugu film Manorama (2009).^[2] His character in the film was noted, 

however he went back to Mumbai and resumed his auditions for roles in Bollywood.^[2] He got a call

from Shyamaprasad during these days, for playing the lead role in Ritu (2009).^[2] About the selection,

 the actor says: "Shyamaprasad 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. Shyamaprasad,

 however, told me that he was confident that I could do the role".^[2] After Ritu, 

he got another notable role in Sibi Malayil's Apoorvaragam, which became a sleeper hit. 

His latest project Note Out is a comedy film by debutant director Kutty Naduvil.

 Ithu Nammude Katha, his upcoming project, is slated for a release on 21 January.

• Ithu Nammude Katha (2011)
• Note Out (2011)
• New (Telugu dub of Ritu) (2010)^[3]
• Apoorvaragam (2010)
• Ritu (2009)
• Manorama (2009)^[4][5]

Nishan Nanaiah: Kolkata Boy, Bollywood Dreams

K.P. Nishan Nanaiah was a rank holder in school, a professional tennis player who represented Calcutta University and a science student. He also had a dream that his batch mates would laugh at: he wanted to be an actor.

Today, after years of struggling in Mumbai, this Kolkata boy from Coorg has clinched a role as the lead in Shubhash Ghai’s Cycle Kick.

Nishan’s dream was to be an actor from the time that he bunked class in his school uniform to watchKuch Kuch Hota Hai.

“My friend had a first day first show ticket,” he says, “People were going crazy over SRK. That is when I thought that some day people would do this for me.”

It was a dream he learnt to keep to himself. “Whenever a new teacher would come in, my batch mates would ask them: ‘Sir, sir ask Nishan what he wants to be?’ and I would say: ‘I want to be an actor.’ I could never understand why they would all laugh. I never laughed when people said cricketer or doctor.”

Nishan’s journey was not easy. He saw his degree in mass communication at St Xavier’s in Kolkataas a ticket to Mumbai, but his parents could not understand why a rank holder and science student would want to go into the film industry.

Then came his decision to apply to FTII, Pune. “My father was angry when I wanted to try for FTII. He said: ‘We don’t know anyone in this scene.’ My mother said: ‘Let him try. He won’t get through.’ But God had other plans.”

The actor still does not know how he cleared his exams. It was at FTII where he picked up his acting skills. “My teachers were good. I also knew that if I made it to FTII that I would make it in Mumbai,” he reflects.

Getting a foothold in the city of his dreams was not easy. “I struggled for four years. The pace in Mumbai is fast. But after six months I couldn’t leave the city. I would go from door to door selling my skills. At big film auditions, I would be told that I was not a known face. It was frustrating.”

Despite rejections in Mumbai, Nishan went on to act in the South Indian film industry where he achieved critical acclaim.

It was his roommate and fellow student at St Xavier’s Kolkata who suggested that he go for the audition for Subhash Ghai’s Cycle Kick. “I was asked to meet Shubhas Ghai and he said: ‘I liked your audition. We will start shooting from tomorrow’.”

The news took a while to sink in. Nishan recalls not being able to perform in the first shoot. Kajal Malhotra, the executive producer, had to call him over and ask what the problem was.

“It was at that point I just realised that I was the lead. People were asking: ‘Hero kaun hai?’ And I realised that it was me,” he says.

Kajal’s response was to say: “Rubbish. Go and shoot. You have been waiting for this for years. Do it normally.”

So how does a rank holder in science break into Bollywood with no filmi connections? “There’s a line in The Alchemist that says: When you want something, all the universe conspires in helping you to achieve it. I really believe in that.”