Cinema should be used as a medium to foster communal harmony and camaraderie, Chief Minister V.S. Achuthanandan has said.

He was speaking after giving away the Prem Nazir Award, instituted by the Prem Nazir Foundation, to veteran film actor and director Balachandra Menon for his contributions to the Malayalam film industry, in the city on Wednesday.

Describing Prem Nazir as his hero during younger days, the Chief Minister reminded that with changing times, cinema’s role as a socially responsible medium assumed significance. Mr. Achuthanandan also lauded Mr. Balachandra Menon for his films with socially relevant themes.

Minister for Law and Sports M. Vijayakumar, who presided over the function, recalled his personal association with the yesteryear actor. “Prem Nazir was a man with a multi-faceted personality. Reading was one of his favourite hobbies,” he said. Mr. Referring to Mr. Balachandra Menon as a “hero of family movies,” Mr. Vijayakumar said that he had watched all his films. “The names of his films are the catchiest,” he said.

Mr. Balachandra Menon recalled his “limited interaction” with his role model. “The first time I went to interview him (Prem Nazir) as a journalist, he told me with remarkable intuition that I have a hidden agenda,” recalled Mr. Balachandra Menon. “He was obviously referring to my interest in films though I did not reveal it to him then.”

Describing Prem Nazir as a “wonderful human being,” Mr. Balachandra Menon revealed how the late actor took pains to know the economic welfare of his producers. “He had the rare quality to empathise with the problems of his co-workers. Prem Nazir was a true diplomat who taught me the significance of tolerance and patience in my life,” he said.

Source: The Hindu