M. Nasser is a polyglot Indian film actor, director, producer, dubbing artist and playback singer who mainly works in the South Indian film industry. He is the incumbent leader of the Nadigar Sangam.

Nasser made his acting debut in K. Balachander movie Kalyana Agathigal in 1985 portraying a secondary supporting role, before moving on to play villainous roles. With breakthrough role came through his performance in Nayakan (1987), he became one of the most important actor in Indian cinema. He subsequently became a regular in Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan ventures. He was mostly seen in supporting or villainous role. He speaks fluent Hindi, Tamil, Urdu, English, Arabic, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam.

He studied in St. Joseph’s Higher Secondary School (Chengalpattu). He moved to Madras (now Chennai) after school, where he finished his pre-university at Madras Christian College. At Madras Christian College, he was an active member of the Dramatic Society. Later for a brief time, he worked in the Indian Air Force. He trained in two acting schools: The South Indian Film Chamber of Commerce’s Film Institute and the Tamil Nadu Institute for Film and Television Technology.

Career

Nasser made his acting debut in K. Balachander’s Kalyana Agathigal (1985) portraying a secondary supporting role, before moving on to play villainous roles in S. P. Muthuraman’s Velaikaran (1987) and Vanna Kanavugal (1987). He played the protagonist in Yuhi Sethu’s Kavithai Paada Neramillai (1987), though his breakthrough role came through his performance as a police officer in Mani Ratnam’s Nayakan (1987). He subsequently became a regular in Mani Ratnam and Kamal Haasan’s ventures, appearing in pivotal character roles in Roja (1992), Thevar Magan (1992), Bombay (1995), Kuruthipunal (1995) and Iruvar (1997).

Nasser made his directorial debut with Avatharam (1995), a film based on the backdrop of a folk art troupe. Starring Revathi as his co-star, Nasser stated that the idea had come to him as a result of his childhood memories of watching theru koothu being performed on the streets alongside his father. The film won critical acclaim, but failed to become a commercially successful venture. Soon afterwards, he made Devathai (1997), stating he remembered a story he had first heard as a child, which became the “creative seed for this film” about reincarnation. He stated that his immediate busy schedule had subsequently cost him a role in Aamir Khan’s Lagaan (2001). He subsequently continued to work in films in the late 1990s, portraying a blind musician in Rajiv Menon’s Minsara Kanavu (1997), a political leader in Mani Ratnam’s Iruvar (1997) and as the father of a pair of separated twins in Shankar’s Jeans (1998).

Some of the films that he has acted in Telugu include Chanti (1992), Bhageeratha (2005), Athadu (2005), Pokiri (2006), Golimaar (2010), Shakthi (2011), Dookudu (2011) and among others. Besides South India language films, he has acted in some Hindi language films like Chachi 420 (1997), Phir Milenge (2004), Nishabd (2007), Saala Khadoos (2016) and among others.

He played a pivotal role in the films Baahubali: The Beginning (2015) and Baahubali 2: The Conclusion (2017). The movie has a character Bijjaladeva which Nasser plays. Even though, he didn’t play a major role in the movie his role is important for the story as he is the one to encourage Bhallaladeva.