Nishan KP Nanaiah, known mononymously as Nishan, is an Indian actor from Karnataka who works mainly in Malayalam cinema. He debuted in 2009 through the Hindi film Cycle Kick but the film did not release. He got a career break in Shyamaprasad's Malayalam film Ritu in the same year. He became a notable actor through Sibi Malayil's Apoorvaragam which was released in 2010.

Biography

Nishan was born to K.S.Prasad, a customs officer, and Late Mrs K. Padma prasad, in Coorg, Karnataka. He was brought up in Kolkata, West Bengal. He was a university tennis player. He got a diploma in acting from the Pune Film Institute (FTII). 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 delayed for some time and later released in 2011. As an actor, he believes to expand his horizons and so moved to South India, where he got a chance in the Telugu film Manorama (2009). His character in the film was noted, however he returned to Mumbai and resumed his auditions for roles in Bollywood. He got a call from Shyamaprasad during those days, for playing the lead role in Ritu (2009). About the selection, the actor said, "Shyamaprasad sir 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. Shyam sir, however, told me that he was confident that I could do the role". After Ritu, he got another notable role in Sibi Malayil's Apoorvaragam.. Apoorvaragam was a sleeper hit. It ran for 100+ days,. This movie made Nishan a household name as it was a commercial hit. Rithu was a critical hit, which won him the best debut award. In February, Ee Adutha Kaalathu released in which he played the role of Rustam. This film received positive response from both critics and audiences, and is considered a path-breaker for its bold and realistic narration and the innovative style of weaving story threads together. Nishan's role of Rustam was more appreciated as it had a grey shade. He also starred in Bejoy Nambiar s "David" alongside Vikram. His role of Peter was appreciated by the critics too.
His last release was "Geethanjali" (Malayalam) directed by Priyadarshan, also starring Mohanlal. The film went on to be a Semi Hit.
Nishan's forthcoming release is "Badlapur Boys" (Hindi) directed by newcomer Shailesh Verma. This is a film based on Indian traditional rural sport, Kabaddi.