A true trendsetter of a director, Sankaran Nair had a lot of accomplishments to his name. To list a few:
1. Introduced Sreevidya as heroine in Chattambikkavala
2. Introduced Vincent as Hero in Madhuvidhu
3. Brought Sreedevi and Hema Chaudhari as heroines in Thulavarsham
4. Manju Bhargavi in Sathrathil oru raathri
5. Zarina Wahab in Madanolsavam
6. Introduced Sharmila Tagore to Malayalam in Chuvanna Chirakukal
7. Brought Debasri Roy in Ee Gaanam Marakkumo
8. Introduced Lalu Alex as hero in Tharoo Oru Janmam Koodi
9. Disco Shanthi was brought in as a heroine in Cabaret Dancer
10. Risabava came in as a hero in Agninilaavu
Most of his movies had stellar songs, but he did get caught in no-man's-land when it came to the societal impacts of his movies during era he was active. The major downfall came about when he decided to produce and direct Kalki which turned out to be a dud in the box-office. To get out of the debts he switched gears to producing and directing soft porn movies of the 80s and 90s, albeit with marketable stars.
Towards the end of his life, he was a much forgotten man. N Sankaran Nair passed away in 2005, leaving behind his wife Usharani and their son.
By existing records N Sankaran Nair is the person who has directed movies in Malayalam for the longest duration. His first movie was in 1956 and the last in 2000.