Nambiathusseril Varkey John (14 October 1927 – 17 July 2014), better known by his screen name Sasikumar, was an Indian film director who worked in Malayalam cinema. One of the most prolific directors in world cinema, he directed more than 141 movies in his film career which began in the mid-1960s. He is often referred to as Hitmaker Sasikumar mainly due to the commercial success of his films.

Sasikumar holds three world records: the records for most number of films (141), most number of films having the same actor as hero (Prem Nazir in 84 films) and the most number of films directed in a year (15 films in 1977). He died in 2014 at the age of 87.

Early life

He was born on 14 October 1927 to N L Varkey and Mariya in Allappuzha, Kerala. His original name was N.V. John. He had displayed a flair for acting in dramas even when he was a boy of 10. He completed his school education from Leo Thirteenth High school, Alleppey and St.Ephrem's School, Mannanam. During his college life he had represented Kerala University football team. He passed out as a graduate in Economics from Sacred Hearts College, Thevara.