Rishi Kapoor famously starred opposite 20 (or was it 22) debutant heroines over the course of his career. Amitabh Bachchan, Rajinikanth, and Mohanlal have all been prolific in cinema particularly with different leading ladies over the course of time. Yet, all of them pale in comparison with one cine icon, who starred opposite not 10, not 20, but 80 heroines over the course of a stellar career. And that is a record even the Guinness Book of World Records recognises.
Prem Nazir and his 80 heroines
Malayam superstar Prem Nazir is arguably the most prolific leading man in the history of cinema. Between 1951 and 1989, he acted in over 700 films as hero, many of which went on to be huge hits. He revolutionsed Malayalam cinema and for the longest time, was the biggest bankable star of the industry. Courtesy working for so long and over so many years, he was paired opposite 80 heroines through his career. These include Sheela, Jayabharathi, and Sharada chiefly in the early years of his career. Fondly called called Nithyaharitha Nayakan (Evergreen Hero), Nazir is regarded as the first superstar in Malayalam cinema and was famous as an eternal romantic hero.
Prem Nazir and Sheela’s blockbuster Jodi
Of the 80 heroines he worked, Prem Nazir was paired opposite Sheela the most. They worked together in a mind boggling 130 films together over 25 years. This is also a world record. Sheela debuted in films in 1962 and worked opposite Prem Nazir the same year. Over the years, some of their biggest hits included Velutha Kathreena, Kutti Kuppayam, Sthanarthy Saramma, Kadathanattu Makkam, and Kannappanunni among others.
Prem Nazir’s other world records
Prem Nazir was one of the most prolific actors in the history of cinema. For the longest time, he held the Guinness World Record for most film appearances (over 700) before it was taken by another Indian actor Brahmanand. He still holds one other record – most film releases in a year (30).
