Over a hundred years of Indian cinema, there have been several superstars from Dev Anand, Rajinikanth to Prabhas. However, none of them could beat this one superstar who has worked in over 900 films and holds the record for giving 50 blockbusters and 400 hits.
The superstar we are talking about holds several records one of which includes giving 39 films in a year. He is none other than Prem Nazir. Prem Nazir was one of Malayalam cinema’s leading men of his generation. He is considered one of the most influential actors in the history of Indian cinema. He is referred to as the Evergreen hero.
Prem Nazir born Abdul Khader, made his debut with the 1952 film Marumakal, and with his second film Visappintr Vili, he took his stage name Prem Nazir. Nazir is noted for his performances in films such as Murappennu, Udhyogastha, Iruttinte Athmavu, Kallichellamma, Virunnukari, Nadhi, C.I.D. Nazir, Anubhavangal Paalichakal, Taxi Car, Azhakulla Saleena, Nellu, Ariyappedatha Rahasyam among others. Nazir rose to stardom with his image of a youth heartthrob. He acquired the image of a romantic hero and made a loyal fan following for himself. During the early 50s, he became the first real superstar of Malayalam cinema.
Even though Nazir could not regenerate after the mid-1970s, he maintained his superstardom till the beginning of the 1980s. In 1979, 39 of his films were released; a record. He also holds the record for having acted in the most leading roles – about 700 films (with 85 heroines; another record). Another record is for the most enduring screen team along with actress Sheela. They played opposite each other in 130 movies by 1975.
While Prem Nazir has 400 hits, No superstar in Bollywood has even 100 hits. Amitabh Bachchan has 56, Rajesh Khanna has 42, while Shah Rukh and Salman both have somewhere in the mid-30s. Even the superstars from the south, like Rajinikanth, and Prabhas, don’t have over a hundred hits in their career. In fact even if we combine the hits given by these superstars, it still doesn’t match up to what Prem Nazir had given. By the 80s, Prem Nazir moved to supporting roles. He still managed to deliver hits in his 50s with films like Padayottam (1982). Prem Nazir passed away in 1989 after contracting measles.
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