720 films as hero, 400 hits, 50 blockbusters, and 30 films in a single year – the staggering achievements of India’s most successful star are beyond belief.

The term India’s most successful actor usually evokes thoughts of the usual suspects – Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Dilip Kumar, or even Rajinikanth or Kamal Haasan. These have been some of the biggest superstars in Indian cinema, all of whom have starred in some of the biggest films of all time and given more hits than most actors can dream of. Yet, the crown does not belong to any of them, for there is one man who gave more hits as a leading man than all of them put together. (Also read: World’s highest-paid actor earned $73 million in 2023; has no hit in years, still out-earns Tom Cruise, Shah Rukh Khan)

India’s most successful star

Malayalam screen idol Prem Nazir holds multiple world records courtesy of his prolific career. A cultural icon in Kerala, Prem Nazir ruled Malayalam cinema for three decades. In a career that spanned from 1951-89, Nazir worked as the lead in a staggering 720 films, a world record for a while. He did this by working double or even triple shifts throughout his peak, appearing in as many as 30 films in a year twice (another world record). This prolific nature was combined with an exemplary strike rate of hits, as most of his films were successful. Industry insiders and trade analysts estimate that more than half of Nazir’s films as hero were box office successes, with estimates ranging from 350-500. But most film historians agree that Nazir starred in at least 400 hit films as a hero, of which 50 attained blockbuster status at the box office.

How Prem Nazir dwarfs other superstars

To understand how monumental Prem Nazir’s record is, one just needs to compare it to some of the other big stars. Amitabh Bachchan, arguably Indian cinema’s biggest name, has fewer than 60 hits as a leading man, 10 of which are blockbusters. South superstar Rajinikanth, who has been more prolific than his Bollywood contemporary, is a little ahead with over 80 hits and over a dozen blockbusters. The three Khans trail way behind, with Salman leading the pack with 39 hits (including 15 blockbusters), Shah Rukh (34 hits, including 10 blockbusters) and Aamir (20 hits, including 6 blockbusters) close behind. Even after adding the hits of all these actors, the final number is nowhere close to Prem Nazir’s hit count. Granted, some of these stars’ hits were bigger in scale than any of Nazir’s films, but the Malayalam star did all that with the limited market and audience size he had.

Prem Nazir’s stellar career

Born Abdul Khader in Travancore in 1929, Nazir began his acting career in theatre while still in college. This followed his first film – Marumakal – in 1952. It was on the sets of his second film and his first success – Visappinte Vili – that he was renamed Prem Nazir. The actor soon became a youth heartthrob and made a name for himself playing debonair characters. In the late 1950s, he moved to films with social relevance, transforming him into a superstar. From then on to the 80s, he was head and shoulders above all his contemporaries and juniors in Malayalam cinema. Regarded as the industry’s first superstar, Nazir was nicknamed Nithyaharitha Nayakan (Evergreen Hero) by the fans and the media.

By the 1980s, Nazir moved to supporting roles, realising that the audience wanted to see younger heroes. In his 50s now, he played the second lead in films starring Jayan, Sukumaran, Shankar, and Soman. However, he still had hits in the lead role, notably Padayottam (1982) and Vellarikka Pattanam (1985). However, younger stars like Mammootty and Mohanlal were now starting to appeal to the audiences more. In 1989, Nazir contracted measles and died at the age of 59. His last release was Priyadarshan’s Kadathanadan Ambadi, released in 1990.

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