Villain with heart of Sher Khan no more (a fine essay on late actor Pran)

Few, if any, would have named their son Pran in the 1950s and 1960s. That's the kind of impact the Delhi-born actor, who passed away at Mumbai's Lilawati Hospital on Friday evening, had on popular consciousness during his hey days as the villain no 1 of Hindi films. He was 93.

Once he switched to playing the good guy with Upkar (1967) winning both award and acclaim for his performance as the physically challenged Malang chacha, Pran became one of the topmost characters actors of Bollywood. For a long, long time, Pran, who also got the Dadasaheb Phalke award, was a key ingredient in the commercial thali of Hindi cinema. His biography by Bunny Reuben was rightly titled, ...and Pran, because that's how countless credits in Hindi films rolled in.

Sometimes his role was more prominent and central to a film's narrative than the hero as in Victoria No 203 (along with Ashok Kumar) and Dharma. He even got to croon what became the film's most popular track: Yaari hai imaan mera (Zanjeer), Daaru ki botal mein (Majboor) and Hum bolega to bologe ke bolta hai (Kasauti). His qawwali duel with Bindu in the song, Raaz ki baat keh doon to (Dharma) is what frontbencher's celluloid dreams are made of.

The actor gave a melange of shades to the craft of villainy. He could be evil and lecherous as in Madhumati; suave and scheming (Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai), rustic dacoit (Jis Des Mein Ganga Behti Hai) and the comic villain (Half-Ticket). His flair for comedy was also evident in films where he played the good guy such as Victoria No 203, Jungle Mein Mangal and Kasauti.

Voice was key to his repertoire. His smooth voice was often used to seduce and abuse guilible girls. With slight modulation, he could also use it to threaten, coax, cajole - anything the role demanded. There was a certain style with which he approached roles. The story, as recounted in Reuben's biography goes. that he was spotted eating paan in a stylish way - which is why he was handed the role of a villain in his debut film, Yamla Jat (1940). Pran was born to a well-heeled family in Old Delhi's Ballimaran area in 1920. He worked as a photographer's assistant in Lahore in pre-independence India.

Pran would often use a gesture to define a character. In Badi Bahen, he created cigarette smoke rings. Raka, the dacoit leader of Jis Des Mein Ganga Behti Hai, would run his hand over his neck, a premonition that the noose was tightening around him. Shata le Shata le Shanno, was his catchline in Kashmir Ki Kali where he pronounced the word, s, as, sh. In Majboor, he used his hands like a binocular, an indication that he was foreseeing danger.

He was also a very conscientious actor who got completely involved in the role. In the climax of Majboor, his character gets shot in the stomach. During the shooting, Pran kept changing the make-up after every scene to show how life was slowly ebbing away from him.

One of his finest perfromance was in Harmesh Malhotra's Gaddar, where he played BK, the leader of a gang of crooks who lives and dies by his own code of honour. Towards the later part of his career, he also played the role of a father in a clutch of multi-starrer superhits such as Dharamveer and Amar Akbar Anthony.

In his foreward to Pran's biography, Amitabh Bachchan gave a glimpse into the private side of the actor. He wrote in 2004, "I gleaned a little known facet of his during the outdoor shooting spell of Ganga ki Saugandh. Pran sahib is hugely fond of Urdu poetry and literature. He keeps abreast of all sports events to this day. At one point he was fond of shikar. He has an encyclopaedic knowledge of sher-o-shayri, folk tales and ribald humour."

Pran was also regarded as a man of principle in the film industry. In 1973, he did not accept the Filmfare award for Beiman because he felt that the committee had been unfair in giving the best music director award to Shankar Jaikishan and not Ghulam Mohammed for his music in Pakeezah.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/entertainment/bollywood/news-interviews/Villain-with-heart-of-Sher-Khan-no-more/articleshow/21046231.cms

Couple of movies not mentioned above: Bobby and jhonny meta ma'am. Both were suprt hits and pran made significànt contribution.

Yes, TBT ... too many great acting roles by Pran.
 
Here is a clip (from 'Aan Baan') showing Pran ('Raja Bahadur', with a cane) as the elder brother of Rajendra Kumar's character,
 

He lived a full life and gave us some great performances.
Upkaar's "kasme vaade"
Zanzeer's " yaari hai imaan mera "
Dharms's "raj ko raj hi rahne do"

truthbetold wrote:Couple of movies not mentioned above: Bobby and jhonny meta ma'am. Both were suprt hits and pran made significànt contribution.

funny autocorrect.

Kindle fire has funny software. It does not just correct spelling, it predicts words as you type letters and selects one of those options and inserts it in the sentence. It comes with some strange combinations of letters. It goes nuts with unfamiliar names.
One benefit is the amusement we get with sub editor jm's proud detection comments. Keeps the old fella gainfully engaged.