Pran Krishan Sikand Ahluwalia, better known by his mononym Pran, was one of the most versatile and respected actors in the history of Indian cinema. He was known for his memorable roles as a villain and a character actor in Hindi films from the 1940s to the 1990s. He appeared in over 362 films and won many awards and honours for his contributions to the art of cinema. He was also one of the highest-paid actors of his time.
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Willum Skeener
Pran was born on February 12, 1920, in Lahore, which was then part of British India and is now in Pakistan. His father was a civil engineer and a government contractor, and his mother was a homemaker. Pran has had a passion for photography and football since his childhood. He studied in various schools in Lahore, Peshawar, and Kapurthala and completed his matriculation from Hamid School, Rampur (U.P.). He also attended Aitchison College, Lahore, for a year.
Pran started his acting career with a small role in the Punjabi film “Yamla Jat” (1941), followed by “Chaudhary” and “Khajanchi” in 1941. In 1942, he acted in his first Hindi film, Khandaan (1942), opposite Noor Jehan, followed by other films like Kaise Kahoon (1945) and Khamosh Nigahen (1946).
After partition, Pran left Lahore and moved to Bombay. It was a very difficult time for a lot of people. His friends “Saadat Hasan Manto and Shyam” helped him get the film “Ziddi,” also starring Dev Anand and Kamini Kaushal, written by Ismat Chughtai and directed by Shaheed Latif. Ironically, Manto also had to leave Bombay for Pakistan.
He gained fame as a villain after his performance in Ziddi, followed by M. Yusuf’s Grihasti (1948), Bari Behan (1949), Prabhat Films’s Apradhi (1949), and Wali Mohammad’s Putli (1949).
Pran established himself as the most popular and successful villain in Hindi cinema in the 1950s and 1960s. He played a variety of negative characters, such as gangsters, smugglers, dacoits, rapists, murderers, traitors, and spies. He was known for his distinctive voice, mannerisms, expressions, and costumes. He often used different accents and dialects to suit his roles.
Some of his iconic villainous roles were in films like Sheesh Mahal (1950), Aah (1953), Jashan (1955), which is known for his chemistry with Kuldip Kaur, Munimji (1955), Amar Deep (1958), Adalat (1958), Chori Chori (1956), Jagte Raho (1956), Chhalia (1960), Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), and Dil Hi Toh Hai (1963), Shaheed (1965), Johny Mera Naam (1970), Joshila (1973), Warrant (1975), and Des Pardes (1978).
He had an iconic pairing with Dilip Kumar; together, they have done films like Dilip Kumar starrers such as Azaad (1955), Devdas (1955), Madhumati (1958), Dil Diya Dard Liya (1966), Ram Aur Shyam (1967), Aadmi (1968), Duniya (1984), Dharm Adhikari, and others. Pran and Ashok Kumar also shared a deep friendship both on and off-screen. They did 27 films from 1951 to 1987, starting with Afsana (1951), Mr. X (1957), Adhikar (1971), Victoria No. 203 (1972), Chori Mera Kaam (1975), and Raja Aur Rana (1984), among others.
Pran also proved his versatility as a character actor in the later years of his career. He played positive and comic roles with equal ease and flair. He portrayed characters such as a loyal friend, a loving father, a benevolent brother, a humorous uncle, and a patriotic citizen. Pran took on the role of Malang Chacha, a seasoned war hero, in Manoj Kumar’s 1967 film Upkar. The popular song “Kasme Waade Pyaar Wafaa” by Kalyanji Anandji was picturized on him in the movie.
Some of his notable character roles were in films like Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (1969), Purab Aur Paschim (1970), Victoria No. 203 (1972), Be-Imaan (1972), Majboor (1974), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Don (1978), Sharaabi (1984), and Duniya (1984).
Pran received many awards and honours in his career. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor three times: for Upkar (1967), Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (1969), and Be-Imaan (1972). Pran refused to accept the award for Be-Imaan, on the grounds that the Filmfare award for Best Music should have gone to Ghulam Haidar for Pakeezah and not Shankar Jaikishan for Be-Imaan.
The famous songs “Yari Hai Iman Mera” from Zanjeer, “Hum Bolega To Bologe Ke Bolta Hai” from Kasauti (1974), and “Micheal Daru Peeke Dandha Kartha Hai” from Majboor (1974), which were picturized on Pran, are still very popular.
Pran has done about 14 films with Amitabh Bachchan, including Zanjeer (1973), where he played fan favourite Sher Khan, Majboor (1974), Don (1978), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Dostana (1980), Kaalia (1981), Naseeb (1981), Andha Kanoon (1983), Nastik (1983), Sharaabi (1984), Shahenshah (1988), Jaadugar (1989), and Toofan (1989). Amitabh Bachchan specially requested Pran Sab to be a part of his home production, Tere Mere Sapne (1996).
In the 1980s, some of his notable films include Karz (1980), Khoon Ka Rishta (1981), Krodhi (1981), Jeeo Aur Jeene Do (1982), Souten (1983), Raja Aur Rana (1984), Raaj Tilak (1984), Duniya (1984), Sohni Mahiwal (1984), Dharm Adhikari (1986), Imaandar (1987), Sherni (1988), Bade Ghar Ki Beti (1989), Nigahen (1989), and many more. One of his most notable roles came in 1992, when he appeared in Sawan Kumar Tak’s Sanam Bewafa, starring Salman Khan, Chandani, and Danny Denzongpa. His dialogue, “Amma Saayin,” is still remembered by cinephiles.
He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He was also honoured with the Padma Bhushan in 2001 and the Dadasaheb Phalke Award in 2013 by the Government of India for his contributions to the arts. He was also named the “Villain of the Millennium” by Stardust magazine in 2000.
Pran died on July 12, 2013 at the age of 93 due to old age after suffering from a prolonged illness in Mumbai’s Lilavati Hospital. He is survived by his wife, Shukla Ahluwalia, whom he married in 1945, and three children: Arvind Sikand Ahluwalia, Sunil Sikand Ahluwalia, and Pinky Sikand Ahluwalia.
In 2000, film journalist Bunny Reuben penned his biography titled “…and Pran.” The title was inspired by the unique credit sequence in Pran’s movies, where his name consistently appeared last, following all the other actors, creating a distinctive signature: “…and Pran.”
