The Telegraph Magazine April 1990

One late evening in Lahore in 1939. A well-dressed personable young man stands with his friends at his favourite paan shop having an after-dinner pan when a total stranger interrupts, the conversation and asks the young man if he is interested in acting in films. If so, he should present himself at the Patchouli Studios the next day at 10 am and meet the boss, Dalsukh Pancholi. The young man is definitely interested but who is the stranger? "My name is Walli," says the stranger, naming one of the biggest directors in Lahore in the pre-Partition days. "After a few drinks every person imagines himself to be a Wallia" (which is Urdu for enlightened man), mutters the youth almost to himself ande the stranger walks off, probably without hearing the last bit. The next day, in the harsh light of the morning sun, the entire incident seems improbable and the product of some stranger's over-fertile imagination. The youth does not go. A couple of days later, while catching up with a matinee show at a local theatre (the Plaza), the young man once again meets the stranger who had claimed to be Walli Saheb. The stranger is incensed, Mr.D.S.Pancholi and he had waited at the studio for an entire day. The young man is contrite and says that he would be interested if the offer is still open. It is. This time, however, Walli Saheb is taking no chances and a car is sent to pick up the young man. By the evening of the next day the young man is playing the villain's role in Pancholi Studios' Punjabi film, Yamala Jat, and yet another star is born - a star whi is destined to hold sway over his audience for the next 50 years and more. Pran Krishan Sikand- for that was the name of the young man - was the son of a noted government and civil contractor, Lala Kewal Krishan Sikand, who would have definitely objected to his son's choice of career, but he never did find out till the film was released a good four months later and became a terrific hit. After that it was too late and he chose not to interfere. Pran's accidental entry into films is typical of the pre-Partition era. It was a time when actors were considered to be untouchable and though there were quite a few well known actors from decent, well-to-do families it was not exactly the profession parents planned for their children. However, Pran's career as an actor almost came to a standstill even before it had begun. Though a Punjabi he had spent his formative years in Delhi (where he was born on February 12, 1920) and Uttar Pradesh, where his father generally took up contracts, and hence could not speak proper Punjabi. He was about to be thrown out of films when Walli Saheb's brother Nazim Panipati, took up the responsibility of polishing up his accent. Had it not been for this intervention Pran would have eventually gravitated towards the profession he was toying with at the moment: photography. And the man who was destined to face the camera would have remained behind it all his life. After Yamala Jat, Pran did a few more Punjabi films (Chaudhury being one of them) as well as a walk-on role in the Hindi film, Khazanchi, which starred S.D. Narang (later to become a filmmaker) and Ramola and was destined to become a runaway hit. But all this was mere preparation for Pancholi had bigger things in mind for the young man. In 1942, Pran was signed to play the hero opposite Noor Jehan for a film titled Khandaan. Both were making their Hindi film debuts but had acted with each other in Chaudhary and once before when Noor Jehan had played the heroine's sister in Yamala Jat. After that there was no looking back for Pran and he went to play significant roles in as many as 22 films up to 1947 when Partition rudely interrupted his career as it did the lives of so many other people. Pran, however, was luckier than most people because he came out of the holocaust unscathed. It was the August of 1947 and Pran received a letter from his wife who was then in Indore, that he should join her there to celebrate the first birthday of their son. Thinking it would be a mere weekend trip, Pran packed a couple of bush-shirts and came over for the birthday on August 11 - the day the massacre stared in Lahore. Three days later, Pran with his wife and one-year-old son landed in Bombay facing unemployment and an uncertain future. Matters in Bombay were much worse than Pran had imagined. Number of Hindu actors from Lahore had gone there in search of work. When Pran first came to Bombay he had booked a room at the Taj Mahal Hotel but the next three months saw him move from the Taj to smaller, cheaper hotels. Pran had all but given up hope when fate intervened again and the Urdu writer, Saadat Hasan Monto, and the late actor, Shyam, managed to get him the villain's role in the Dev Anand-Kamini Kaushal starrer, Ziddi, directed by Shaheed Lateef. The total salary that he was to receive for the role was Rs 500 of which Pran demanded Rs 100 as advance - an amount he blew up in one night when he took his wife for dinner to the Ambassador. It cannot be said with any degree of accuracy as to which film established Pran as an actor to reckon with because soon after he signed Ziddi he was flushed with roles. The very next day Walli Mohammed Walli (Walli Saheb of Lahore who hav spotted him) signed him for Grahasti and Prabhat signed him for Apradhi. But it is generally agreed that it was D.D.Kashyap's Badi Bahen (1979) which established him for all time to come. Immortality, of course, was to come much later. Between 1949, the year which solidly established him as the villain to watch out for, till 1967, when he made a successful image-change Pran played innumerable villains - so many, in fact, that he and his admirers have lost count of them. Given the matrix of Hindi mainstream cinema Pran could not really escape the sameness that crept into his roles. The fifties were the golden era for Hindi films and the roles that he got had enough variation to keep him playing his parts without a murmur. But in the late fifties and early sixties when monotony crept in, his artistic temperament rebelled and he tried to vary his characterisations. The mid-sixties saw him bring a touch of comedy to his villainy and the vogue of the comic villain (which is today being carried on by Kader Khan and Shakti Kapoor) came into being. The change was first introduced in the Shammi Kappor - Sharmila Tagore starrer, Kasmir Ki Kali (1964) and carried over to Khandaan (1965), Shaheed (1965), Dil Diya Dard Liya (1966)- though the last film had him playing a straight villain. It was also at this time that Pran started laying an emphasis on make up to support his characterisation - a trait which was carried over into his character actor days. Real life was always the base for his make up. In Khandaan his make up was derived from Hitler while for Jugnu he took inspiration from Sheikh Mujibur Rehamn. He also introduce a series of mannerisms, varying them carefully from film to film. He would either blow smoke rings or hold the cigarette in a particular way or be the perpetual drunkard. Each of these mannerisms and get-ups made his roles interesting for the audience who would have otherwise got fed up with the repeated all-black characterisations. Today many of the youngsters believe that Pran's first straight role was Manoj Kumar's Upkaar in which he played Malang Chacha. This is really not so. Apart from the few leading roles that he played in his Lahore days he has done at least two straight roles in Bombay: the hero's role opposite Shyama in H.S.Kwatra's comedy Pilpili Saheb (1954) and the smaller husband's role in Raj Kapoor's Aah (1953) - a role which had been earmarked for Motilal who could not adjust his dates. Both roles were noticed but there was no follow-up and Pran was destined to remain the villain. Even the story behind the change-of-image in the mid-sixties is an interesting one. Pran first worked with Manoj Kumar in Do Badan. One day Sitaram Sharma, who was then making Shaheed asked Pran if he would play a small role of a dacoit in his film. Pran turned down the offer because his fee was meagre but Manoj Kumar persuaded him to accept. The small sympathetic role changed Pran's life. This time the role was not only noticed, but raved about by his fans and industry folk. The follow-up came when Manoj, not forgetting the favour, offered the Malang Chacha role in Upkkar - a film which not only dented Pran's villain's image but also gave Manoj his Bharat image. After that there was no looking back for both of them. For some time Pran alternated between the villain's role and the golden-hearted toughie who is on the side of the hero till he bade goodbye to the bad man with Roop Tera Mastana (1972). This phase too saw a series of distinguished performance like Zanjeer, Majboor, Kasauti, Victoria 203, Beimaan, Dus Numabri, Kaalia, Don before he slowly started reducing his assignments, but not before the 'bad man' in him played one final homage to the villain's role tht had made him famous. Once again, he played the bad man in Andhaa Kanoon (1983) and Dunia (1984). Pran has definitely not retired today - as he has often said : "My ambition is to die with my make-up on - for, at 70, he is as agile as ever, but doesn't see the need to act in every role that comes his way. On the contrary, he would like to pick and choose and take the role that gives full play to his startling ability which is yet to be fully tapped for what has been seen and utilised is a mere tip of the iceberg. In an industry fraught with politics, backbiting Pran has always been praised for his gentlemanly behaviour. Way back in 1955 when he was offered a role in Aan Baan which was to have been played by veteran character actor Sajjan he took the trouble of ringing up Sajjan before accepting it. Incidents like these have won for him the sobriquet of the 'Gentleman villain' and a reputation of absolute straightforwardness. Even in his heyday, Pran was a man of varied interests. Even while he fully concentrated on his roles he found the time to organize charity shows, cricket matches, relief morchas so as to collect funds for various charities. An ardent footballer, he even had his own football team (named 'Dynamos' after the famous Russian team), six of whose members had represented Maharashtra, including one who had played for India in the Olympics. He also learnt fencing for tow years, practicing daily with a noted fight master. His collection of pipes was considered to be the best till he distributed them all. Today, Pran should be a satisfied man and though no one has named his child after him (just as they wouldn't after Ravana) his name has been on the lips of every film fan for almost half a century and his place in Hindi cinema is guaranteed. He has acted in over 350 films and been honoured with as many as 70 awards. But the most important award that he has got is the lasting affecting of his fans and the enduring acclaim of the critics.