Veteran Prem Chopra on his journey & being a 'devil' on-screen

Actor Prem Chopra is a name synonymous with the idea of a badass and legendary villain from umpteen movies in the yesteryears. The veteran has managed to create an impact with an array of his roles in multiple films which made him and his characters iconic.

In a recent interview with ETimes, Chopra talked about his journey who enjoys ageless popularity.

He began, "I debuted with the Bharat Bhushan-starrer ‘Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh’ in 1960. The same year I did the Punjabi film ‘Chaudhary Karnail Singh’, a love story, which won the National Award. I did a few films as a hero including ‘Main Shaadi Karne Chala’, ‘Kunwari’, ‘Sikandar E Azam’... But even then, I had no guts to leave TOI.

The turning point was playing the villain in Raj Khosla’s ‘Woh Kaun Thi?’ (1964) and Sukhdev, a grey character in Manoj Kumar’s ‘Shaheed’ (1965). After Nasir Hussain’s ‘Teesri Manzil’, Raj Khosla’s ‘Mera Saaya’ (both in 1966) and most importantly Manoj Kumar’s ‘Upkaar’ (1967) there was no looking back. I began doing double shifts. That was the first time I felt I could settle in Mumbai. Initially, I was staying in a guest house sharing the room with four people. Then I shifted to a single room."

Talking about if he ever faced profession rivalry or if there was any animosity or competition between everyone, "I didn’t believe in politics. It was just about doing my job and getting out. People who indulge in gossip and politics get caught in that."

Some people had come along with their wives. On seeing me they started saying, “Apni apni biwiyon ko chhupao!”

-

Finally, talking about if the 'negative' screen image affected his life, he said, "Some people, taking my screen image seriously, would get scared of me. Once my father and I were taking a walk at the Panchkula Garden in Chandigarh. Some people had come along with their wives. On seeing me they started saying, “Apni apni biwiyon ko chhupao!” My father was upset with the reaction. He said, “Has success won you this image?” To make a point, I went across and spoke nicely to the husbands. They were pleasantly surprised to find me so normal. I told them that what I do is my job, not my life."

He added, "I was a devil while doing my job in front of the camera. Some heroines would get conscious and feel coy. (Smiles) Perhaps, they were not good actresses. The good artistes were co-operative and we would get done with the scene. My wife Uma understood that it’s all part of my profession. She belongs to a film family herself being the younger sister of Krishnaji Raj Kapoor."

What a fascinating tale it has been for the veteran.