" Black Gold " of Bollywood ! - Pran of Bollywood ( pun intended )
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After entertaining the sub-continent for nearly half+ a century
your departure for heavenly abode is tragic and pain-some, but the process of life is inevitable.
Pran, one of Bollywood's most respected actors, died in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital today. He was 93 and had been admitted to hospital a month ago.
"He died after a spell of prolonged illness," his daughter Pinky told news agency PTI. "He was not keeping well, he was very weak. His health was deteriorating," she added.
Pran received the Dadasaheb Phalke Award this year in May. He was unable to travel to Delhi to receive the award at the presentation ceremony because of ill health. He was given the award at his home in Mumbai the next day.
Pran, star of films such as Zanjeer and Amar Akbar Anthony, began his career as a hero in Punjabi films, made a tremendous impact on Bollywood as the villain in Dilip Kumar's Ram Aur Shyam and was the first actor to break stereotype by playing character roles as well. In the '70s, there was almost no major film that did not feature Pran and he was often higher paid than the hero. Pran was credited with making the role of the villain as important as the hero's, and was known for his sophistication and style on screen. (Read: Pran, Bollywood's 'black gold')
Pran was also credited with helping actor Amitabh Bachchan get his biggest break - Zanjeer, which marked the rise of the Angry Young Man and made Amitabh Bachchan famous. Pran played one of his best known roles - the Pathan Sher Khan - in Zanjeer. He and Amitabh Bachchan formed a long and successful screen partnership after Zanjeer and struck up a lifelong friendship. Pran made one of his last public appearances at Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday party in October last year. (Life in pics)
Pran's other famous films include Madhumati, Half Ticket, Upkar, Kashmir Ki Kali, Don, Karz, Naseeb and Shahenshah. He last appeared on-screen in 1997's Mrityudaata.
He is survived by his wife Shukla, daughter Pinky, and sons Arvind and Sunil.
Pran sahab was truly a legend, he immortalized many villainous characters which no other can't match. He holds the same place in Villains what Mr. Bachchan holds in Heros i.e. The Baap. He was an all-rounder whether its good, bad or comic his charisma was unmatched. We will always miss you 
Veteran Bollywood actor Pran, who played the dreaded villain and lovable character with elan in hits like 'Milan', 'Madhumati', 'Bobby', 'Zanjeer' and 'Ram Aur Shyam', passed away at a suburban hospital here this evening at the age of 93.
"He died after a spell of prolonged illness," his daughter Pinky told PTI. He was admitted to Lilavati hospital a month ago after his health started deteriorating, she said. His funeral will be held tomorrow noon at Shivaji Park in Dadar.
The veteran actor, who had a six-decade-long career that saw him performing in over 400 films, was conferred the country's highest cinema honour -- Dada Saheb Phalke award -- in April.
Pran left his imprint as a villain with powerful roles in films like 'Kashmir ki Kali', 'Khandaan', 'Aurat', 'Bari Behen', 'Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai', 'Half Ticket', 'Upkar', 'Purab Aur Paschim', 'Don' 'Karz' and 'Naseeb'.
Born on February 12 in 1920 in old Delhi, Pran Krishan Sikand was educated at places like Kapurthala, Unnao, Meerut, Dehradun and Rampur as his father Lala Kewal Krishnan Sikand was in government service.
Initially, Pran wanted to become a photographer but destiny had different plans for him. A chance meeting with a film producer got him his first break in Punjabi film 'Yamla Jat' in 1940.
There was no looking back for the actor after that as he went on to star in films like 'Chaudhary' (1941), 'Khandan' (1942), 'Kaise Kahun' (1945) and 'Badnami (1946).
After Partition, Pran came to Mumbai with his wife Shukla and sons Arvind and Sunil but found it difficult to get work as an actor in the city of dreams. Pran had almost given hope when writer Saadat Hasan Manto helped him get a role in Dev Anand starrer 'Ziddi' in 1948 which revived his career.
He will be forever remembered for bringing villains on par with the heroes, ruling the industry from 1969 to 1982. He commanded equal money and respect for his negative characters in 'Madhumati', 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai', 'Ram Aur Shyam' and 'Devdas'.
The actor's baritone and good looks helped him bring charm to his villainy which was very unique to Pran. Such was the magic of his onscreen roles that parents stopped naming their children 'Pran' at the height of his fame.
His chameleon-like ability helped Pran transform himself from one of the most hated onscreen villains to one of the most beloved character actors -- be it the 'Mangal chacha' in 'Upkar', Sher Khan of opposite Amitabh Bachchan in 'Zanjeer' or the discipline-loving but soft-hearted grandfather in Gulzar's 'Parichay'.
Prior to his film career, the actor wanted to become a professional photographer and worked as an apprentice with a company. This job took him to Shimla, where he played the role of Sita in a local staging of 'Ramlila'. He happened to meet writer, Wali Mohammad Wali, who worked for producer Dalsukh M. Pancholi in Lahore. This eventually led to Pran's entry in the film industry.
He acted in few Punjabi films before entering Bollywood with Sunil Dutt-Nutun starrer super hit film 'Khandan' (1965). His contribution in comedy movies also didn't go unnoticed with some side-splitting performances in 'Sadhu Aur Shaitaan', 'Chham Chama Chham', 'Half Ticket' and 'Bewaqoof' and others.
It was reported that in the 70s, Pran was among the highest paid actors in Indian cinema, ahead of his co-stars like Amitabh Bachchan and Vinod Khanna.
Pran married Shukla Ahluwalia in 1945 and has two sons, Arvind and Sunil and a daughter, Pinky.
The funeral of legendary actor Pran will be held on Saturday afternoon at Shivaji park in Dadar. The Dadasaheb Phalke awardee passed away on Friday night at a suburban hospital in Mumbai.
"He died after a spell of prolonged illness," his daughter said. He was admitted to Lilavati hospital a month ago after his health started deteriorating, she said.
The 93-year-old actor, whose real name is Pran Krishan Sikand, has appeared in over 400 films from the 1940s to the 1990s and has played both positive and negative roles with equal passion. He is known for films like 'Zanjeer', 'Don' and 'Amar, Akbar, Anthony'. The Dadasaheb Phalke awardee passed away on Friday night at a suburban hospital in Mumbai.
He was awarded the 'Villain of the Millennium' by Stardust in 2000 and was on the list of CNN's Top 25 Asian actors of all time.
Born into a wealthy family in Delhi Feb 12, 1920, Pran lived and was educated in Lahore, Kapurthala, Meerut, Dehradun, Rampur, Unnao and finally Mumbai as his father, Lala Kewal Krishan Sikand, was a government contractor building bridges and roads, including the Kalsi Bridge near Dehradun.
Though he seemed interested in and pursued a course in photography in Lahore, a chance meeting with a movie producer got Pran a role in 'Yamla Jat' in 1940 when he was 20.
After the partition of India, Pran, who had married Shukla in 1945 (the couple later had two sons, Arvind, Sunil, and daughter, Pinky), decided to leave the Lahore film industry and shift to then Bombay.
But, unlike his smooth entry in Lahore, it was the start of a brief period of struggle to get a foothold in Bollywood.
Though he managed to get the role of a lead hero in some movies, his personality and natural acting talents came to the fore only as a villain in those early days of the black-and-white era.
His piercing, intense and unwavering deadly eyes made him a tailormade villain for the romantic heroes of that era, including Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Shashi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Raj Kumar, and later Dharmendra, Rajesh Khanna, Amitabh Bachchan and many others.
No doubt, on screen, they all never missed an opportunity to get back at him and loved to bash him up - even as the viewers in the dark cinema halls let out sighs of relief at the end of the one-headed, evil-eyed Ravan, as the heroes and their dainty heroines sauntered into the mist.
"Throughout an estimable career, (Pran) used his eyes, voice, diction, facial mobility and body language to powerful effect. He could memorize reams of dialogue just by glancing at the sheets of paper handed over to him on the sets, more often than not a minute before the call of lights, action, camera. He never made a mistake, the lines flowing smoothly from a photographic memory," was how the legendary Amitabh Bachchan described him a few years ago.
Pran acted in over 400 movies in a career spanning over six decades and made smooth, seamless transitions from a hero to a villain to a character artist, playing each role with rare finesse, his 'extra touch' ensuring that each was different from the other.
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