Pran: A Suave & Debonair “Villain of the Millennium”

Pran Krishan Sikand: Birth Centenary

Pran Krishan Sikand, the eponymous ‘bad man’ of Indian cinema, epitomized villainy in Bollywood with his masterly personification of evil on celluloid. His screen presence was prolific, whatever the role, each performance was suffused with originality and imagination. Whether a sadistic despot or a malicious village bully or a dissolute city criminal, he portrayed the infinite shades of evil with consummate ease. Apocryphal stories abound of the terror he struck in the minds of generations of film goers with his sophisticated portrayal of a villain. With his bloodshot eyes, cold voice and trademark sneer, he imparted the necessary mirchi flavour to the mandatory masala Hindi movies foiling the hero’s impeccable character. With his acting prowess and rare intelligence, he brought each character alive on the screen. He succeeded in turning stereotypes into unforgettable characters with different mannerism, unusual get-up and voice diction. His cross-generational appeal, the gentleman smart devil, the funnyman with an impish plan, the piercing eye with crooked intention, the smoking pipe curling up many mischievous moves, the crafty twist of the hat and a guttural throw of words that made evil almost visceral and relatable. He had earned the unique and dubious distinction of being the film industry’s most hated villain. He elevated the role of the villain to cult status and won the sobriquet of ‘Villain of the Millennium’ for his riveting performances in hundreds of celluloid roles.

The suave and versatile Pran added ruthlessness and dignity to his performances, never resorting to vulgarity or crudity. There were many other creepy villains like KN Singh, Ajit, Prem Chopra, Shatrughan Singh, Ranjit and Amrish Puri but Pran was the King of villains. The characters he created ruled the dark side of Hindi cinema narrative. Such was the impact that no male child was named Pran because he personified the evil on screen. He cemented his reputation as an actor who was much more than a cardboard cutout of a baddie. Despite all his onscreen villainous roles, Pran still carved his way into the hearts of millions. He was off-screen a principled noble human being and a gifted artiste. “प्राण” means life, and Pran gave cinema just that with his seamless artistry.

Pran Krishan Sikand was born on February 12, 1920 at Ballimaran, Old Delhi, in an affluent Punjabi family. His father Kewal Krishan Sikand, an engineer, was a Government contractor and his mother Rameshwari a housewife. Pran wasn’t academically inclined and after passing his matriculation from Raza High School, Rampur, he joined A. Das & Co., Delhi as an apprentice photographer. This job took him first to Shimla, where he reprises the role of Sita in the annual Ramlila. Then he was posted to an exhilarating place Lahore.

The rakishly good-looking and nicely dressed Pran was spotted at a Mcleod Road Paan shop by writer director Wali Saheb, who found his face photogenic. He recommended him to producer Dalsukh Pancholi for a villain’s role in the Punjabi movie ‘Yamla Jat’ (1940). The naughty son of a rich contractor and the brash young photographer initially scoffed at Wali’s offer. But destiny came knocking and he became a pillar of the success of Yamla Jat. After playing small roles in Chaudhary (Punjabi) and Khazanchi, he was cast as a romantic hero opposite beautiful Noor Jehan in Khandaan (1942). The magical success of Khandaan offered plenty of opportunities for Pran as leading man. But he shunned the hero’s role as he preferred doing grey roles rather than running around trees with heroines. His initial films like Sahara, Ragini, Kaise Kahoo, Rehana, Khamosh Nigahein, Paraye Bas Mein, Mohini, Aarsi and Badnami were not big-budget great films, yet these helped him develop his acting skills. He appeared in 22 films made in Lahore, before the partition applied brakes to his flourishing career. His two films ‘But Taraash’ (1951) and ‘Khanabadosh’ (1952) were released in Pakistan after the Partition.

Pran miraculously escaped bloodbath in Lahore as he had flown to Indore only on 10 August, 1947 packing just a suitcase of his clothing to celebrate his son's first birthday. Under the changed circumstances, he chose Bombay to continue with his celluloid dream. His Lahore experience failed to fetch work in Bollywood. He took up a job with Delmar Hotel, Marine Drive to maintain his family. He finally swung a role in Bombay Talkies’ film ‘Ziddi’ (1948) at a princely salary of Rs. 500 with the help of writer Saadat Hasan Manto. Fortune smiled on Pran and within a week he signed Grihasti, Apradhi and Putli. He got one hundred more than the lead star in ‘Apradhi’ and Wali signed him for ‘Putli’ with fee of Rs. 1000 per month. One film that really established his career as a villain was Badi Bahen (1949). Soon film offers started pouring in with every film he grew from strength to strength. He did prominent roles in films like Barsat Ki Ek Raat, Birhan, Chunaria, Nek Dil, Sheesh Mahal, Afsana, Bahar, Aah, Malkin and Badi Bahu.

Pran made tight-rope walking while separating a villain and a buffoon in the song ‘Dil Ki Umange Hain Jawaan’ (Munimji). His unforgettable cameo in Devdas, doing two-second dance moves sitting down head and face. He made a significant difference in two conventional villains “a prince in Madhumati and a village goon truck-driver in Kashmir Ki Kali. Seeing a ghost itself is a chilling experience but watching Pran seeing Madhumati’s ghost was equally chilling. In Kashmir Ki Kali, he used the biddi to affect his body language. In ‘Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai’, Pran added a subtle touch by repeatedly running his index finger inside his collar, depicting the unconscious fear of the hangman’s noose.

It is difficult to imagine any successful film of that era without the menacing figure of Pran lurking around with his cigarettes, cigars, pipes, turning a stick around with his hand, his many costumes, hats, caps, wigs and various types of beard. Pran, acted as hero in the hit film ‘Pilpili Saheb’. He sported a fierce get-up in ‘Halaku’ (1956) to make a convincing tyrant and Iranian emperor imposing himself on Meena Kumari’s affections. He proved his versatility as the swashbuckling pirate in ‘Sindbad the Sailor’ and ‘Daughter of Sindbad’. He played the leading man in Aurat (1967), Nanha Farishta, Dharma, Ek Kunwari Ek Kunwara, Jangal Mein Mangal (double role) and Rahu Ketu. Always challenging his own abilities, he even did comedies with Kishore Kumar and Mehmood.

Bollywood's villain extraordinaire, Pran changed his roles literally and metaphorically pulling at our heartstrings. Shaheed (1965) was the beginning of new phase in Pran’s career. He touched the audience with heart-wrenching depth as a small time crook in the jail. But it was as limping Malang Chacha in Upkar (1967) and the soulful lip syncing of ‘Kasme Vaade Pyar Wafa’ that showed his gravitas and intensity. He won the Filmfare supporting actor award for this career-defining role. In Purab Aur Paschim as Harnam (Pran) enters his daughter’s wedding mandap, his face and drooping shoulders show resignation, defeat and regret without speaking any words. Pran was and will remain Sher Khan especially the verve with which he sang and danced to ‘Yaari hai imaan mera yaar’. ‘Zanjeer’ without Pran would not have been ‘Zanjeer’ at all.

Some of his other outstanding performances were domineering cruel brother-in-law in ‘Ram Aur Shyam’; a debauched nawab in Mere Mehboob; evil lame kohl-eyed uncle Kaido in Heer Ranjha; lecherous but lovable crook Rana in ‘Victoria No 203’ and stern jailer in Kalia among many others. In the cult movie ‘Don’, he played the doting father and was as big an icon as the Don himself.

Some of the mannerisms, Pran is best remembered for are: In Badi Bahen (1949), he made an entry by blowing smoke rings at Geeta Bali while in Dus Lakh, he smoked a cigar as if he was playing a flute. In Maryada he would invert a lit cigarette in his mouth using his tongue and place it back between his lips. Half Ticket, he played a sophisticated crook and displayed a rare sense of humour. Gumnaam, Pran was a lawyer stranded on a murderous island and he loved to drink and flirt with pretty women. In Kab, Kyoon aur Kahan, he tossed a coin with great skill and captured it on the back of his hand. Pran’s performance of a doddering old man who won’t die generated a lot of laughs in ‘Isi Ka Naam Zindagi’.

In Khandan (1965), Pran modelled his look on Adolf Hitler with the parted hair and severe moustache and a comic touch by twitching his nose. In Jugnu (1973), he donned a Mujibur Rehman like get-up for his role. In Majboor, Michael D’Souza had a cool habit of circling his fingers around his eyes to get a closer look. In Manmohan Desai’s cult classic Amar Akbar Anthony, Pran looked towards the U.S. President Abraham Lincoln, borrowing his style of beard and choice of clothing with a frock coat and bow. In Nigahen, the veteran thespian based his character’s hairstyle and glasses on Sam Pitroda, the successful telecom tycoon and adviser of then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi.

Pran was a real director's actor who worked with doyens of film industry from Sohrab Modi, Bimal Roy, Mehboob Khan and Raj Kapoor to Manoj Kumar. Prakash Mehra and Manmohan Desai could not imagine a story-line without the ‘Pillar P’. He was regularly cast as a villain in the films with lead actors like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand, Ashok Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Rajendra Kumar, Dharmendra and Amitabh Bachchan etc. He commanded more respect and fatter pay cheques than heroes even an Amitabh Bachchan.

He finally bade adieu to the baddie’s roles with Roop Tera Mastana (1972) and post 2000 he made a few guest appearances and largely turned into a recluse. But when Bachchan was going through a bad patch, he stepped in to help him out in his home productions Tere Mere Sapne (1996) and Mrityudata (1997), even though he could not stand for long.

Shammi Kapoor punched his face with real force in Tumsa Nahin Dekha hurting his teeth. He met with an accident while shooting for Dus Numbri as he insisted on jumping 15 feet and broke his ankle. While shooting for a sequence in Bobby, Pran almost drowned in a river. Fortunately, he managed to get hold of a rock and saved himself.

Pran was a true connoisseur of Urdu Poetry. As a sports lover and promoter, he even maintained his own football team ‘Bombay Dynamos Football Club’. He offered to bear expenses for Kapil Dev’s medical visit abroad before the historic World Cup 1983. Pran's first car in India was a Hillman. Apart from cars, he was an avid collector of smoking pipes and walking sticks having hidden swords. Pran's biography is titled “...And Pran” because in most of his movies, his name in the credits would appear last and read as ...and Pran.

He married Shukla Ahluwalia on 18 April, 1945 and had two sons Arvind & Sunil and a daughter Pinky. He produced Lakshman Rekha (1992) to promote his son, Sunil.

Pran, for whom roles used to be specially written, made appearances in about 390 Hindi movies and his last appearance, was in Dosh (2007). He also acted in seven Punjabi (Yamla Jat, Chaudhary, Chhai, Mutiyar, Phumman, Vasakhi, Nanak Dukhiya Sab Sansar), two Telugu (Tandra Paparayudu, Kodama Simham), one each Rajsthani (Beti Hui Parai Re), Bengali (Sonai Dighe) and Kannada (Hosa Raaga). Pran did some television serials like ‘Baap Se Bada Rupaiya’ and ‘They Call Me Dangerous’.

Pran was awarded three Film Fare Best Supporting Actor trophies and Film Fare Lifetime Achievement Award-1997. Government of India honoured him with Padma Bhushan in 2001. He was named one of 25 Asia's Greatest Actors of All Time in 2010. He was bestowed with the coveted Dadasaheb Phalke Award in May, 2013. The much-deserved recognition came just two months before Pran died of pneumonia on 12 July 2013. Otherwise, he would have said with trademark sardonic humour, “Barkurdaar! Bahut Der Kar Di Aate Aate! "

Pran once said: "If I am born again, I would like to be Pran..."