Pran (actor)

Pran Krishan Sikand
Pran in a 1954 publicity photo
Born
Pran Krishan Sikand

(1920-02-12)12 February 1920
Died12 July 2013(2013-07-12) (aged 93)
NationalityIndian
Other namesVillain of the Millennium, Pran Sahab
OccupationActor
Years active1940–2007
WorksFilmography
Spouse
Shukla Sikand Ahluwalia
(m. 1945)
Children3 (including Sunil Sikand)
Awards3 Filmfare Awards for Best Supporting Actor
HonoursPadma Bhushan (2001)
Dadasaheb Phalke Award (2013)
WebsiteOfficial website

Pran Krishan Sikand (12 February 1920 – 12 July 2013), better known by his mononym, Pran, was an Indian actor, known as one of the greatest villains ever in the history of Indian cinema and a character actor in Hindi cinema from the 1940s to the 1990s.[1] He has been one of the most highly successful and respected veteran actors in the history of Indian cinema. He was also one of the highest-paid actors of his time.

He played hero roles from 1940 to 1947, negative characters from 1942 to 1991, and played supporting and character roles from 1967 to 2007. The late 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s were the peak periods of Pran's stint as a villainous character actor, especially 1950s and 1960s. Pran was the first true personification of "evil" on the Indian screen. The intensity of his portrayal of negative/villainous characters on the screen was effective enough to desist the Indian people from naming their children "Pran" in the 1950s & 60s & subsequently thereafter (when Pran was at the peak of his villainy). In a long and prolific career, Pran appeared in over 362 films. He played the leading man in works such as Khandaan (1942), Pilpili Saheb (1954) and Halaku (1956). He is known for his roles in Madhumati (1958), Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Shaheed (1965), Upkar (1967), Ram Aur Shyam (1967), Aansoo Ban Gaye Phool (1969), Purab Aur Paschim (1970), Johny Mera Naam (1970), Victoria No. 203 (1972), Be-Imaan (1972), Zanjeer (1973), Majboor (1974), Amar Akbar Anthony (1977), Don (1978), Sharaabi (1984) and Duniya (1984).

Pran has received many awards and honours in his career. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor in 1967, 1969 and 1972 and was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997. He was awarded the "Villain of the Millennium" by Stardust in 2000.[2] The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2001[3] for his contributions to the arts. He was honoured in 2013 with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award, the highest national award for cinema artists, by the Government of India. In 2010, he was named on the list of CNN's Top 25 Asian actors of all time.[4][5]

Pran died on 12 July 2013 at the age of 93 after suffering from a prolonged illness in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital.[6]

  1. ^ Gulzar, Govind Nihalani, Saibal Chatterjee (2003). Encyclopaedia of Hindi Cinema. Encyclopædia Britannica (India) Pvt. Ltd. p. 605. ISBN 8179910660. Retrieved 15 April 2013.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
  2. ^ "Pran, Bollywood's black gold". NDTV. Archived from the original on 17 February 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  3. ^ "Padma Awards" (PDF). Ministry of Home Affairs, Government of India. 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  4. ^ "Big B in CNN's top 25 Asian actors list". Hindustan Times. New York. 5 March 2010. Archived from the original on 1 November 2011. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  5. ^ "Asia's Best Actors". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 15 April 2013.
  6. ^ "Legendary actor Pran dies at 93". NDTV. Retrieved 12 July 2013.