Pran, gentleman villain, dies at 93
MUMBAI: Legendary actor and Hindi cinema’s most popular villain Pran Kishan Sikand, better known as Pran, who stamped his talent with hits such as Milan, Madhumati and Zanjeer, passed away at around 8.30pm on Wednesday. He was 93.
The actor, who was being treated for pneumonia at the Lilavati Hospital for close to a month, was on ventilator support for the last couple of days, sources said. His last rites will be performed on Saturday at Shivaji Park.
The actor, who played villain and character roles effortlessly, was conferred the country’s highest cinema honour — Dada Saheb Phalke award — in April.
Born in Ballimaran, Old Delhi on February 12, 1920 into a wealthy family, Pran, who got his acting break in 1940 in Yamla Jat, acted in more than 350 films. He left his imprint as a villain in Kashmir ki Kali, Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai, and Purab Aur Paschim.
In Zanjeer, he played a Pathan, Sher Khan, alongside Amitabh Bachchan, whose march towards super stardom started immediately after that.
After gaining popularity for his negative roles, Pran came to be known as the gentleman villain and was one of the highest paid actors in the 70s and 80s.
He was presented the Padma Bhushan in 2001. Pran is survived by wife Shukla Ahluwalia, sons Arvind and Sunil, and daughter Pinky.