Mumbai: Veteran Bollywood actor and the greatest screen villain Pran aka Pran Nath Sikand passed away this evening in Mumbai’s Lilawati hospital after a protracted battle against illness. He was 93.
Pran had been ailing since last year and was admitted to Lilawati Hospital several times. He was last admitted three weeks ago when he complained of breathlessness. He was rushed to Lilawati Hospital, where he was put on life saving devices.
Pran was conferred the highest honour of Dadasaheb Phalke award this year by the Government of India. Minister of Information and Broadcasting Manish Tewari personally went to his residence in Mumbai to present the award.
Pran has acted in over 400 movies in a career spanning over six decades and played a vast range of roles – from a hero to a villain to a character artiste.
Pran’s popularity rose after he played ruthless villains in hits like Madhumati, Ziddi and Ram Aur Shyam. The success of the films made him a symbol of villainy in Hindi filmdom. Many families in India refrained from naming their offsprings after the villain’s name.
Pran wowed his fans and touched their heartstrings when he stepped into character roles as loveable Malang Chacha inUpkar.
Later, he thoroughly entertained as street-smart fraud in Victoria No.203, epitomised on-screen friendship as Pathan inZanjeer and not to forget his role of a grieving father who struggles to establish a rapport with his dead son’s children inParichay.