Bollywood legend Pran passes away at 93

Legendary actor Pran, loved and feared in equal measure by moviegoers for his roles in Bollywood hits like Milan, Madhumati and Zanjeer, 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 said. The veteran actor, who played villain and character roles with elan and was conferred the country's highest cinema honour, the Dada Saheb Phalke award in April, was admitted to Lilavati hospital a month ago.

Pran acted in about 350 films and 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 and Don.

Born on February 12, 1920 in old Delhi, Pran was educated at Kapurthala, Unnao, Meerut, Dehradun and Rampur, as his father, Kewal Krishnan Sikand, was in government service. Initially, Pran wanted to become a photographer but destiny had different plans.

A chance meeting with a film producer got him his first break in Punjabi film Yamla Jat in 1940. There was no looking back after that, as he went on to star in Chaudhary (1941), Khandan (1942), Kaise Kahun (1945) and Badnami (1946). The actor's baritone voice and good looks helped him bring charm to his villainy which was very unique to Pran.

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 there.

He had almost given hope when writer Saadat Hasan Manto helped him get a role in Dev Anand starrer in 1948 which revived his career.