Pran (Actor) Age, Death, Wife, Family, Biography & More StarsUnfolded

May 18, 2024

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Death Cause: Prolonged Illness

Age: 93 Years

Wife: Shukla Ahluwalia

Some Lesser Known Facts About Pran

Pran was a veteran Indian actor, who was given the title ‘Villain of the Millennium’ for playing an antagonist in various Hindi films. He was also known for playing the character actor in Hindi films. For his contribution to the Hindi film industry, he was honoured with Padma Bhushan in 2001. He was one of the top-paid actors in Bollywood from 1940 to 1990.

He did primary schooling in Unnao, Uttar Pradesh and was good at Mathematics. Due to his father’s transferable job, he studied at different schools in Dehradun, Lahore, Kapurthala, and Meerut.
Pran’s old home in Unnao

In childhood, he loved flying kites with his friends.

While he was in class 6, he tried smoking a cigarette for the first time. Gradually, he developed a habit of it. By the age of 57, he became a chain smoker and smoked around 100-120 cigarettes per day. However, when he was 57, he quit smoking.
Pran with Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor

After completing class 10, he left his studies and started his training in photography at the photo studio A. Das & Co., Delhi for a salary of Rs 300. For his photography work, he visited Shimla, Himachal Pradesh where he got a chance to act on stage. There, he played the role of Sita in a ramleela. Later, he shifted to Lahore, British India (now Pakistan), for professional training in photography. As he was alone there, so he always carried a rampuri knife with him for his self-protection.

When Pran was 16 years old, he developed a habit of eating paan. Once, while he was at a paan shop in Lahore, the Indian writer Mohammad Wali met him and asked him to act in his Punjabi film ‘Yamla Jat.’ In an interview, while talking about his first meeting with Wali, he said,
One day, a man came and stood there, staring at me from head to toe. He then introduced himself as Wali Mohammed Wali, a writer for Mr Dalsukh Pancholi, the great producer and studio owner. We are making a Punjabi film called Yamla Jat. My vision of one of the main characters fits you perfectly. Will you do the role? I was 19 and cheerfully said, “Fine!” He gave me his card and asked me to meet him the next day at 10 am.”
Pran took the visiting card but instead of meeting Wali, he went for a matinee show at Plaza cinema, but Pran did not know that Wali was also present in the cinema. When Wali saw Pran, he abused him and said that he relied on Pran and did not sign anyone else for the film. In an interview, while sharing the incident, Pran said,
He actually walked across and began abusing me with choice Punjabi invectives! He had relied on me, he said, and had told Mr Pancholi not to sign anyone else! I promised him that I would come the next day. But this time he took no chances — he took down my address and came the next day and picked me up! My photographs and interview were taken and I was signed on as the villain.”

In 1941, he appeared in the Punjabi film titled ‘Chaudhry.’
Chaudhry (1941)

Before the partition of India, Pran acted in various Hindi films such as ‘Sahara’ (1943), ‘Badnami’ (1946), ‘Khamosh Nigahen’ (1946), ‘Paraye-Bas-Men’ (1946), and ‘Rehana’ (1946). He gained immense popularity with his films.
Sahara (1943)

In 1945, he got married, and a year later, his son was born. Soon after his son’s birth, he shifted his wife and son from Lahore to Indore, and for his acting career, he stayed in Lahore. Within a few days, Pran too had to move to Indore due to the chaos in British India at the time of independence; leaving his successful acting career behind. He even left his dog in Lahore which he regretted for years.
An old picture of Pran with his family members

On 13 August 1947, Pran and his family left Indore and moved to Mumbai in a hope of getting some acting projects. Being from an affluent family, he decided to stay in Taj Hotel in Mumbai. However, he had to shift to a low-budget hotel as he did not have any work. He even worked at a hotel on Marine Drive in Mumbai and auditioned from one film studio to another to get some work as an actor. A few days later, his family shifted to a guest house as Pran could not afford to pay the hotel bills. Later, the Indian writer Saadat Hasan Manto and actor Shyam helped him by giving him a role in the Hindi film ‘Ziddi’ (1948). He received Rs 500 as fees for the film which was very less as compared to what he charged in Lahore. He gained immense popularity with the film and started getting more offers of Hindi films. During an interview, while talking about it, he said,
After more than 20 films there, I thought Hindi films would welcome me, but I was wrong. Yahan to bahut dhakke khaane pade! I had no work here for more than six months. I had to sell some of my wife’s jewellery to settle the bills. We then shifted to smaller hotels!”

Pran then rented a two-bedroom flat in Pali Hill, Mumbai, and after his daughter was born, he bought a bungalow in Union Park, Bandra, Mumbai.

Later, he started getting popularity as a villain in various Hindi films like ‘Azaad’ (1955), ‘Devdas’ (1955), ‘Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai’ (1960), ‘Rajkumar’ (1964), and ‘Ram Aur Shyam’ (1967).
Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai

His roles as an antagonist were so popular that people started fearing of him in real life. According to a survey conducted in schools and colleges in Bombay, Delhi, Punjab, and Uttar Pradesh, it was founded that no student was named Pran after the 1950s. In an interview, Pran shared an incident in which he talked about his terror among the public. He said,
When I went to someone’s house in Delhi for tea, his young sister was whisked out of my sight! My friend later phoned me and said his sister had fought with him for bringing a bad man into the house! But after Upkar, I remember the late Om Prakash’s daughter’s wedding was being held in Delhi where all the film artistes had come. People there were actually harassing them by grabbing their hands, clothes and so on. But when I reached there, the same public actually cleared a path for me saying, “Malang Chacha aa gaye, hat jaao, unhein jaane do!”

In 1957, while filming a fight sequence for the Hindi film ‘Tumsa Nahin Dekha’ (1957), the Indian actor Shammi Kapoor mistakenly hit Pran’s nose. Pran’s nose started bleeding badly. Shammi apologised to him several times, but Pran shrugged it off and asked the director to continue with the next shot of the film.

Once, Pran met the Indian actor Raj Kapoor to discuss the script of a film in which they were cast together. During their meeting, Raj made a peg of alcohol for both. He filled his glass more than Pran which made Pran upset and he thought that Raj was a miser. Pran refused to take even a sip from the glass. Later, when Raj Kapoor came to know that Pran was upset over the peg, he apologised to Pran, and then, they started shooting for the film.
Pran with Raj Kapoor

Pran was given the title ‘character actor’ for a reason. He used to spend days researching minute details of his characters in films right from dress to makeup. Some of his roles which became popular are Afratyam in ‘Alif Laila’ (1953), Raka in ‘Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai’ (1960), Malang Chacha in ‘Upkar’ (1967), and Sher Singh in ‘Chakkar Pe Chakkar’ (1977).
A collage of Pran’s characters in different Hindi films

In 1967, the Hindi song “Kasme Wade Pyar Wafa” from the film Upkar (1967) was picturised on Pran. The music director duo Kalyanji–Anandji were not happy with this and said the song would be a disaster. However, when the shooting of the song was completed, Kalyanji called Pran and apologised for his words and said,
Aap pehle artiste hain jinhonein munh se nahin, gale se hamara gaana gaaya hai!”
Pran in the song Kasme Wade Pyar Wafa

Pran was also known for his iconic dialogues in Hindi films. Some of his famous dialogues are ‘Main bhi purana cheedie maar hoon, par katarne achchi tarah se jaanta hoon’ from Sheesh Mahal (1950), ‘Raashan par bhaashan bahut hai! Bhaashan par koi raashan nahin! Sirf yeh jab bhi bolta hun, zyaada hi bolta hun, samjhe!’ from ‘Upkar’ (1967), and ‘Oye Bhagathsingha, yeh bharat mata ki hondi hai … maine itne khoon kitthe Bhagatsingha’ from ‘Shaheed’ (1965). His style of saying “Barkhurdaar” in the films was loved by the audience. In an interview, Pran shared that he took the idea of the dialogue ‘Kyon? Theek hai na theek?’ (from the Hindi film ‘Pathar Ke Sanam’ 1967) from one of his uncles.

The duo of Pran and the Indian actor Ashok Kumar were cast together in many Hindi films like ‘Afsana’ (1951), ‘Victoria No. 203’ (1972), ‘Chor Ke Ghar Chor’ (1978), ‘Apna Khoon’ (1978), ‘Raja Aur Rana’ (1984), and ‘Naya Zamana’ (1971).
A still of Pran and Ashok Kumar from the film Afsana

Pran became one of the highest-paid Bollywood actors from 1969 to 1982.

He started a film distribution company in Delhi in 1970.

In 1972, he rejected the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor for the Hindi film ‘Be-Imaan,’ as he was upset with the jury for not recognising the work of the Indian music composer Ghulam Mohammed in the film ‘Pakeezah.’

In the October 1972 edition of Filmfare magazine, he was featured on the cover.
Pran featured on the cover of Filmfare magazine

Pran shared a good bond with the Indian actor Raj Kapoor. However, their friendship was affected after the release of the 1973 film ‘Bobby.’ Raj Kapoor wanted to cast Pran for a role in the film but at that time Pran’s fees was high and Raj had a lack of funds. When Pran came to know about it, he agreed to do the film for one rupee shagun and said that he would take his fees only if the film earned profits. The film was a massive hit, but Raj Kapoor offered a cheque of Rs 1 lakh to Pran which was very less than what Pran used to charge at that time. Pran felt it disgraceful and decided that he would never work with RK Film again. In an interview, he shared an incident while shooting for the film. He said that during one of the scenes of the film, he almost drowned and with a help of a rock lying nearby, he saved his life.

Pran and the Indian actor Mehmood worked together in many popular Hindi films like ‘Gumnaam’ (1965), ‘Love In Tokyo’ (1966), ‘Sadhu Aur Shaitaan’ (1968), and ‘Lakhon Me Ek’ (1971).

Pran worked with the Indian actor Amitabh Bachchan in more than 14 Hindi films including ‘Zanjeer’ (1973), ‘Amar Akbar Anthony’ (1977), ‘Ganga Ki Saugandh’ (1978), and ‘Nastik’ (1983). It was Pran who suggested Amitabh’s name for the Hindi film ‘Zanjeer.’ After working together in films, they developed a good bond in real life. According to the sources, when Amitabh was about to get bankrupt, Pran supported him financially and even worked in two films of Amitabh’s film production house ABCL Productions.
Zanjeer (1973)

At the height of his career, his fees was more than the lead actors. He received Rs 5 lakh for the 1978 film ‘Don,’ whereas Amitabh charged half of it.

He once wrote an article, in which he criticised the then Prime Minister of India Indira Gandhi for imposing an emergency in India. In an interview, Pran said that he never expected to receive an honour from the government as he once wrote an article about Indira Gandhi, who was associated with the ruling party in India at that time. He further said that if he was in England, he would get the title of Sir.

For the 1976 Hindi film ‘Dus Numbri, he decided to do an action scene without any body double where he had to jump off 15 feet. Even the film director suggested him to quit the idea of doing the scene himself, but he insisted on doing it. While doing the scene, he broke his ankle and was immediately rushed to a nearby hospital.

He worked as a presenter in the Hindi film ‘Farishta’ (1984).
Farishta (1984)

Pran had a heart attack in 1989 after which he started rejecting the offers of films. He even started distancing himself from the media and public and spent most of his time at his home in Bandra along with his wife, children, and grandchildren. In an interview, some of his friends shared that he started developing a fear of crowd.
Pran with his grandchildren

He limited his acting projects and appeared in a few Hindi films like ‘Bewaffa Se Waffa’ (1992), ‘1942: A Love Story’ (1994), ‘Gudia’ (1997), and ‘Ek Hindustani’ (2002).
A still of Pran as Abid Ali Baig from the film 1942- A Love Story

In 1992, he co-produced the Hindi film ‘Lakshmanrekha’ for his son. In an interview, while talking about it, he said,
My son, Sunil, who was assisting Manmohan Desai, was keen on directing a film. He had directed Farishta in 1984, but that had not done well. He had also announced a big film with Shashi Kapoor and Amitabh Bachchan in the ’70s, which did not take off. So, I co-produced a film with Satyen Choudhury only for him.”
Lakshmanrekha

Pran once shared that in 1996, he worked in the TV serial ‘They Call Me Dangerous,’ but only after three episodes, he quit the show as he did not like their working style. He also acted in the Doordarshan television series ‘Baap Se Bada Rupaiya.’

Pran had a unique style of smoking cigarettes on screen. One of his scenes in a film where he makes rings while smoking became very popular.
Pran making smoke rings for a scene in a film

He used to consume whiskey at parties and events.
Pran consuming alcohol

The veteran Indian actor Aruna Irani once shared that while she was shooting for a Hindi film along with Pran, she had to travel with him from Hong Kong to Calcutta and then to Bombay. She shared that because of his negative roles in films, she was petrified of him. She said,
Once, Pran and I were travelling from Hong Kong to Calcutta to Bombay. But the Bombay flight got delayed, and we had to spend the night in Calcutta. I was very terrified of Pran’s onscreen persona but I was very touched when Pran dropped me to my room and said to lock the door from inside and not open the door for anybody.”

Pran was among the most punctual actors in Bollywood. He used to always get ready by 9:00 am even though his shooting was scheduled for 11:00 am. In an interview, while talking about Pran, the Indian actor Manoj Kumar said that Pran was so dedicated towards his work that he even completed his shooting on the day his sister died.

In his leisure time, he used to read books. He loved playing and watching football, hockey, and cricket. He had a football team ‘Dynamos Football Club’ in Mumbai.
Pran’s football team

Pran was associated with various NGOs. He donated to Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, Maratha Sikshan Sanstha, and Film Industry Welfare Trust. He organised fundraising charity events like ‘Hope 86’ and ‘Hope 87’ shows.

In an interview, when he was asked which of his films, he loved the most. He replied,
Halaku is one of my all-time favourites. I also loved my roles in Madhumati, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hain, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Shaheed, Upkar, Zanjeer and Victoria No 203.”

He once shared that he loved playing antagonist more than protagonist as he did not like doing songs where he had to dance around a tree.

He loved animals and had three pet dogs named Whiskey, Bullet, and Soda. He once bought a monkey as a pet, but he returned it after his neighbour’s objection.

Pran loved collecting different styles of walking sticks, and some of his sticks had hidden swords. He even used his walking sticks in some of his films.

His scripts were written in Urdu as he was not good at reading Hindi.
Pran reading an Urdu book

He loved hosting parties at his home. Every year, he used to organise a Holi party where his regular guests were Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Balraj Kohli, Satish Bhalla, and Dilip Kumar. He was good at playing cards and often organised card parties at his home.
Pran at a party with Dilip Kumar and Raj Kapoor

The Indian politician Padma Vibhushan George Mathew Fernandes and former West Indies cricketer Sir Frank Worrell were some of his good friends.

He was one of the key persons who were invited to the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Kuldip Chemical & Oil Mills, Kuldipnagar, Ambala Cantt., Haryana.
Pran’s group photo which was taken on the occasion of the foundation stone laying ceremony of the Kuldip Chemical & Oil Mills, Kuldipnagar

Pran loved the white colour and often wore a white shirt and white trousers.

He followed the Indian spiritual leader Fakir Kammo Baba.

Pran had a collection of cigar pipes.
Pran’s collection of cigar pipes

The first car he ever bought was a Hillman car.

His son insisted on fixing his wedding on Pran’s birthday.

In 2005, his biography titled ‘…and Pran: A Biography’ was authored by the Indian journalist Bunny Reuben.
a photo of Pran at the launch event of his biography

His hand was printed at the waterfront walkway Legend’s Walk, Mumbai in 2012.

In his late eighties, he was detected with pneumonia after which his health deteriorated, and at the age of 93, he passed away. On his demise, the former Prime Minister of India Manmohan Singh shared his grief and said,
Pran entertained several generations of Indians with his riveting performances in hundreds of celluloid roles. His versatility in etching a lasting impression on cinema audience’s mind improved with time for which he was bestowed with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award.”

In 2018, in memory of Pran, a chowk on the intersection of Carter Road, Bandra, Mumbai was named after him.
A chow in Mumbai named after Pran

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