PRAN........

Pran - A Biography

I'm sure like myself, many of you know who Pran is but have never given this man much more attention than simply knowing his identity. Well, after reading this book, it was pleasantly surprising to know that there is more to Pran than the PRAN we know from films.
by Khalid Ilahi

We have all grown up watching this intimidating person on screen. I can remember as far back as when I was in Kindergarten, my parents watching the old Amitabh movies and seeing his nemesis, or sometime ally PRAN. We have always given the bad guy, or the supporting actor the brush-off. With Pran, it has been different. His innumerable appearances in films with that commanding physical presence, combined with his artistic style have made him a legend.

"...and Pran," A Biography on this man sets out to tell us the story of Pran, his childhood, background and his struggles to make it in a field, which seldom rewards hard work. With a forward by Amitabh Bachchan, and written by Bunny Reuben, the book is a telling story of a man with maturing ambition who happened to be in the right place at the right time. The fruitful life Pran has lived truly shows a side of his, which we unfortunately have not been exposed to.

Pran's story starts out in Lahore, where he was first discovered buying Paan. It was the style of his paan chewing, which caught the attention of Wali Mohammad Wali, who cast him in Yamla Jatt. Launching himself from the experience, Pran eventually moved to Bombay with his wife, but not to greatness. Living from cheap hotel to cheap hotel, fighting for roles, Pran overcame a lot to finally become accepted as a genuine actor.

Having developed strong relationships with the likes of Dev Anand, Raj Kapoor, Dilip Kumar and Amitabh, the man became a force to be reckoned with. I can go through the list of roles Pran put his stamp on, but my efforts in attempting to explain his genius would be futile. Pran made the bad guy in Bollywood cinema a lovable and classy entity. Inspiring hundreds of future Bollywood actors and thousands across the globe.

Its funny to note that the title of this book ...and Pran - came about because of a fan who actually thought Pran's first name was "And." The fan got this idea because in all of his movies, Pran was always billed at the end of the rest of the cast as "And Pran."

I chose to write about this book because I thought it would give insight on an individual who represents a lot of us. We all have the desire to reach for things we want, but face barriers in our attempts. In Pran, we find that he overcame quite a lot to actually break those barriers down, and with a bit of luck on his side, stood atop the mountain of his dreams. There is indeed a little bit of Pran in all of us.

Mini Biography

Pran was born on February 12, 1920 in Delhi. He was educated at different places namely Meerut, Dehradun and Rampur. His father Lala Kewal Krishnan Sikand was a Government Civil Contractor.

He got married in 1945. He has two sons and a daughter. He started his film career with the movie Yamla Jat (1941). He starred as villain in most of the movies in his career. Upkar (1967) directed by Manoj Kumar gave him the chance to act as supporting actor and from then he starred in movies as a father, or friend of lead actors.