Pran’s 98 Birth Anniversary: Bollywood most adorable Villain
Pran’s 98 Birth Anniversary: Bollywood most adorable Villain
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New Delhi [India], Feb 12:  Those actors who play bad people or in a negative light on screen, the 1971 slice-of-life comedy counters, are not necessarily all that bad in real life. Hrishida cites Pran as an example. Guddi, the star-struck girl-next-door played by Jaya Bachchan, is terrified of Pran’s scheming screen villainy. She warns her matinee idol Dharmendra to stay clear of him. But Dharmendra laughs it off, explaining that Pran, contrary to popular perception, is a gem who goes out of his way to help friends and colleagues. And indeed, he gives away his cigarette packet to a spot boy on the sets and later, gifts an expensive watch to Dharmendra. “This man’s a Hatemtai,” Dharmendra says, marvelling at Pran’s kindness. This scene from Guddi perfectly illustrates Pran’s position in Hindi cinema, the ultimate screen baddie who gave the screen baddie a good name.

As we and his fans remember Pran on his 98th birth anniversary today, what springs to mind immediately is his clean and gentlemanly image in an industry riven by controversies and scandals. This was a man who belonged firmly to the old-school, a key member of that extraordinary league of gentlemen that included such Rat Packs as Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor. He had a special bond with them, as they all shared a common North frontier ancestry.

 

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