With his dashing mannerisms and intensity, Pran came to be known as the most fearsome villain that Hindi cinema ever had before breaking the mould to play iconic character roles in films like 'Zanjeer' and 'Upkaar' in a career spanning six-decades.
The veteran actor died at a hospital here this evening at the age of 93.
Such was the magic of his onscreen villainy that people stopped naming their children 'Pran' at the height of his fame.
Ironically, while he was feared as a villain on screen, he was a gentleman in real life.
Pran Kishan Sikand was born on February 12, 1920, to a civil engineer in Delhi. He wanted to be a photographer but a chance meeting with writer Wali Mohammad Wali, who was writing Punjabi film 'Yamala Jat', brought him to the world of cinema.
He played the hero in the film opposite Noorjehan. The film became a hit and the pair starred together in their first Hindi film 'Khandaan'.
After Partition, he started trying his luck in Mumbai without much success. With the help of Saadat Hasan Manto and actor Shyam, Pran landed a role in Dev Anand-Kamini Kaushal starrer 'Ziddi'. With the success of the film, Pran never looked back playing negative roles in 'Madhumati', 'Ram Aur Shyam', 'Munimji' and 'Kashmir Ki Kali'.
With a string of powerful performances, Pran had at one stage commanded almost the same prize and sometimes more than onscreen hero and his name would appear alongside the name of the lead actor.
