Real hero

Sir — The death of the veteran actor, Pran, is a great loss to the film industry (“Gentleman villain bows out”, July 14). The actor, whose real name was Pran Krishan Sikand, had more than 400 films to his credit. Pran is known for essaying memorable roles in films like Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, Zanjeer and Don.

The actor wanted to be a photographer but the writer, Wali Mohammad Wali, brought him to the world of cinema in 1940. After Partition, he tried his luck in the Bombay film industry without much success. Saadat Hasan Manto recognized his talent and soon Pran landed a role in the Dev Anand starrer, Ziddi. The film became a hit and Pran never looked back. He played negative roles in films like Madhumati, Ram Aur Shyam, Munimji and Kashmir Ki Kali.

Manmohan Singh aptly described the veteran actor as “an icon” and a talent whose “versatility in etching a lasting impression on cinema audience’s mind improved with time”.

Yours faithfully,
Amlandeep Bhattacharya, Calcutta

Sir — The death of Pran has been both sad and shocking. He died at the ripe old age of 93. An era has come to an end with the demise of the legendary actor who was also a thorough gentleman. In a career spanning six decades, Pran may have portrayed characters that were villainous but he also had a heart of gold. The characters played by him have become memorable and are appreciated by millions of cinema lovers. His roles in films like Brahmachari, An Evening in Paris, Bobby, Dil Diya Dard Liya and Ram Aur Shyam will never be forgotten. The actor’s baritone and good looks helped him lend a degree of charm to negative roles.

Pran’s versatility helped him transform himself from one of the most hated villains onscreen to one of the most beloved character actors. The audience will always remember Mangal Chacha in Upkar, Sher Khan in Zanjeer and the disciplined but soft-hearted grandfather in Gulzar’s Parichay.

The thespian was honoured with the Dadasaheb Phalke Award earlier this year. The award should have been given to him years ago.

Yours faithfully,
R. Sekar, Visakhapatnam

Sir — Pran was famous for playing villainous roles in Hindi films. Between the 1960s and 1980s, he appeared in nearly every major Bollywood film, elevating the status of villains in public imagination. Pran was known to be a disciplined man in his professional life and that helped him churn out one memorable performance after another. As a villain, he was as popular as the top heroes of his time. His screen presence towered over those of the lead actors.

The actor, who died at Leelavati hospital in Mumbai recently, had been suffering from Parkinson’s and dementia for a long time. He lost the battle to pneumonia, kidney failure and chronic pulmonary disease.

In a foreword to Pran’s biography, Amitabh Bachchan had written this: “Onscreen villainy is a thankless job which Pran saab accepted and carried out with such a degree of perfection that he became the actor the entire nation loved to hate.”

Yours faithfully,
A.K. Srivastava, Salboni, West Midnapore

Sir — The demise of the legendary actor, Pran, has left a void which would be impossible to fill. He played a vast range of reel characters, but was best known for his roles as villains. The actor managed to overshadow the heroes with his dashing personality and intense acting. He came to be known as the most fearsome villain that Hindi cinema ever had. Significantly, he went on to break the mould by playing character roles that achieved iconic status.

With a string of successful films and powerful performances, Pran had at one stage commanded almost the same fee as that of the top heroes of the time. His name would appear alongside the name of the lead actor. He will always be remembered as a gentleman who played negative roles with élan.

Yours faithfully,
Mahesh Kumar, New Delhi

Sir — Pran passed away just a few months after he was presented the Dadasaheb Phalke award. He will always be remembered for his iconic roles, be it of a villain or character actor, in a long and glorious career in films.

Yours faithfully,
Anindya Bhattacharya, Calcutta