My favourite Pran film: Bollywood reacts

By Subhash K. Jha -

July 16, 2013 - 12:15 PM IST

Bollywood celebrities talk about their favourite films featuring Pran saab.

My favourite Pran film: Bollywood reacts

Sudhir Mishra: "Johnny Mera Naam and Zanjeer. He played almost parallel parts."

Aanand Rai: "Where do I begin? Do I single out Pran Saab in Upkar? Or do I talk about Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai, Parichay or Madhumati? Pran Saab was never anything but brilliant. To single out any one performance would be doing injustice to the greatness of this actor. So I'd say the best film performance of Pran Saab is the one that he did not give in a forthcoming film."

Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra: "Upkar. His character was very inspiring and he played it with elan."

Prasoon Joshi: "For me it would be Upkar, thanks to Manoj Kumar, it widened Pran Saab's range. The film revolved around his physically disabled character. It echoes to this day."

Rahul Dholakia: "Kaalia...Pran Saab's character Raghuveer Singh was a very interesting jailor."

Shoojit Sircar: "In Madhumati, I was scared of him. I hated him. He looked royal yet terrifying. That sequence when he was riding the horse through the market was frightening."

Ketan Mehta: "Shaheed...He changed his image completely and gave ghazab ka performance."

Pritish Nandy: "My favourite Pran performance is in Madhumati. No one played the villain the way he did. He should have stuck to that and not changed tracks to character acting. He made villainy cool. He was the best villain we ever had."

Arjun Rampal: "Sher Khan in Zanjeer. He was the only actor who could stand tall with Mr. Bachchan."

Sujoy Ghosh: "I loved so many of his films. Half Ticket, Victoria 203, Nanha Farishta, Don and Kasauti.

Gulshan Grover: "Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai. The nuances made the performance remarkably subtle. Actually I am a mega-fan of Pran Saab's work and it's difficult for me to pick one. I've had the rare honour of watching his films not only in the theatre but also on 30 VHS tapes of Pran Saab's work and scenes. An overseas fan of Pran Saab had made these tapes for him and he gave me the rare honour of watching them."

Bejoy Nambiar: "The obvious choice would be Sher Khan in Zanjeer. But I really liked him Naseeb, Amar Akbar Anthony, Johnny Mera Naam and the cameo as himself in Guddi. He was legend who could stand up to any superstar."

Irrfan Khan: "Sorry, I can't pick out one performance. When I think of Pran Saab his whole career appears to be unique and unmatched."

Raza Murad: "Kehar Singh of Shaheed. He appears on screen as a ruthless illiterate short-tempered condemned prisoner who is unconcerned about the freedom struggle of fellow-prisoners. Then watching the plight of freedom fighters he undergoes a change of heart. Before going to the gallows he expresses a desire to shake hands with a shareef aadmi like Bhagat Singh. Pran Saab performed this scene without a tear. Yet the audience could feel his emotions. Pran Saab was a giant of an actor. Spine-chilling in his evil on screen he could create terror with his piercing gaze and booming voice. He dominated the screen for almost 60 years. No one could rival him. His contribution is unparalleled. His presence was an asset to every film. He didn't belong to any camp. He didn't go out of his way to please any producer. He was a loving, humorous, generous sports lover. He was punctual dedicated committed highly emotional, a true friend and a bankable actor."