Pran, who passed away on Friday, made villainy fashionable in Hindi cinema. He reminded us that evil, like good, was an integral part of our lives. And the fact he was able to portray this dark side so effectively on screen was what made Pran truly special.
Think of Madhumati, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai or Ram Aur Shyam and you cannot help but marvel at the man’s talent. If he made us shudder in dark cinema halls across the country, it was testimony to his incredible acting range. Pran’s negative roles filled us with loathing perhaps because they reflected some of our own darker sides.
Yet, he was the in-your-face villain who made his intentions amply clear. None of the sleazy, manipulative stuff before the mask was off. When Pran made his appearance on screen, viewers knew they were in for high voltage stuff and they were seldom disappointed.
And even as he moved away from hardcore villainy to relatively quieter roles, the dark side would often surface be it as the no-nonsense head of the family in Bobby and Parichay or in supporting parts with Amitabh Bachchan in Zanjeer, Don and Majboor. I would like to believe that the long years of negative portrayals on screen actually gave Pran a certain stature that held him in good stead when he moved to character roles.
And make no mistake, the audience loves the bad guys and even roots for them. Gabbar Singh remains top-of-recall in Sholay to this date though newcomer Amjad Khan, who effortlessly played the role, had to contend with established heavyweights in this masterpiece.
Prem Nath (another of my top favourites), similarly, more than held his own as the cool villain in Teesri Manzil and Johnny Mera Naam even while he was up against the likes of Shammi Kapoor and Dev Anand. And even a nice guy like Ashok Kumar comfortably slipped into the role of a sophisticated crook in Jewel Thief.
Top leading men have experimented with negative roles at some stage of their lives simply because it involves greater intensity in performance. Shah Rukh Khan hit the big league with Baazigar and quickly followed it up with Darr before slipping into the regular lover boy roles. Rajesh Khanna, synonymous with soft, romantic movies, shocked audiences when he played the psychopathic killer in Red Rose. And who can forget Vinod Khanna as the dacoit in Mera Gaon Mera Desh which Gabbar took to the next level in Sholay some years later?
Where Pran scored was his ability to last for decades in an industry where there was constant pressure from newcomers to get into his shoes. When Prem Chopra, Danny and Ranjeet began emerging as rival screen villains, he quickly moved to character roles and had the audience asking for more. This ability to stay relevant across generations of moviegoers is what made Pran a unique brand.