92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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Continuing our special Nostalgia series on veteran actor Pran, we highlight the concluding list of interesting facts from the legend's life.
Do read Pran, through his daughter Pinky Bhalla's eyes.
Also read Part 1 and Part 2 of 92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran.
61. Pran played lead role in Pilpili Saheb and Halaku (both in 1956), which were big hits.
62. Pran had a significant role in comedy films starring Kishore Kumar and Mehmood like Naya Andaz, Aasha Bewaqoof, Ek Raaz, Jaal Saz, Sadhu Aur Shaitaan and Lakhon Me Ek.
63. The most memorable films of Kishore Kumar and Pran together remains Half Ticket and Man-Mauji.
Image: Pran in Halaku
92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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64. Pran won the Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award in 1967 for Upkar, 1969 for Aanso Ban Gaya Phool, and 1972 for Be-imaan. He was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 1997.
65. In the 1960s and early 1970s, Pran was in his 40s. Since he was slim and fit, his demand in the industry never went down and he was given important roles as a character aging between 25 to 30 in films starring Shammi Kapoor, Joy Mukherjee, Rajendra Kumar and Dharmendra.
66. During the shooting of Tumsa Nahi Dekha, Shammi Kapoor punched Pran in the nose and it started bleeding. Since Pran was a very senior actor, Shammi Kapoor followed him everywhere, apologising. But Pran shrugged it off and asked filmmaker Nasir Hussain to carry on with the next shot.
Image: Pran in Be-imaan
92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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67. Pran met with an accident while shooting for Dus Numbri. He was 55 years old then but he insisted on jumping 15 feet and broke his ankle. He had to be rushed to the hospital.
68. When Pran and Joy Mukherjee was shooting for Phir Wohi Dil Laya Hoon, a huge crowd gathered and it was difficult to shoot. Nasir Hussaain asked Pran to speak to the people and ask them to remain silent. Pran did, and the crowd readily agreed.
69. In the film Shaheed, two famous villains of the time Pran and Prem Chopra played positive roles. Pran did the role for a pittance, as he was a close friend of actor Manoj Kumar. When Manoj Kumar made his directorial debut with Upkar next, he gave Pran a positive role that changed the course of his career.
Image: Pran in Shaheed
92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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70. After coming to Mumbai, Pran's first film was Ziddi, where the leading lady was Kamini Kaushal. When Kamini Kaushal became a character actress in Shaheed, Pran also shifted to positive roles for the first time.
71. For the original Don, Amitabh Bachchan was apparently paid Rs 2.5 lakh while Pran was apparently paid Rs 5 lakh.
72. In 2001, Pran was honoured with the Padma Bhushan for his contribution to Indian cinema.
Image: Pran in Ziddi
92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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73. Waheeda Rahman has the highest regard for Pran. Once, in her younger years, she was attending a party with Pran in Madras. After a few drinks, some of the revelers got tipsy, and it was Pran who came to her rescue.
74. Aruna Irani also holds the actor in the highest regard. Once, Pran was required to escort a young Aruna Irani from Hong Kong to Calcutta to Bombay. But the Bombay flight got delayed, and they had to spend the night in Calcutta. Aruna Irani was very terrified of Pran's onscreen persona but she was very touched when Pran dropped her to her room and said asked her to lock the door from inside and not open the door for anybody.
75. Pran and Ashok Kumar were such close friends that if Pran's film was playing on television and Ashok Kumar was in the bathroom, he would recognise his voice from there.
Image: Pran in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai
92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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76. Pran would have regular parties at home. The regular guests were Raj Kapoor, Shammi Kapoor, Balraj Kohli, Satish Bhalla and Dilip Kumar.
77. Pran would have lavish Holi celebrations at his residence in Bandra, a western suburb of Mumbai, from 1959. Film personalities would first attend Raj Kapoor's Holi bash, and then head to Pran's residence.
78. Pran played his first double role in Jangal Mein Mangal.
Image: A scene from Jangal Mein Mangal
92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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79. Pran was so pleased with his films in the 1970s that he started his own distribution office in Delhi.
80. Amitabh Bachchan and Pran's older son were very close friends.
81. The most punctual man of the industry, Amitabh Bachchan, once said it was difficult to keeping pace with Pran's punctuality.
Image: Pran in Amar Akbar Anthony
92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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82. In his first job as photographer, Pran earned a monthly salary of Rs 200. He gave up the job to act in films for Rs 50 a month in Yamla Jat.
83. Pran married Shukla in 1945. He was 21 then and had already acted in six films.
84. In the film Badi Behen, Pran adopted the trademark action of blowing perfect smoke rings while smoking his cigarettes.
Image: A scene from Yamla Jat
92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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85. There is proof that Pran acted in 30 films in between 1940 and 1949. But in reality, Pran has acted in more than 30 films but the records for those were lost in Partition.
86. Before Pran shifted to Bandra and rented a two bedroom flat in Pali Hill, he lived in Mazagaon, central Mumbai. When Pran's youngest daughter was three, he bought a bungalow in Union Park, Bandra.
87. Pran used to carry a rampuri knife for protection before Partition. Later, he gave up that habit.
Image: Pran in Aan Baan
92 Facts You Didn't Know About Pran: Part III
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88. Pran was a huge follower of a Fakir Kammo Baba, whom he would visit frequently till he died 20 years back.
89. Pran started his career in 1939 even before Raj Kapoor, Dev Anand and Dilip Kumar entered the film industry.
90. The first film Dilip Kumar and Pran did together was Azaad. They became very close friends then, as they shot for three months in Coimbatore.
91. Pran and Dilip Kumar worked in many memorable films together like Devdas, Madhumati, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam and Aadmi.
92. It was Pran who convinced Manoj Kumar to take up Aadmi. Manoj Kumar did not want to work in Aadmi because he thought he would be overshadowed by the thespian.
Image: Pran and Dilip Kumar in Ram Aur Shyam
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