Zee Media Bureau
Mumbai: Veteran Bollywood actor Pran, who made a mark for himself by portraying strong negative and supporting roles, passed away at the age of 93 on Friday evening after prolonged illness.
The actor breathed his last at the Lilavati hospital in Mumbai, where he was admitted just a week back. Pran`s condition was frail since the past few months, when he was in and out of the hospital multiple times.
"He passed away at Lilavati Hospital at around 8:30 pm," his son Sunil told a news agency.
The last rites of the actor will be conducted at 12 noon at the Shivaji Park crematorium here on Saturday.
With a career spread over almost six decades, Pran acted in over 400 films and won several awards for them.
The government had also honoured Pran with the Padma Bhushan in 2001. It was in 2013 itself when Pran received the 44th Dadasaheb Phalke Award.
The actor started his career as a photographer in 1940, but it was a chance meeting with a film producer that landed him his debut role in a film called "Yamla Jat".
Later, when he moved from Lahore to Bombay, with the help of the renowned writer Saadat Hasan Manto and actor Shyam, Pran got a break in Bombay Talkies` film "Ziddi", in which Dev Anand played the lead role.
That set the momentum for this versatile talent, who brought new mannerisms and style and lent new dimensions to his characters.
He played the villain as convincingly in films like "Madhumati", "Ziddi" and "Ram Aur Shyam", with the same ease with which he slipped into character roles like the lovable Malang Chacha in "Upkar".
Among his memorable movies are "Azaad", "Madhumati", "Devdas", "Dil Diya Dard Liya", "Ram Aur Shyam", "Aadmi", "Ziddi", "Munimji", "Amardeep", "Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai", "Chori Chori", "Chhalia", and "Zanjeer".
Pran is survived by his wife Shukla Ahluwalia, sons Arvind and Sunil, and daughter Pinky.
(With Agency inputs)
