Pran Krishan Sikand (12 February 1920 – 12 July 2013), better known by his mononym, Pran, was an Indian actor, known as the greatest villain ever in the history of Indian cinema and character actor in Hindi cinema from the 1940s to the 1990s. He was one of the most highly successful & respected veteran actors in the history of Indian cinema. He was also one among the highest paid actors of his time.
He played hero roles from 1940 to 1947, negative character from 1942 to 1991, and played supporting and character roles from 1967 to 2007. The decades of late 1940s, 1950s, 1960s and early 1970s were the peak periods of Pran's stint as a negative character actor, especially 1950s & 1960s. Pran was the first true personification of "evil" on the Indian screen. The intensity of his portrayal of negative/villainous characters on the screen was effective enough to desist the Indian people from naming their children "Pran" in the 1950s & 60s & subsequently thereafter (when Pran was at the peak of his villainy). In a long and prolific career Pran appeared in over 362 films. He played the leading man in works such as Khandaan (1942), Pilpili Saheb (1954) and Halaku (1956). He is known for his roles in Madhumati (1958), Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960), Upkar (1967), Shaheed (1965), Purab Aur Paschim (1970), Ram Aur Shyam...More about Pran...
