Pran was completely unlike the villains he played: Amitabh Bachchan

Pran, the actor who elevated the role of villain to greatness and glory in
Bollywood, died at 93 in Mumbai's Lilavati
Hospital last night. Amitabh Bachchan, a
frequent collaborator and lifelong friend,
began the grieving process on his
Facebook page.

Mr Bachchan who said he was on the way
back from Lonavala, wrote: "We have lost
another gem from our beautiful collection
of jewels .. Pran Saheb has passed away !
He had been ailing for some time .. I had
visited him on a few occasions in hospital, and was in touch with his family all
along .."

"He was a gentleman to the core,
completely unlike the villain roles he
played .. at work he was delight to be
with .. always prepared and always on
time - in fact much before time ! His sense
of humour and his dignified presence was a lesson for all of us that
came in contact
with him. The number of films that I did
with him are historic in their concept and
what they meant to me as an artist. It is
an immense legacy that he leaves behind,
one that shall never be matched or replaced. My prayers in this moment of
grief and my condolences to his family,
who have been close to me also."

Pran, who often commanded a higher
salary than the lead actors of the films he
starred in, was credited with helping
Amitabh Bachchan transition from a flop
actor to the Angry Young Man. Director
Prakash Mehra cast Pran in his first supporting role, the Pathan Sher Khan, in
1973 film Zanjeer. He was then stuck for a hero, having asked and been
turned down
by Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, Dev
Anand and Raaj Kumar. Pran suggested Mr
Mehra watch the just-released Bombay To Goa starring a little-known
Amitabh Bachchan. And history was made.

Pran and Amitabh Bachchan then formed a
hit partnership, appearing in films like Don, Amar Akbar Anthony ,
Naseeb and Sharaabi.

Mr Bachchan has often written or spoken
about the man who helped get him his
first big break. In April this year, he
praised Pran's professionalism on
Facebook: "Invariably his make up
involved wigs and beards of different nature, but irrespective of the
intricacy of
its bearing and the time consumption in
putting them on, he was always the first
person on set, and never went back to his
make up room even if he was not required
for the shot. He never argued or disagreed with any procedure on the film, never
interfered, just quietly went about his
work and left. He has a great repertoire of
'shayari' and would often entertain us with the choicest works through his
fantastic memory of them."

Pran and Amitabh Bachchan also struck up
a firm friendship with Pran, then 92 and
ill, making a rare public appearance at Mr
Bachchan's 70th birthday party in October
2012.