Dinesh Kamath's Editorial 'What an actor!' that was published in Newsband

What an actor!

Pran has been conferred upon the Dadasaheb Phalke award. The 93-year-old legendary actor deserves the award.

Pran’s career spanned seven decades. During this period he won the love and adulation of the cinema-hungry masses who enjoyed his performances whether he was playing the villain or the hero’s friend or a doting father.

Pran Krishan Sikand was an acting phenomenon. He had mastered the art of acting. Although he never played a hero, Pran was a celebrity in his own right. He had acted in over 400 films and played almost all types of roles. For any hero, it was a privilege to be sharing the screen space with Pran. Many a times, he would manage to overshadow the heroes.

Pran’s best moments on the screen were in Zanjeer where he dances to the song Yaari hai, in Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai in which he plays a dacoit with a heart, in Victoria No. 203 in which he played a flirting old man and in Madhumati in which he portrayed a ruthless villain.

Pran never had a formal education in acting. Yet, he could effortlessly get under the skin of the character and impress even the worst film critics.

The Dadasaheb Phalke which is conferred on Pran is recognition of his enormous achievements. Considering the award is named after the country’s first filmmaker, it is apt that this 93-year-old veteran should get it.

He started as a villain and he put such an intense effort into the portrayal of the dark areas that he succeeded in making the audiences hate him. No other big screen villains could make themselves that much hated by the audiences.

Later on Pran began to play character roles. Here too he didn’t fail to impress the audiences. He was so great an actor that many a times he was paid more than many film heroes. Pran was a professional artiste and a well-behaved man who showed great empathy for fellow actors.

Pran had put in a sustained effort to keep the people entertained for decades and hence he deserves the Phalke award. Very rarely do you get to witness an actor of Pran’s class.