Pran: An Artiste Par Excellence

 Pran: An Artiste Par Excellence

One often needs an adversary, more than a friend, for a purpose, for a challenge in life. For the mainstream Hindi cinema of the fifties and the large part of sixties, Pran became an institutionalized adversary, a man for every ‘adversarial’ role, unraveling in the process an uncanny ability and exceptional talent at adaption, innovation and customization. Pran indeed was the other name for villainy in Hindi cinema.

Pran is no more. But his legend will ever inspire the budding villains.

To begin with, Pran was cast in lead roles. His good looks, facial intensity and innate goodness pre-eminently qualified him for that.  But why and how he drifted to become a baddie should be better understood as his destiny in sync with the larger destiny of the Hindi cinema. For over 15 years, he was the most formidable despised half of the good-versus-bad cinema – the other half could be any one from Duleep Kumar to Raj Kapoor to Devanand or the other lesser stars.  Pran’s presence heightened the bar for the man in the lead role.  No wonder therefore that Pran found himself opposite Duleep Kumar in a number of films - notably Azad, Madhumati, Dil Diya Dard Liya, Ram Aur Shyam.  He was Raj Kapoor’s adversary in Chaliya, Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai and Dil Hi to Hai to mention some.  He was Devanand’s bête noire in blockbusters namely Jab Pyar Kisi Se Hota Hai and Johnny Mera  Naam.

Raj Kapoor’s Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai is, however, a different film, as it deals with the higher question of morality - what is intrinsically good or bad - through the unforgettable characters of Raju (Raj Kapoor) and Raka (Pran).  In the film, the good-versus-bad is not a matter of personal vendetta but a stand-off between a way of life that is compassionate and inclusive and the other that is violent and repressive. Raka epitomizes the latter. Pran gave the soul and substance to this character with a performance that was arguably his best till Manoj Kumar’s Upkar discovered the other dimension of his versatility.

Shot on a vast tract of undulating sands, the climax of Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai builds a grand convergence of several sub-streams within – a clutch of transformed dacoits making way through a difficult terrain for its surrender to law, a police oblivious to this intended surrender lays trap and zeroes on, and a distraught love-stricken Kammo (Padmini) desperately looking for Raju.  The climax will easily pass into the top ten scenes of Hindi cinema for its impact. It is a fusion of brilliant photography, a reverberating music, an inspiring song that beacons return to goodness, and a human caravan on the move lock, stock and barrel with Raju at its van and Raka at its rear.  Even in this vast action-scape, where the players often appear not more than dots, Pran (via Raka) though seen distinctly only for moments leaves behind a permanent imprint on the viewing public. Half-converted, he treks behind the party, almost alone and in isolation, with hesitant steps and hugely suspicious.  His dilemma, his uncertainty – the dichotomy within – is brilliantly conveyed by the body language which is still rebellious even if imperceptibly. This is Pran at his best. A must-see episode.

  

Pran’s transition to a good Samaritan was sudden through Upkar, courtesy Manoj Kumar.  Yet the transition was from baddie to toughie in most of the films, though he no longer was a character stricken with a congenital maliciousness. The other basic shift was that he complemented the hero than being his adversary. 

He thus forged a long partnership with Amitabh - of helpful toughie. An interesting fact is that this forging of friendship is quite dramatic in some of the films, almost as a final outcome of duels which should have normally resulted in the killing of one – Zanjeer, Don and Majboor.  But my take is the scene from Johnny Mera Naam, where Johnny (Dev) and Moti(Pran) while trading punches discover that they are brothers separated in childhood while running away from an assassin.

Sharabi however was an exception.  Pran, acting a father, had a soft, sophisticated exterior but with an intransigent view of life.  This intransigence is central to the film as Amitabh, the son, behaves and conducts himself on rebound and thus builds the story.  In this, the film has something in common with Parichay which also hinges on father’s inflexibility (acted by Pran).  And incidentally, the two films have similar ending.  In the first, the father seeks a bride for his son.  In the other, he seeks a groom for his grand-daughter.

The two films are important for Pran in contra-distinction – as the sophisticated and suave character called for a much greater visible subtlety and finesse than that expected of a toughie. Pran came up with sterling and memorable performances in both, confirming the sweep of his talent.

Perhaps, the only facet he needed to prove was whether he could still act even though dead.  The dead Pran entangled in the rear seat of a taxi (Sadhu aur Shaitan) appears so alive and kicking !

Pran had hardly ever tried his talent to sustain a comedy. Victoria No. 203 was an exception where he was one of the hilarious duo, the other being Ashok Kumar.

Pran is no more but has left a rich legacy behind which could be incorporated in the curricula for film related degrees.

The following will aptly sum up Pran though in a lighter vein.  On reaching his abode after death, Yamaraj enquired : आप की तारीफ़ ?लगता है इस इलाके में नये आये हो साहिब !