Veteran Bollywood actor Pran, who was undergoing treatment at Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital, passed away at around 8.30 p.m.
Veteran Bollywood actor Pran, died in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital after a prolonged illness on Friday evening. He was 93.
"He passed away at Lilavati at around 8.30 pm. His cremation will take place tomorrow (Saturday) at 12 p.m. at Shivaji Park," his son Sunil said
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PHOTOS: Pran: The legend over the years
The legendary actor was loved and feared in equal measure by moviegoers for his roles in Bollywood hits like 'Milan', 'Madhumati' and 'Zanjeer'.
The veteran actor, who played villain and character roles with elan and was conferred the country's highest cinema honour -- Dada Saheb Phalke award -- in April, was admitted to Lilavati hospital a month ago.
"He was not keeping well, he was very weak. His health was deteriorating," the actor's daughter Pinky said.
Veteran Bollywood actor Pran seen after he was honoured with the prestigious Dadasaheb Phalke award by Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tewari at his residence in Mumbaiin May. Pic/AFP
Pran acted in over 350 films and left his imprint as a villain with powerful roles in films like Kashmir ki Kali , Khandaan , Aurat , Bari Behen , Jis Desh Men Ganga Behti Hai , Half Ticket , Upkar , Purab Aur Paschim and Don .
Born on February 12 in 1920 in old Delhi, Pran was educated at places like Kapurthala, Unnao, Meerut, Dehradun and Rampur as his father Lala Kewal Krishnan Sikand was in government service.
Initially, Pran wanted to become a photographer but destiny had different plans for him. A chance meeting with a film producer got him his first break in Punjabi film 'Yamla Jat' in 1940.
There was no looking back for the actor after that as he went on to star in films like 'Chaudhary' (1941), 'Khandan' (1942), 'Kaise Kahun' (1945) and 'Badnami (1946).
After Partition, Pran came to Mumbai with his wife Shukla and sons Arvind and Sunil but found it difficult to get work as an actor in the city of dreams. He had almost given hope when writer Saadat Hasan Manto helped him get a role in Dev Anand starrer 'Ziddi' in 1948 which revived his career.
Pran will be forever remembered for bringing villains on par with the heroes, ruling the industry from 1969 to 1982. He commanded equal money and respect for his negative characters in 'Madhumati', 'Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai', 'Ram Aur Shyam' and 'Devdas'.
The actor's baritone and good looks helped him bring charm to his villainy which was very unique to Pran. Such was the magic of his onscreen roles that parents stopped naming their children 'Pran' at the height of his fame.u00a0
His chameleon-like ability helped Pran transform himself from one of the most hated onscreen villains to one of the most beloved character actors -- be it the 'Mangal chacha' in 'Upkar', Sher Khan of opposite Amitabh Bachchan in 'Zanjeer' or the discipline-loving but soft-hearted grandfather in Gulzar's 'Parichay'.
Pran, who had been suffering for some time, made one of his last public appearances at Amitabh Bachchan's 70th birthday party in October last year.
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