Prem Chopra (born 23 September 1935) is an
Indian actor in Hindi and Punjabi films. He has acted in 320 films
over a span of over 50 years. He has a soft-spoken diction despite
being a villain in most films.
Prem Chopra, the third of six children of Ranbirlal and Rooprani
Chopra, a Punjabi Hindu family, was born on 23 September 1935, in
Lahore. After the partition of India, his family moved to
Shimla, where he was brought up.His father desired that Prem be a
doctor or an Indian Administrative Services officer.
Prem Chopra completed his schooling and college from Shimla after his
father, who was a government servant, got transferred there. He
graduated from Punjab University. He took part in college
dramatics enthusiastically. At his father's insistence, he completed
his graduation and then went to Mumbai. Soon after he made his
debut film, his mother was detected with mouth cancer and she died,
leaving his then nine-year-old sister Anju to be looked after by his
father and his four other brothers. The brothers had given warning to
their respective wives that only if their sister is happy would they
be happy and Prem considers his sister as his first daughter.
Noted writer-director Lekh Tandon brought the proposal of Uma for
marriage to Prem. Uma was the younger sister of the siblings Krishna
Kapoor, Prem Nath and Rajendranath. The couple have three
daughters, Rakita, Punita and Prerna Chopra. Rakita is married to
film publicity designer Rahul Nanda. Punita owns a pre-school called
Wind Chimes in Bandra, suburban Mumbai, and is married to singer and
television actor Vikas Bhalla. Prerna is married to Bollywood actor
Sharman Joshi. He resides in a duplex apartment in Pali Hill,
Bandra in Mumbai.
His relationship with two of his four brothers got estranged in the
late 1980s. Prem Chopra had bought a bungalow in 1980 in Delhi, which
was jointly owned by him and his father, and his father and his one
brother used to stay there. Prem had got his brother a job in Delhi
and made him stay at the bungalow. But his father, a day before his
death, was made to sign a will favouring one of his brothers, taking
away Prem's rights in the bungalow. Later an income tax raid
happened in that same house and his brother said in the raid that
Prem had given them the bungalow and so the house still was in name
of Prem Chopra. Prem had two other houses in Mumbai also, which
were sold off cheaply by his other brothers without telling him as
they needed the money. His biography titled Prem Naam Hai Mera,
Prem Chopra, written by his daughter Rakita Nanda, was released in
April 2014.
In Shimla Prem Chopra developed an interest in acting as he had begun
to take part many plays in his college days. Despite stiff opposition
from his parents, he managed to go to Mumbai to pursue his dream of
acting in Bollywood films. In his initial days he stayed at
guest-houses in Colaba, Mumbai. He started visiting film studios
to display his portfolio: The response was not encouraging.
To survive in the fast life of Mumbai, he took up a job with The
Times of India while trying to gain a foothold in the film industry.
He looked after circulation of the paper in Bengal, Orissa and Bihar
and was required to tour 20 days a month. Prem used to cut his
touring time by calling the agents to come and meet him at the
station so that he could quickly return. This way a tour that would
normally take 20 days would get completed in 12 and he would spend
the rest of the time going from one studio to the other. While
traveling by the suburban train one day, a stranger accosted him and
asked if he was interested in joining films. Chopra nodded in
agreement and went with that stranger to Ranjit Studios where the
producers of Chaudhari Karnail Singh were in search of a hero.
Jagjit Sethi, a Punjabi producer, gave him the break as Jabeen's hero
in Chaudhary Karnail Singh, a Punjabi film. His debut film was a
Hindu-Muslim romantic love story set against the backdrop of Indo-Pak
partition and it turned out to be a big hit. The film even won the
National award. He was paid Rs 2500 for his debut film. The
movie took almost three years to complete.
During his stint with the Times of India, he worked in Punjabi films
including Sapani and Hindi films such as Woh Kaun Thi?, Shaheed, Main
Shaadi Karne Chala and Teesri Manzil. Prem did not consider acting
as a full-time profession in the early 1960s, and he kept trying to
get roles in films due to his passion for acting. Among his early
films he played Sukhdev in Shaheed, one of his rare positive leading
roles. Prem had done four movies before Woh Kaun Thi?, a box-office
hit of 1964, had released. On the sets of Woh Kaun Thi? which had
Manoj Kumar as lead hero Prem met Manoj for the first time. Manoj
offered Prem a positive role in Shaheed, for which Manoj was the
presenter. During the shooting of Main Shadi Karne Chala someone
suggested that he become a villain. He continued working with ToI,
when already he was part of box-office hits like Nishan, Sikandar E
Azam in 1965 and Sagaai, Mera Saaya in 1966. After Teesri Manzil and
Upkaar, he was flooded with films as a villain.
He has since 1967 been a leading villain in Hindi films and his peak
period as main villain in Hindi films was from 1967-1994. In the
1970s he got plum roles as a villain often with Amjad Khan and
Ranjeet. In few films he played secondary villain to villainous
characters of Ajit, Madan Puri, Pran, Jeevan in 1970s and 1980s and
to Amrish Puri and Amjad Khan's in the late 1980s. In the critically
acclaimed comedy film Hulchul (1971), played the lead hero in this
suspense thriller and was not a villain. He played the main lead in
1970 box-office hit small budget comedy film Samaj Ko Badal Dalo as
lead hero and was paired opposite Telugu actresses Kanchana and
Sarada. The song sung by Rafi and picturised on Prem Chopra -Tum Apni
Saheli Ko Itna Bata Do Ki Usse Koi Pyar Karne Laga Hai from this 1970
film and the song Rah Mein Kaliya - a song sung by Kishore Kumar and
performed on-screen by Prem Chopra in the film Nafrat(1973), a
box-office flop in 1973, continues to be popular. The dialogue "
Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra" (My name is Prem, Prem Chopra)
from the film Bobby has been very popular. Another famous Prem Chopra
dialogue is from film Souten - "Main wo bala hoon jo sheshay se
pathar ko todtee hai" which closely translates to "I am
that trouble which crushes stones with glass". He was the
regular in villainous role in the films with Rajesh Khanna in the
lead role from 1969-1991 from Doli(1969) till Ghar Parivaar(1991).
The duo of Prem and Rajesh Khanna acted in 19 films together and had
15 of them as box office hits and were very close friends in real
life till Khanna's death. Prem quoted in an interview "Rajesh
Khanna and I were considered a lucky pair and distributors used to
tell Rajesh Khanna that we don't care who your heroine is, all we
want to know is whether Prem Chopra is in the film." He also
mouthed dialogues in the song Aaj Pila Dey Saathi Apni sung by
Mahendra Kapoor from the film Doli(1969). He also mouthed dialogs in
the song Lo Mera Pyar Lelo from Nafrat in 1973 with Asha Bhosle and
Kab Se Ye Dil Hai Pyaasa from Mera Muqaddar in 1988.
After 1995, he appeared as a villain in very few films. He took up
positive character roles from 1996 and started getting more positive
roles from 2005. His screen space got reduced in the films after
2005.
He had a good career spanning 50 years and was popular for villain
roles in Bollywood. Prem Chopra regards his best roles were in
Shaheed (1965), Upkaar (1967), Purab Aur Pashchim, Do Raaste (1969),
Kati Patang (1970), Do Anjaane (1976), Jaadu Tona (1977), Kala Sona,
Dostana (1980), Kranti (1981), Phool Bane Angaarey (1991), Bewaffa Se
Waffa. He regards his best performances in positive
roles came in Sikander-e-Azam, Kunwari, Shaheed, Jaadu Tona, Prem
Pratiggya,Chori Chori Chupke Chupke. He quoted in an interview
"Although I came to be a hero, my films as a leading man,
flopped. Which was good in a way because a whole new world opened in
front of me. There were so many more roles I could do. When I
established myself as a villain it could continue for years."
Awards :
1976 - Filmfare Best Supporting Actor Award for his role in Do
Anjaane
2004 - Legend of Indian Cinema Award at Atlantic City
Amongst other awards won the Giants honoured
him with the "Lifetime Achievement Award". His talent won
the Indira Gandhi Priyadarshini Award in 1998, and has also been a
recipient of the "Lions Club Award", "Ashoka Award",
"Ashirwad Award" and the "Punjabi Kala Sangam
Award."
Prem Chopra's Filmography with Super Star Rajesh Khanna :
-
Ghar Parivaar (1991)
- Waapsi (1986)
-
Shatru (1986)
-
Oonche Log (1985)
-
Ram Tere Kitne Nam (1985)
-
Awaaz (1984)
-
Maqsad (1984)
-
Souten (1983)
-
Jaanwar (1983)
- Naseeb (1981)
-
Aanchal (1980)
-
Bebus (1979)
-
Tyaag (1977)
- Mehbooba (1976)
-
Maha Chor (1976)
-
Ajanabee (1974)
-
Prem Nagar (1974)
-
Daag: A Poem of Love (1973)
-
Kati Patang (1970)
-
Do Raaste (1969)
-
Doli (1969)
