Bollywood’s veteran villain once earned more than his leading man

Pooran is a veteran actor in Bollywood, but he may not resonate as strongly with today’s generation. However, in an era where audiences often preferred villains to heroes, he occupied an important place. Notably, Pooran stands out by never repeating his roles. He creates distinct and unique characters in each film that always fascinate the audience. As a result, he earned a reputation as one of the most menacing villains in Hindi cinema.

Pran went from working in a parn shop to a famous villain who was paid more than many heroes. In that era, Pooran was the only star who was paid as much or more than Hero. Whenever Pan appears on screen, he commands attention, captivating the audience with his menacing presence. His evil presence on screen brought fear to the audience. In a short time, Phoolan became a star and became so popular that producers vied for casting opportunities.

Pan initially had no intention of pursuing an acting career, but as he often said, fate took its own course. He was passionate about still photography and worked as a photographer’s assistant in Lahore before Partition. However, fate took an unexpected turn one night in 1939. While enjoying paan at Anarkali Market in Lahore, Phoolan struck up a casual conversation with a vendor. Little did he know that Wali Muhammad Wali, the famous writer and director of Punjabi cinema, was also present. Valli was so impressed by Phoolan’s manners and eloquence that he immediately offered him a role in one of his films.

Pan began his acting journey with the Punjabi film Yamla Jat, marking the beginning of a successful career. His transition to Hindi films began with his film Khandan with Noor Jahan. However, despite Pan’s early success, he encountered many failures. His father forced him to give up his acting career and found him a job in a factory. After pursuing an acting career, Pan traveled to Delhi to reconcile with his father, a civil engineer. Despite Pullan’s efforts to explain his passion for acting, his father remained unsupportive. Instead, he arranged for Pran to work in a friend’s factory and arrange for him to marry a girl from a prominent family.