'Chaudhary Karnail Singh' to 'Animal': Celebrating 65 years of Prem Chopra's impact on Indian cinema

Veteran star Prem Chopra has proved himself to be an actor par excellence with his diverse roles. From playing a quintessential villain to multifaceted characters, his contribution is unmatched. He recently celebrated 65 years in the film industry.

Veteran star Prem Chopra has proved himself to be an actor par excellence with his diverse roles. From playing a quintessential villain to multifaceted characters, his contribution is unmatched. He recently celebrated 65 years in the film industry. Be it his impactful performance in 'Chaudhary Karnail Singh' in 1960 to playing a layered character in Sandeep Reddy Vanga's 'Animal', his on-screen presence has left the audience in awe of his acting skills.

The ace actor started as a journalist in Times of India and later went on to prove his acting mettle in movies such as 'Shaheed', 'Upkar' and others. He was cast as Sukhdev in 'Shaheed', a 1965 patriotic film directed by S Ram Sharma and starring Manoj Kumar, Kamini Kaushal, and Pran. Iftekhar, Nirupa Roy, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri, and Anwar Hussain starred in supporting parts.

He told ANI, "I was given an opportunity in 'Shaheed'. I played Sukhdev in it. So I received a lot of attention." Chopra calls it a "good" role. "I felt great since I wanted a good role. Then came the main break, 'Upkar'. Again with Manoj Kumar. In between, I did a picture with Vijay Anand, 'Teesri Manzil', 'Woh Kaun Thi?', and 'Mera Saaya', all Raj Khosla pictures that were huge hits. The songs were quite popular. People used to be talented. And they would strive very hard to achieve it. So that was all nice. And everything started to move."

His acting career was fraught with difficulties, and carving out a niche for himself among giants such as Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, and Dev Anand was never simple. Despite his looks, he did not have a huge break until he landed a main role in the 1960 Punjabi film 'Chaudhary Karnail Singh', which starred Jagdish Sethi, Prem Chopra, Madan Puri, and Jabeen Jalil. Chopra shared how while working in the circulation department in the Times of India, he got a role in the Punjabi film. "I was spotted there by somebody and he said, can you come with me to the Ranjit Studios? He said, it's the role of the leading man but in a Punjabi film. Beggars are no choosers. So I said, let's see how it works out. And that was 'Chaudhary Karnail Singh'. It was the biggest hit of that time. We got a National Award and the biggest hit in Punjabi films. "

In his career spanning nearly six decades, he has worked in films such as 'Upkar', ' Dastaan', 'Gora Aur Kala', and Kati Patang'. He was recently seen in the action thriller film 'Animal' which also starred Ranbir Kapoor, Anil Kapoor, Bobby Deol and Rashmika Mandanna in the lead roles. (ANI)

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