Prem Chopra , My Friend With Many Lives( On His 84 Th Birthday)

ALI PETER JOHN

He was a reluctant actor and was more interested in keeping his job as a junior ad manager with The Times of India.

It was his boss Mr J. C.Jain who not only encouraged him but also allowed him to bunk office and try his luck in films. He found his first break in a Punjabi film as a hero, but had to be satisfied playing a smaller role in Manoj Kumar's  'Shaheed' which starred  his long association with Manoj. His career received one big boost when Rajesh Khanna who was to play the younger spoilt brother of Manoj in 'Upkaar' backed out of the last minute and Prem Chopra was chosen to play the role which made him an overnight star as an villain

He played the bad man in countless films till a time came when he had very few films. Raj Kapoor was making Bobby and he thought of a brainwave of asking  Prem who was his brother-in-law in a two- minute role and the role and his one-line dialogue,' prem naam hai mera,' prem chopra made him a cult figure.

He began a long and successful phase in his career when he started playing the most stupid, meaningless and inane character in the hindi films made in the south which made him make lakhs of rupees but also made him lose whatever reputation he had as an actor.

I have known Prem for more than 40 years and I know him as one of the most lovable and even innocent human being who is a very contented man who has now got both his daughters  married and lives with his wife, Uma ,the sister of Krishna Raj Kapoor and Premnath on the 14th floor of  Nibbaana , one of the first star - spangled apartments on Pali Hill, also known as the Beverley Hills of India.  Prem is 84 today and I am sure that he still has the heart of a child and the mind of a man of the world