Prem Chopra 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 brou...Prem Chopra 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.
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.
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.
