Bollywood’s iconic villain Prem Chopra,became so famous for his roles that people would often hide their wives when he walked by. His famous line, 'Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra,' remains unforgettable. In an exclusive interview with senior journalist Bharathi S. Pradhan for Lehren, the actor opens up about his early career and shares interesting stories from his journey in Bollywood. He also reflects on the legendary status of Amitabh Bachchan and Manoj Kumar, discussing their unique qualities and his experiences working alongside them in the industry. #premchopra #amitabhbachchan #manojkumar
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00:00Hume toh is line mein bahut se insults hene pade, humiliations huye.
00:05Baith se hai yaar camera photo rakh jao tum dekhte hai hum ko ala hai.
00:09They never used to go.
00:10That's right.
00:11I would say Bachchan is a very quiet sort of a man.
00:14Introvert.
00:15He enjoys this.
00:16But brilliant.
00:17Brilliant.
00:18Very hardworking.
00:19Very hardworking.
00:20Very punctual.
00:21And well prepared before he comes to the set.
00:23You see, I was determined to be there in front of camera.
00:27And I wanted to be there.
00:28I was very devoted and very disciplined to be in this profession.
00:45You have a career that spans 60 years, which is phenomenal.
00:51Would you be able to tell me one or two of the high points of your career?
00:58Even incidents.
00:59High point of my career is, I was graduated from Shimla.
01:03I came down to Bombay and I had no means to stay here.
01:08So my father had told me he was in IAS category or something like this.
01:13So he said, listen, you do here, either you become a doctor after the school or you become, or you try for IAS.
01:23I got interested in theater that day.
01:25There were a lot of theatrical companies in Shimla.
01:27Right.
01:28So there was competition.
01:29Okay.
01:30So I got interested in theater.
01:31Amrishwari was also from there.
01:33Okay.
01:34We had also collected a play.
01:35Okay.
01:36He was a senior.
01:37Okay.
01:38I first year he was in, last year.
01:39So when I got interested in theater, there were some intercollegiate dramatic competitions
01:45and I also got some awards.
01:48So I started working on my mind that I should try there.
01:52Maybe I get it.
01:53I don't want to come in your career.
01:58I mean, this is your choice.
02:01You want to go and try it there.
02:02But one thing I want to make it very clear.
02:04I have a large family.
02:06Five brothers and one sister.
02:08Right.
02:09And I am a government servant.
02:10I won't be able to send you money like that.
02:13So Bombay you are going.
02:14That is an opportunity, place of opportunity.
02:18You can, you try for a job first.
02:20If it doesn't happen, at least a job will be going on.
02:24So I was very fortunate doing some odd jobs for Shimla's employment office, Yama,
02:29and I eventually got into Times of India.
02:31Times of India.
02:32Yes.
02:33So that is how I maintained myself.
02:35Right.
02:36Here and struggling.
02:37Right.
02:39So that's how the things went on.
02:42But it was not easy in those days.
02:44It is easy nowadays.
02:45Right.
02:46Because at that time the only media of entertainment was cinema.
02:50That's right.
02:51And now, and people are used to, they have become more emancipated now
02:58because of the television.
03:01That's right.
03:02OTT platforms.
03:03Advertisements.
03:04Yes.
03:05Television series.
03:06That's right.
03:07If you want to, really honestly if you want to work.
03:09Yes.
03:10And you deserve, if you deserve it.
03:12Showreel udhar hi ban jata hai.
03:14Wow.
03:15Isn't it?
03:16Yes.
03:17You needed to meet people and show your talent.
03:19Yes.
03:20While these people can, they have so many platforms to show their talent.
03:23We had to struggle.
03:25That's right.
03:26Everybody has to struggle.
03:27Amitabh Bachchan had to struggle.
03:28Yes.
03:29Dharmendra was, he was saying that he is sleeping on the railway sometimes.
03:33That's right.
03:34Yes.
03:35And I had to struggle but I was, unfortunately I was having a job so I was not.
03:40That's right.
03:41Desperate.
03:42Starved or something like this.
03:43That's right.
03:44You didn't have to sleep on railway platform.
03:45That story of me starving.
03:47Yes, that was my bed.
03:49Yes, you had your bed.
03:51But in the guest houses.
03:52Okay.
03:53The guest houses had four people in the same room.
03:57Okay.
03:58You see, and there was a big guest house.
04:02But, and there was only one toilet.
04:05Oh.
04:06So, you have to circulate yourself to be there.
04:08That's right.
04:09So, these are the struggling days when you have to go through.
04:11Otherwise, you see, what happens is, ki agar aapne chhod diya ki yaar yeh bada mishkil kama
04:18apna hi karte hain, wo karte hain, that means you are failure and you are finished.
04:23Yes.
04:25Humme toh iss line mein bahut se insults haine pade, humiliations huye.
04:31Baid se hain, yaar camera photo rakh jao, tum dekhte hain, hum ko aala hai.
04:35They never used to go.
04:36That's right.
04:37Toh how, it is a commercial business.
04:40Yes.
04:41Right from beginning to the end.
04:42Right.
04:43So, that is how I was spotted by somebody in the train.
04:47I was coming after struggle and coming back to, going to my office.
04:51On the way, he said, you want to work in films? I said, yes, I want to work.
04:56Can you come with me right now? He said, why not, why not.
05:00Toh raasta mein bataya saath ki yeh hero ki picture hai. You are the hero.
05:05I mean, you are supposed to be hero if the director says yes.
05:09And, but it's a Punjabi film.
05:12Acha.
05:13Main nahi kahi, yaar yeh bhai bhi toh Punjabi mein hi aaya hai.
05:16Main kahi chalo kuch toh tejorba hi ho jayega.
05:19Toh then the film was made, Chaudhary Karnal Singh.
05:22Acha.
05:23That was the biggest hit of that era.
05:25Okay.
05:26So, it is about the partition and all that.
05:29And, we got the national award, that picture got the national award.
05:33We went there.
05:34Right.
05:35Achieved the national award.
05:36And you were the hero of that film.
05:38I was the hero. Jabeen Jaleel was my hero.
05:40Jabeen, okay.
05:41Jabeen.
05:42So, this is wonderful. So, that's how you took off.
05:45That's how you took off.
05:46Okay.
05:47But supposing when you are facing all those problems, you have, either you leave.
05:54So many people come and they came with lot of passion to do, to be in the film industry.
06:00But they lost the confidence. They lost everything.
06:04And then they had to divert themselves to the other things.
06:08Right.
06:09But there were some people like us who were determined to be there.
06:12You see, I was determined to be there in front of camera.
06:15Right.
06:16And I wanted to be there. I was very devoted and very disciplined to be in this profession.
06:26You have also done a lot of films with Amitabh Bachchan.
06:30Yes.
06:31So, can you tell me something about Amitabh?
06:33Amitabh Bachchan is a very quiet sort of a man. Introvert, he is.
06:38But brilliant. Brilliant and very hardworking. Very hardworking, very punctual.
06:44And well prepared before he comes on the set.
06:47He explodes on the screen, doesn't he?
06:49Explodes on the screen, before the camera.
06:51Good and bad, man-man decides, Naseeb, O, Mard wagara, sab picture hai.
06:55Ramesh Singh.
06:56Uske baad bahut se picture hai, do anjane. And lots of films I did with him.
07:02I was very impressed by him because he was very dedicated to his profession.
07:07He was very honest and hardworking. And he was a director's dream actor.
07:13Then he had that immense talent in him. He could be there.
07:17He also had to struggle a lot.
07:20Yes.
07:21He struggled a lot.
07:22That is Zanjeer also did the miracle for him that he…
07:25Yeah, Zanjeer. That's right.
07:27He got married in TRG also, I believe.
07:30Yes.
07:31That's how the things happened. He was a great… I am surprised at his stamina at this age.
07:37That's right.
07:38He is doing every ad. He is doing that Kaun Banega Crorepati.
07:43Correct.
07:44He is doing very prominent roles in most of the big films.
07:48Yes.
07:49How does he take the time out and how he works so hard.
07:52That's right.
07:53This is amazing.
07:54It's amazing.
07:55It's amazing.
07:56He is a phenomenon.
07:57It's incredible.
07:58He is a phenomenon.
07:59His body of work has been the biggest as compared to any actors of the past and the present.
08:06And I think the future also.
08:07And I think the future also. Correct.
08:09He is so dedicated to his film.
08:11That's right. And the longevity because I mean he also started in the late 60s.
08:16Still out of touch but going strong.
08:18Yeah, he is there.
08:19He is there and he is all there.
08:20He is there.
08:21It's not like…
08:22He is still in the category of superstar.
08:24Absolutely. Absolutely.
08:26He is a superstar who come and go and then fade away.
08:29Correct.
08:30But he still stays there.
08:31And that stride of his, it's still as brisk as it used to be.
08:35Yeah.
08:36Fantastic.
08:37He was very, basically a very intelligent man.
08:40I think one of the best speakers Prem because whenever I have heard a speech of his.
08:44And another person who is very good at English and Hindi.
08:47Yeah.
08:48He is perfect.
08:49Flawless.
08:50Flawless he switches over.
08:51The pronunciation in Hindi and English.
08:53The way he switches over.
08:54Dekha na kaun banega crore baat hindi bolta.
08:56Yes.
08:57Pure Hindi.
08:58Correct.
08:59Pure English.
09:00Pure English.
09:01Yeah.
09:02This is something very rare.
09:03Very rare.
09:04He is a rare person I would think.
09:05You will say that.
09:06As I told you his body of work is much larger than anybody else.
09:11That's right.
09:12Ever in this industry.
09:13So when you were first working with him earlier, in your earlier films, did you ever think that this man has it to be this?
09:19No, we did some films like Raaste Hai Pyaar Ke, Ek Doodh Pichle Doondi Ki, Humne Ravindra Nagarish Ki,
09:26Aur Dono Flow Off Ho Gayi.
09:28So he was, he was rejected in the beginning in couple of films and replaced.
09:33Right.
09:34But then, but he was determined also that he has to be there.
09:40That's right.
09:41I remember one conversation when we were in Madras shooting for Sridhar's picture.
09:46And Sridhar had a bad luck with the first two films that he made.
09:50And he was discussing his arguments.
09:53And he said, yeah, if this picture doesn't work, I'll be finished.
09:58He said, why do you say you're finished?
10:01You have to keep on trying.
10:03Look at me.
10:04I was a flop.
10:05People have thrown him out of the film.
10:08But I was determined to be there and I'm there now.
10:11Okay.
10:12So that sort of a talk he gave.
10:15Yeah.
10:16That talk he gave.
10:17Yeah.
10:18So that sort of a thing, you know, he was very well prepared always.
10:22Okay.
10:23The speeches that he gave, he's prepared.
10:25Yes.
10:26Sometimes it's extempore.
10:27That's right.
10:28No, but he knows what to say on which occasion.
10:31On which occasion.
10:32He's very, very correct.
10:33Yes, very correct.
10:34That's right.
10:35Prem, what about Manoj Kumar?
10:38You've had a great association with him.
10:40Yes, I have a great appreciation for him.
10:42I think he's one of the finest directors we have in this country.
10:47Because he is an institution.
10:49Institution by himself.
10:51His way of taking the shots is copied by many other big producers, directors also.
11:01And the best thing, he was a complete cinema man.
11:05The best thing about him was he used to write his own scripts.
11:09Used to operate the camera also sometimes himself.
11:13The lyrics also.
11:15I mean, of course he had a collage of writers also along with him.
11:20And they contributed to his success.
11:23But he has been, I mean, to me he has been very, very, well let's say, career making sort of a thing.
11:35I could not dare to lose my job if I was not working in UPCAR.
11:40Because you know, this film industry is so uncertain.
11:44You start getting work in one picture, two pictures, but they do not stay.
11:49There are so many examples out there, you must be knowing.
11:51Yes, yes.
11:52So like that, we're still in touch with each other.
11:56Okay, fantastic.