Veteran Bollywood actor Prem Chopra, best remembered for his villainous roles in Hindi cinema of the 1960s and ’70s, feels ‘baddie’ roles in Bollywood today are better written and are not just about having a menacing laugh and feisty one-liners.
The 78-year-old actor terrorised audiences in films such as Aaj Ka Arjun, Do Raaste and Bobby, in which he mouthed the famous dialogue “Prem Naam Hai Mera. Prem Chopra” (My name is Prem. Prem Chopra).
“Previously there were heroes and villains. The former was all about chocolate-boy looks, good behaviour while the latter was all about negativity. Nowadays the villains that we see in films are very layered. They have a back story as to why they became villains and are very interesting,” Chopra said.
After a slew of negative roles in films, Chopra started taking up positive characters from 1996. Since then he has starred in Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Golmaal 3, Patiala House and Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year. In the 2012 Saif Ali Khan-starrer Agent Vinod, Chopra played a don.
“I deliberately made a transition from doing villainous roles to positive characters. I felt as an actor if you want to increase you shelf-life, you have to do all kind of work just like Pran sahib. He did one positive role and his career was enhanced by many years,” Chopra said.
The actor said he is not working now due to necessity but because he still loves being in front of the camera.
“Films are keeping me busy. I have several projects lined up — one with Rishi Kapoor, another with Sunny Deol. I like to keep myself busy with good work. I cannot do useless roles in films just for the sake of doing a film. I still find my work enjoyable and that is why I am still working,” he said.
Chopra will be seen in the upcoming episode of Har Ghar Kuch Kehta Hai, to be aired on Sony. In the show he will be seen visiting his hometown Shimla to relive his memories.
“I visited my house in Shimla after 60 years. It was a very memorable experience for me. I not only visited my home, but also my school. met my childhood friends who were with me in school. Everything has changed there but still the trip stirred memories inside me. It is sort of my autobiography where I will tell my story,” Chopra said.
