Prem Chopra (born 23 September 1935) is a Hindi film actor who has appeared in over 380 films in a career spanning more than six decades. He is best known for portraying villainous characters in Hindi cinema between the 1960s through the 1990s. Chopra has also played positive and character roles throughout his career.
Born in Lahore, Punjab Province, British India (now in Pakistan), and raised in Shimla after the Partition of India, Chopra initially worked in journalism and appeared in Punjabi films before transitioning to Hindi cinema. His breakthrough role came with Shaheed (1965), followed by acclaimed performances in films such as Upkar (1967), Bobby (1973), Do Anjaane (1976), and Kranti (1981). His famous dialogue "Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra" from Bobby became one of the most memorable lines in Hindi film history.
Over the years, Chopra collaborated with many leading actors, notably Rajesh Khanna, appearing together in more than 20 films. As Hindi cinema evolved, he successfully transitioned from villainous to character and comic roles, continuing to appear in films and television well into the 21st century. He received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023 for his contributions to Indian cinema.
Outside his acting career, Chopra authored the autobiography Prem Naam Hai Mera, Prem Chopra (2014), written by his daughter Rakita Nanda, and has been active in philanthropic and cultural promotion activities.
Chopra, the third of six children of Ranveerlal 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. He studied in S.D. Senior Secondary School, Shimla. His father desired for him to be a doctor or an Indian Administrative Services Officer.
Chopra completed his schooling and college in Shimla after his father, who was a government servant, got transferred there. He graduated from Panjab University. He took part in college dramatics enthusiastically. At his father's insistence, he completed his graduation and then went to Bombay (present-day Mumbai). Soon after he made his debut film, his mother was diagnosed 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 a warning to their respective wives that only if their sister is happy, would they be happy and Prem considers his sister to be 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 (wife of Raj Kapoor), Prem Nath and Rajendranath. The couple have three daughters, Rakita, Punita and Prerna Chopra. Rakita is married to film publicity designer Rahul Nanda, the son of author and screenwriter Gulshan Nanda. They have a daughter together by the name Risha Nanda. Punita owns a preschool called Wind Chimes in Bandra, suburban Mumbai, and is married to singer and actor Vikas Bhalla. Prerna is married to Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi, son of Arvind Joshi. Chopra resides in a duplex apartment in Pali Hill, Bandra in Mumbai. He has 6 grandchildren (Sanchi Bhalla, Khyana Joshi, Veer Bhalla, Risha Nanda, Vaaryan Joshi, and Vihaan Joshi).
He became estranged from two of his four brothers in the late 1980s. Chopra had bought a bungalow in 1980 in Delhi, which was jointly owned by him and his father, and his father and one brother used to stay there. Chopra had gotten his brother a job in Delhi and made him stay at the bungalow. But his father, a day before his death, was made to sign a will favouring one of his brothers, taking away Chopra's rights to the bungalow. Later, an income tax raid happened in that same house, and his brother said in the raid that Chopra had given them the bungalow, but the house still was in name of Prem Chopra. Chopra had two other houses in Mumbai as well, which were sold off cheaply by his other brothers without telling him, as they needed the money.
His biography titled Prem Naam Hai Mera, Prem Chopra, written by his daughter Rakita Nanda, was released in April 2014.
In Simla, Chopra developed an interest in acting as he had begun to take part in many plays in his college days. Despite stiff opposition from his parents, he managed to go to Bombay 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.
To survive in the fast life of Bombay, he took up a job with The Times of India while trying to gain a foothold in the film industry. He looked after circulation of the paper in Bengal, Orissa and Bihar and was required to tour 20 days a month. Chopra used to cut his touring time by calling the agents to come and meet him at the station so that he could quickly return. This way a tour that would normally take 20 days would get completed in 12, and he would spend the rest of the time going from one studio to the other. While travelling by the suburban train one day, a stranger accosted him and asked if he was interested in joining films. Chopra nodded in agreement and went with that stranger to Ranjit Studios where the producers of Chaudhary Karnail Singh were in search of a hero. Jagjit Sethi, a Punjabi producer, gave him a break as the hero of the established star Jabeen Jalil in Chaudhary Karnail Singh, a Punjabi film. His debut film, it was a Hindu-Muslim romantic love story set against the backdrop of Indo-Pak partition which turned out to be a big hit. The film won National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Punjabi. He was paid Rs 2500 for his debut film.
During his stint with the Times of India, he worked in Punjabi films including Sapani and Hindi films such as Woh Kaun Thi?, Shaheed, Main Shaadi Karne Chala and Teesri Manzil. Prem did not consider acting as a full-time profession in the early 1960s, but he kept trying to get roles in films due to his passion for acting. Among his early films, he played Sukhdev in Shaheed, one of his rare positive leading roles. Prem had done four movies before Woh Kaun Thi?, a box office hit of 1964, had been released. On the sets of Woh Kaun Thi? which had Manoj Kumar as lead hero, Prem met Manoj for the first time. Manoj offered Prem a positive role in Shaheed, for which Manoj was the presenter. During the shooting of Main Shadi Karne Chala someone suggested that he become a villain. He continued working with The Times of India when he was already a part of box office hits like Nishan, Sikandar E Azam in 1965 and Sagaai, Mera Saaya in 1966. After Teesri Manzil and Upkaar, he was flooded with offers to play the villain in films. After Upkaar in 1967, he left The Times of India to focus solely on acting.
Since 1967, he has been a leading villain in Hindi films and his peak period as main villain was from 1967 to 1995. In the 1970s he got plum roles as villains often with Sujit Kumar and Ranjeet. In a few films he played secondary villain to villainous characters of Ajit, Madan Puri, Pran, Prem Nath, Jeevan in the 1970s and 1980s and to Amrish Puri and Amjad Khan in the late 1980s.
He played the main lead in the 1970 box office hit small-budget comedy film Samaj Ko Badal Dalo as a lead hero, and was paired opposite Telugu film actresses Kanchana and Sharada. The song "Tum Apni Saheli Ko Itna Bata Do Ki Usse Koi Pyar Karne Laga Hai", sung by Rafi and picturised on Prem Chopra, from the film and the song "Rah Mein Kaliya", a song sung by Kishore Kumar and performed on-screen by Prem Chopra in the film Nafrat (1973), continue to be popular. In the critically acclaimed comedy film Hulchul (1971), a remake of Anubavam Pudhumai, he played the lead hero in this suspense thriller. The dialogue "Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra" (My name is Prem, Prem Chopra) from the film Bobby became very popular. From the film Souten, the dialogues "Main wo bala hoon jo sheeshe se pathar ko todta hu" (I am that trouble which crushes stones with glass) and "Jinke Ghar Sheeshe Ke Hote Hain Woh Batti Bhujakar Kapde Badalte Hai", became popular.