A strong villain or antagonist is essential to any film. Bollywoods legendary villain Prem Chopra portrayed his role so convincingly that people would hide their wives when he walked by. He has many iconic dialogues but his most famous line remains Prem naam hai mera Prem Chopra. Born on September 23 1935 in Lahore Prem and his family relocated to Shimla following the Partition. While pursuing his education Prems father aspired him to become a doctor but Prem was captivated by the allure of films and dreamed of venturing to Mumbai to try his luck in the industry. In an old interview Prem recalled his fathers reaction to his ambitions When I came to Bombay from Shimla my father said I don’t want to be a hindrance but I want you to know that acting is not a secure profession so you will have to get a job if you want to go to Bombay. Prem Chopra took his fathers suggestion seriously and secured a job in the circulation department of The Times of India after arriving in Bombay. He was responsible for managing operations in different cities which required him to travel for 20 days every month. However Chopra cleverly shortened his trips and used the extra time to visit various film studios pursuing his passion for acting In the same interview Prem revealed that it was during one such train journey that he was offered his first Punjabi film Chaudhary Karnail Singh as a lead actor. Reportedly the actor was paid Rs 2500 for the film. After this Prem started receiving offers from Bollywood. Bharat Bhushan-starer Mud Mud Ke Na Dekh was Prems debut film in Bollywood. Except Shaheed his early movies in which he played positive roles failed. While during Main Shadi Karne Chala someone recommended that he should play a villain and he took the suggestion seriously. Prem Chopra continued working with The Times of India when he was already a part of blockbusters like Nishan Sikandar E Azam Sagaai and Mera Saaya. After Teesri Manzil and Upkaar the actor started getting more films as a villain and he left the job to solely focus on acting. With his outstanding performances in Teesri Manzil Upkaar and Bobby the actor became a top villain and instilled fear of him among the audience. Bollywoods dream girl Hema Malini who shared screen space with Prem Chopra in several films herself revealed that she was scared of the actor. Reports claim that the actress would shaken up whenever he looked at her while filming the scene. In his 60-year career Prem Chopra has done over 380 films. He holds the record of playing the villain in 19 of Rajesh Khanna’s films. Talking about his personal life Prem is married to Uma the sister of actor and director Raj Kapoor’s wife Krishna. Together they have three daughters: Rakita Punita and Prerna. Interestingly none of his daughters pursued acting although all three married individuals connected to the film industry. Prem Chopra’s youngest son-in-law is Bollywood actor Sharman Joshi.