Prem Chopra: I faced rejection, failure and humiliation, but stayed on

Veteran actor Prem Chopra says that 50 years in the film industry is a really long time and people who started their career with him are nowhere in the scene now.

Even at 81, veteran actor Prem Chopra exudes the same charm that he did during the ’70s and ’80s when he portrayed negative characters on screen. Though the actor has slowed down when it comes to the number of films he takes up now, he is content that he did all that he could in his career spanning over five decades. “There is definitely a feeling of fulfilment because there was a phase in the beginning where I had to face failures, lot of humiliation and many rejections, but eventually I stayed on, and then I have stayed on and on, because I was determined to stay,” says Chopra, when asked to look back at his journey in films.

Actor Prem Chopra is best remembered for his negative roles in films during the ’70s and ’80s. (Punnet Chandhok/HT Photo)

The actor, who became the most loved and popular villain on-screen, is best remembered for films such as Poorab Aur Paschim (1970), Bobby (1973), Shahenshah (1988), Raja Babu (1994) among others. 50 years on, he says with a lot of pride that he decided to hang on there and made it big on his own. “Fifty years is a really long time. People who started with me have come and gone. There were people who were absolutely desperate and looking for jobs, but they were not getting them then. And I’m fortunate that I am still being offered films,” says the actor, adding that he cannot do everything that comes his way now.

Chopra, who was last seen in Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai (2017), says after spending such a long time in the industry, he now takes the liberty to decide what kind of films he wants to do at this stage. “There have been some scripts that I like and I did those films on my own terms and conditions. I should be grateful to God. And more than that, I’m grateful to my fans who have been tolerating me for so long,” he adds.

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