When you think of the actor Pradeep Kumar, immediately the image of a Mughal Emperor or a prince emerges in our mind. He was the first choice to play prince/king in numerous Hindi films. He was a hero of many period films. Even though he acted in films of other genres, he is famous for his portrayals of kings and princes. His splendid performance as Prince Salim in Nandlal Jaswantlal’s tragic love story Anarkali, and as Shah Jahan in M. Sadiq’s Taj Mahal, demonstrated his ability to slip into royal roles with ease.
Pradeep Kumar (born Sital Batabyal; 4 January 1925 – 27 October 2001) made his debut from a period film Anandmath(1952), he became a sensation with the Bina Rai-starrer Anarkali (1953) and the Vyjayanthimala-starrer Nagin (1954). He had to face a tough competition with the trio of Dilip Kumar, Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor films. He had limited success in the 5os and 60s. in the 1960s, though Ghoonghat (1960), Aarti (1962) & Taj Mahal (1963) were successful many of his films flopped though he worked with Madhubala and Meena Kumari.
He did not get to act with the newer heroines of the 1960s such as Sadhana, Saira Banu, Babita or Sharmila Tagore, though he did work with Asha Parekh in Ghoonghat and Meri Surat Teri Aankhen and with Waheeda Rehman in Raakhi (1963). In 1969, he moved to character roles with Sambandh and Mehboob Ki Mehndi, but did not have many visible roles till Jaanwar and Razia Sultan in 1983.
In 1969, Pradeep saw a glimpse of success once again withSambandh, albeit in a character role.
He lived a life removed from the spotlight for the next 18 years and died a quiet death on October 27, 2001, at the age of 76.
Pradeep Kumar's famous songs