On his 90th birthday, Prem Chopra, the celebrated villain of Bollywood, is remembered for his impactful performances and iconic dialogue from the film *Bobby*. His journey in the film industry began with the hope of portraying heroic characters. Born into a Punjabi family in Lahore, British India (now Pakistan) on September 23, 1935, he later relocated to Shimla with his family after the partition and pursued his education there. He then moved to Mumbai to pursue acting. Though he initially took on roles as a supporting actor, his villainous characters brought him widespread fame.
Before achieving success in films, Prem Chopra explored opportunities in various film studios in Mumbai, however, he did not get any response. He also worked at The Times of India. His film career began with *Chaudhary Karnail Singh* (1960), with a salary of Rs 2500. During this time, he also appeared in several Punjabi films. He accepted villainous roles in movies like *Woh Kaun Thi*, *Shaheed*, and *Teesri Manzil*. His memorable dialogue in *Bobby* (1973) became a hit and he decided to focus on villainous characters. Prem Chopra has acted in around 300 films throughout his career.
