Pran was always the baddie off-screen. Many of his costars have called him a gentleman off screen but this man never had any qualms about playing the negative role on screen. In fact, he loved them. In one of the interviews with Prabhu Chawla, when asked how it feels when he realises that no woman would name their kid Pran, he said, "If that's the case, then I will be as famous as Raavan." That's the kind of conviction he had for his negative image on the screen. Pran Birth Anniversary Special: Did You Know the Zanjeer Actor's First Villain Role Wasn't in a Hindi Movie?.

When asked why he doesn't do hero roles, Pran said that he doesn't like singing and running around trees with the heroine. For someone who had such disinterest in the act, sure had some hit songs to boast about. Here're the five of them.

Yaari hai Imaan - Zanjeer

This song never gets old. Pran as Sher Khan is a friend we all wanted and still do. This song celebrates his friendship with Amitabh Bachchan - the angry young inspector.

Hum bolega to bologe ki bolta hai - Kasauti

This naughty and sassy song sung by Kishore Kumar for Pran is one of our favourites. Keeping his actions limited, he made the song so lively

Aaj kal tere mere pyar - Brahmachari

This is perhaps what Pran meant when he talked about his dislike for dance moves or songs. You can see how he seemed a bit awkward matching steps with the vivacious and beautiful Mumtaz. And yet this is one of the hit songs of that era which still leaves everyone gaga over the picturisation.

Kasme vaade - Upkar

Here, he is the only one mouthing the lyrics and he does it with so much ease. It's a melancholic tune and he manages to bring the words to life with his performance. Pran Sahab Gets a Chowk in Mumbai Named After Him.

Do Bechare - Victoria No. 203

Fun and frolic were the purposes of this movie. Pran mouths this fun song perfectly without any beat amiss.

It seems Pran knew people would pick up his statement and show him the list of his songs. That's why many years back while speaking to Deccan Herald, he defended these songs saying, "If you notice, all my songs later are actually scenes and not items thrust in. "Kasme vaade pyar wafaa", "Yaari hai imaan mera or "Raaz ki baat" (Dharma) are integral to the stories.” Whatever it is, we count it as one of the aces up his sleeves that he didn't want to brag too much about.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 12, 2023 08:20 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).