Remembering Prem Adib, the Ram of the Hindi Silver Screen, on his 103rd birth anniversary today.

Remembering Prem Adib, the Ram of the Hindi Silver Screen, on his 103rd birth anniversary today.

Prem Adib was acclaimed as one of the top actors of the early 1940s, along with Pahari Sanyal, Ashok Kumar, PC Barua, Master Vinayak and others. He was a popular actor of Hindi cinema who has portrayed numerous mythological roles on screen. During a career span of 25 years, he acted in over 60 films. Adib is best remembered for his role as Lord Ram in Bharat Milap (1942). Prem Adib became popular after playing Ram in Bharat Milap (1942) and Ram Rajya (1943).

Even though many actors like Shahu Modak, Mahipal, Trilok Kapoor, Abhi Bhattacharya, Manhar Desai, Anant Kumar, Baalakraam and Chandrakant have time and again played the role of Lord Ram on the Silver Screen, no one really made the kind of impression Prem Adib did on the public. He essayed the role of Lord Ram in about 8 films. Bharat Milap (1942), Ram Rajya (1943), Ram Baan (1948), Ram Vivah (1949), Ram Navami (1956), Ram Hanuman Yudha (1957), Ram Lakshman (1957) and Ram Bhakt Vibhishan (1958).

It is well known that the only film Mahatma Gandhi saw in his lifetime was ‘Ram Rajya’. This mythological film, released in 1943 was a ‘Prakash Pictures’ production, directed by Vijay Bhatt with lyrics by Ramesh Gupta and music by Shankar Rao Vyas. The actor who played Lord Ram along with Shobhna Samarth (as Sita) in this film was Prem Adib, a name that is still afresh in the memories of Hindi Cine buffs of that era.

Prem Adib died in 1959 at the age of 42.