Pran hospitalized again; condition stable and recuperating

Veteran actor Pran who has been ailing for some time is back in hospital barely a month after he was discharged in November. And though his daughter Pinky, when contacted, maintains that he is better, friends of the family are not that optimistic about the veteran actor’s health any more. “He is getting on. Pran Saab is a fighter. But one can’t really fight old age beyond a point,” a colleague said. However the family maintains Pran Saab is recuperating in hospital. The versatile actor’s daughter Pinky who is currently shuttling between two ailing family members –her father and mother-in-law-- in two different hospitals says, “He (Pran Saab)’s better. However he cannot have any visitors at the moment.” In the meanwhile the makers of the neo-Zanjeer who wanted to cast Pran Saab in a token cameo have now decided to pay the actor’s celebrated Sher Khan character from the original Zanjeer a homage. The Manna Dey song Yaari hai imaan mera which Pran Saab sang to glorious immortality in Zanjeer 39 year years ago will now be recreated and put across on screen by Sanjay Dutt who plays Sher Khan’s role in the neo-Zanjeer. Says a source from Apoorva Lakhia’s Zanjeer team, “We thought of dropping the song altogether since there were too many copyright hassles. But now we’re determined to get the song at any cost. You really can’t have Sher Khan in Zanjeer not singing Yaari hai imaan mera.”