Prem Adib Birth Anniversary: His name was Prem Adeeb Dar. Kashmiri Pandits were worshipped by people in those times. This artist who played the role of Prabhu lived Shri Ram not only on screen but also in his life. He got his name inscribed in golden letters in the history of Hindi cinema. Do you know why?
Prem Adib brought Shri Ram alive on the silver screen not once but eight times. He impressed people so much that they started being worshipped. Even Mahatma Gandhi himself came to watch one of his films Ram Rajya. Prem Adib, who became a medium to convey the story of God to the devotees, was born on 10 August 1916 in a Kashmiri Pandit family. His family lived in Sultanpur, UP.
Prem Adib played the role of Shri Ram eight times
Father Pandit Ram Prasad Adeeb was a lawyer by profession. His ancestors left Kashmir and settled in Uttar Pradesh during the time of Nawab Wajid Ali Shah of Awadh. The name Adeeb was given to the family in the 19th century by the last Nawab of Awadh Wajid Ali Shah as a mark of respect. Prem’s inclination towards films was not tolerated in the educated family, but Prem Adeeb finally achieved what he set out to do. He chose such a role that he got a lot of success in his lap.
He first played the role of Lord Ram in ‘Bharat Milaap’ in 1942. After this, he appeared as Lord Ram in Ram Rajya (1943). These roles of his gained him popularity across the country. In these films, he was paired with Shobhana Samarth, who played the role of Maa Sita.
Later, he earned a lot of praise for playing the role of Ram in films like Baan (1948), Ram Vivah (1949), Ram Navami (1956), Ram-Hanuman Yuddha (1957), Ram Laxman (1957), Ram Bhakt Vibhishan (1958). From 1943 to 1950, the pair of Prem Adib and Shobhana Samarth became so popular that they were worshipped in homes. Even Mahatma Gandhi watched the film Ram Rajya.
I had given up eating meat for the role
This artist made a huge change in his lifestyle to play the role of Lord Ram. He kept away from vices. He stopped smoking cigarettes and eating meat. Prem Adib was counted among the superstars of that time. These included names like Ashok Kumar, PC Barua and Master Vinayak.
Prem Adib was married to Krishna Kumari Kaul. His last film was ‘Angulimaal’ which was released in 1960. It was released a year after his death. In 1959, Hindi cinema’s ‘Ram’ Prem Adib said goodbye to the world at the age of 42.