‘Ganda Kaam Karte Ho Aap’: Prem Chopra Says Daughter Was Teased In School Due To His Villainous Roles

Veteran Hindi film actor Prem Chopra recently looked back on how his negative screen image once troubled his young daughter, who struggled to separate the reel villain from the real father. The incident came up during a conversation about his long career as one of Bollywood’s most recognisable antagonists.

Chopra said his daughter Ritika Nanda, then a school student, became uncomfortable when classmates teased her about the frightening characters he played. Sharing her blunt reaction, the actor recalled her telling him, “Ganda kaam karte ho aap.”

On Arbaaz Khan’s show, Chopra narrated her complaint in detail: “Yeh Ritika Nanda ne, who is a writer also. School mein the woh toh kahte hai papa sab log mujhse kahte hai school mein bolte hai bahut

gadbad wale role karte hai. Ganda kaam karte ho aap, yeh chor do.”

The actor responded by assuring her that his profession required him to take on such roles and that audiences had accepted him that way. Playing villains, he told her, enabled him to support their family and provide her with a good education.

Chopra also spoke about how his intimidating image extended beyond cinema halls. His son-in-law, actor Sharman Joshi, once admitted he grew up scared of the man behind the famous line “Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra.”

Joking about marrying Prerana Chopra, Sharman had said, “I think Prerna was destined to have someone as wonderful as me in her life, she lucked out. She got married to me but mujhe Prem ji ke nightmares aate the.”

During an early conversation with his future father-in-law, Sharman recalled being asked what he would do if acting didn’t work out. “Phir he asked ki agar nahi ban paaye, to maine bol diya ki ‘failed actor banunga’,” he said.

Born in 1935 in Lahore and raised in Shimla, Chopra began his career in journalism before moving into films. His breakthrough performance came in Shaheed (1965), followed by notable roles in Upkar, Bobby, Do Anjaane and Kranti.

Across more than six decades, he appeared in over 380 films and was widely cast in negative roles during the 1960s to 1990s. The actor also worked in character and comic parts as cinema trends shifted. He collaborated with superstar Rajesh Khanna in more than 20 films and received the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2023.

Chopra authored his autobiography Prem Naam Hai Mera, Prem Chopra in 2014, written by his daughter Rakita Nanda, and continues to be associated with cultural and philanthropic work.