Because of help from writer Saadat Hasan Manto and actor Shyam, he got a role in the Bombay Talkies' film, "Ziddi" which starred Dev Anand and Kamini Kaushal and was directed by Shaheed Latif. The movie launched Pran's career in Bombay. Incidentally, it proved to be Dev Anand's big break as a hero. By 1950 he had been gradually established as a premier villain in Hindi cinema. Within a week of "Ziddi"s success, he had signed three more films – S M Yusuf's "Grihasti" (1948), which became a diamond jubilee hit, Prabhat Films's "Apradhi" (1949) and Wali Mohammad's "Putli" (1949). By then, Wali Mohammad, who was responsible for Pran's first role, had come to Bombay and became a producer, setting up an office at Famous Studios, near Mahalaxmi Racecourse. In the 1940s, romantic duets featuring him, like the songs "Tere Naaz Uthane Ko Jee Chahta Hai" from "Grihasti", opposite Shardha, and from "Khandaan" (1942), with Noor Jehan, became popular in the 1940s. The way he expressed his dialogues in films such as "Sheesh Mahal" (1950), a series of disguises he made in "Adalat" (1958), and the rapport he shared with vamps like Kuldip Kaur in "Jashan" (1955) showcased his versatility in the 1950s.