From 1969 to 1982, Pran was one of the highest paid actors of Bollywood. He played the lead role in the film "Aurat", (1967) paired opposite Padmini, with Rajesh Khanna in a supporting role. Pran and Khanna worked in five more films — "Maryada" (1971), "Jaanwar" (1983), "Souten" (1983), "Bewafai" (1985) and "Durgaa" (1985). In 1973, he recommended Amitabh Bachchan to Prakash Mehra for the character of Vijay in "Zanjeer", a role earlier offered to Dev Anand and Dharmendra. Pran's role as Sher Khan, with his red wig and beard and Pathani style was well appreciated. Pran acted with Bachchan in about 14 films with notable ones being "Zanjeer", "Don" (1978), "Amar Akbar Anthony" (1977), "Dostana" (1980), "Naseeb" (1981) and "Sharaabi" (1984).