Soon after the Partition he came to Delhi and then to Bombay (now Mumbai). Baldev Raj Chopra noticed his talent when he was a film journalist and critic; he urged Prakash to carry on with his acting career. He was sure Om Prakash had the talent to prove himself a versatile actor. The actor had to struggle initially. He got his first break as a villain in a film called "Lakhpati". It won him acclaim and got him roles in films like "Lahore", "Char Din" and "Raat Ki Rani". It was during this phase in his career that he did "Azaad" with Dilip Kumar, "Sargam" with Raj Kapoor and "Miss Mary", "Bahar", "Pehli Jhalak", "Asha" and "Man-Mauji" with Kishore Kumar followed by "Howrah Bridge" with Ashok Kumar and then "Tere Ghar Ke Samne" with Dev Anand. He was noted for his performance in both films in spite of the presence of powerful star personas like Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor, Ashok Kumar, Kishore Kumar and Dev Anand. He had developed a style of his own, a style which was going to take him places and earn him a big name in the world of film entertainment for the next forty years.