In Bollywood, the ‘hero’ is a zero without the villain. How can he use his dhaai kilo ka haath if there is no bad guy to molest his sister, kidnap his mother, tie her to the ceiling and make her stand on a shaky wooden stool. The evil laughter and those killer punchlines of Bollywood villains are worth patenting. We bring you the list of the villains, Bollywood audience has seen over the years.
Amjad Khan – Gabbar Singh
The unapologetic cruel and ruthless dacoit role of ‘Gabbar Singh’ in Sholay has a page reserved in the history of Bollywood. Amjad Khan played the merciless character with perfection and unique dialogue delivery that oozed with evil. “Kitne Aadmi The”, “Holi kab Hai?” ,”Yeh Haath Mujhe Dedo Thakur!”, “Ab Tera Kya Hoga Kaliya?” and “Jo dar gaya. Samjho mar gaya” are the sacred dialogues of Hindi Cinema.
Gulshan Grover – ‘Bad Man’
Fondly called as ‘THE BAD MAN’ of Bollywood, Gulshan Grover has acted in over 400 films which includes some Hollywood work too. Right from the Rocky days to Bullet Raja, Gulshan was consistent in coming with interesting mannerisms each time. Lately, he is into playing subtle villains, but in the 80s and 90s, he played that crooked and exaggerated bad man. His portrayal of the ruthless professional killer in Mahesh Bhatt’s Criminal has been the most deadly one!
Nana Patekar – Anna
Nana’s ease in playing the black-hats was proved much earlier during the Salaam Bombay days. The humongous popularity however came with Parinda where he played one of the most memorable gangsters of Bollywood – Anna Seth. He is a pro in playing psychotic roles, and a gold-medalist in wife-beating (AgniSakshi). Nana was last seen in a negative role in Apaharan.
Pran – Villain of the Millennium
The most popular villain of the 50s and 60s, when the parents refrained from naming their child as ‘Pran’. Such was his impact performing the negatives roles. The most popular were Ram aur Shyam, Devdas, Madhumati and Azaad. This Dadasaheb phalke awardee is also in the list of top 25 Asian Actors as per CNN. He was titled ‘Villain of the Millennium’ by Stardust in 2000. This charming villain acted in almost 350 films, the last one being Tere Mere Sapne (1996).
Amrish Puri – Mogambo
That towering personality with terrifying baritone voice, when gives an angry look with those big eyes, even a macho man will piss in his pants. Amrish Puri, the most dignified but dreadful villain of Hindi Cinema gained an iconic status playing negative roles tirelessly and was more-than-perfect in playing the baddie. In a span of 35 years of career, he acted in 400 plus films, and the most popular role was Mogambo with “Mogambo Khush Hua” becoming the most famous dialogue ever told by a Bollywood villain. But when he departed, Poora Hindustaan Dukhi hua.
Prem Chopra – Prem Chopra
“Prem Naam Hai Mera, Prem Chopra”, said this veteran villain. He took over the space what was empty when Pran moved to doing important supporting roles. There was a touch of humor in Prem Chopra’s malignancy. Bobby, Kati Patang, Do Anjaane, Phool Bane Angaarey made him one of the prominent villains of his times.
Ajit – LOIN
That malicious man who coined a brand new word in English – ‘LOIN’. The iconic lines phrases like “Mona daarling” , “Lilly, don’t be silly”, “Smaart bwoy”, “Mona, loot lo sona” uttered by Ajit are extremely popular even now. His performance in Kaalichaan and Zanjeer brought him immense recognition.
Ranjeet – Psycho-The-Rapist
He was the rape specialist of the bell-bottoms era of Bollywood. Draped in gaudy costumes, Ranjeet was an expert in eve-teasing, and abusing. Ranjeet brought in so much authenticity to the lust-filled baddie roles that women in social parties often stayed away from him. The manly menace however has no replacement till date in Bollywood.
Sadashiv Amrapurkar – Maharani
He played a eunuch and delivered an engaging performance in Sadak. A role that no one else could perform better than him . The meticulous Marathi actor also won laurels for his gangster role in Ardh Satya. He was also seen playing a funny villain in Ishq. He has stayed away from Bollywood in the last decade. He appeared in a cameo in Bombay Talkies though.
Danny Denzongpa – Kaancha
He was approached for the role of Gabbar Singh, but there was a dates clash. However, Danny made his own mark in Bollywood. He gave some commendable performances in Balwaan, Ghatak and Sanam Bewafa. He was very effective playing Kaancha Cheena in Agneepath, and Bhaktawar in Hum. Danny still continues to do be the antagonist, the recent being Salman’s Jai Ho where he plays a scheming ad powerful politician.
Anupam Kher – Dr.Dang
The ‘Dr.Dang’ of Karma surely is one of the most unique villains of Bollywood. The mannerisms of the evil scientist made it a memorable role. The versatile actor with his interesting dialogue delivery makes his screen presence very attractive. His other noted performances in negative shades are Beta,Tezaab and Kaho Naa Pyaar Hai.
Ashutosh Rana – Gokul
The favorite villain of the Bhatt camp, Ashutosh played the role of a gory murderer Gokul in Dushmann. He plays a postman by profession but a psychopath rapist deep inside. In Sangharsh , he plays the eccentric ‘Pandey’ who believes in cult practices. His act of dressing like a woman and bawling is one of the most scariest frames in Bollywood. Ashutosh has also excelled in playing a malefactor in Zakhm, Ghulam, Haasil and Awarapan.
Sonu Sood – Chhedi Singh
Lately, the villains are emerging with great physique and better looks than the leading men. Sonu Sood is one best example in this category. His portrayal of Chhedi Singh in Dabangg won him fans. The recent R..Rajkumar had Sonu playing a handsome villain ‘Shivaj Gurjar’ trying to woo Sonakshi. The hunk will be seen in Farah Khan’s Happy New Year and Prabhu Deva’s Action Jackson this year.
Though the concept of a stereotypical villain is slightly fading away, the charisma of the villains in last 50 years cannot be forgotten.
