Oh! The Bad boys! A Bollywood movie is incomplete unless there is at least one bad guy to root against. Evil geniuses, violent criminals, cunning killers, mostly mean, sometimes unstable, the Bollywood villains scare and creep us out. They are usually two steps ahead of the hero and do give him a challenging time. That’s another story that are always beaten to death by the hero in the end. Giving depth and meaning to their baddie role with some superlative acting, Bollywood Villains have made some of their characters immortal. They have created characters whom we love to hate.
Here are some of the iconic Bollywood Villains of all times…
Amjad Khan : Amjad Khan portrayed the character of Gabbar in the movie Sholay and immortalised him as the scariest villain in the Indian cinema. He played the role so perfectly that his laughter as Gabbar Singh can give you chills, still.
Also see – 40 years of Sholay
Amrish Puri : With his husky masculine voice and outrageous, over-the-top costume and make-up, ruthless and sadistic attitude, fierce eyes and some great acting, Amrish Puri has given the Bollywood villains a larger than life evil a new twist. Remember his bandmaster-style gold and black outfit and rings on each finger in Mr India and his iconic dialogue, “Mogambo Khush Hua”.
Pran : With his varied hairstyles, facial looks, bloodshot eyes and cold voice, Pran brought many cunning and wicked characters to life on celluloid. One of the meanest roles of his career was Gajendra from Ram Aur Shyam where he had this famous dialogue: “Maalik ke saamne nazar jhuka kar rakh budtameez.”
Prem Chopra : He upped the devilish roles with his unique style of dialogue delivery and that made him all the more dangerous on screen. His famous dialogue in Bobby “Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra,” would make your squirm in your seat and creep you out!
KN Singh : KN Singh was one of the earliest bad guy of Bollywood. He was a stylish well dressed villain and usually seen smoking a pipe. His tall frame, sharp eyes and distinctive voice, intimidated audience. He played Jagga in Raj Kapoor’s Awara and had this memorable dialogue, “Sharam sharifon ko aati hai, chor aur daaku ko nahin.”
Madan Puri : In a career spanning 50 years, Madan Puri acted in over 430 films. When not breaking up families and upsetting the social order, Madan Puri also appeared in a range of character roles.
Prem Nath : Prem Nath: Apart from playing lead and character roles, Prem Nath played characters with negative shades too. His portrayal of Sir Judah in the movie Karz is legendary. Sir Judah is a mute but that doesn’t mean he’s the quiet type. He gives orders through a series of knocks—his sidekick, played by Mac Mohan, then translates it, always starting with: “Sir Judah kehtey hain…”
Ajit: “Sara shehar mujhe Loyan (Lion) ke naam se janata hai!” He was the suave villain with his characteristic accent and style. Do you remember his golden wig and night gowns as Teja in Zanjeer and who can forget his savvy female accomplice, Mona darling!!
Kulbhushan Kharbanda : Inspired by the James Bond movies, Kulbhushan Kharbanda played Shakaal in Shaan. He was a cool baddie who nonchalantly caressed his bald head and had his own island, shark and crocodile tanks high-tech gadgets. With a cheeky smile; he had said “Yeh zahreeli gas dheere dheere mehfil ko aur rangeen banati rahegi.” Kulbhushan has portrayed many other negative characters too.
Jeevan: Famous as Narad Muni in Bollywood, actor Jeevan had also played villain in many movies in the 60s, 70s and 80s. Some of the films which made him popular were Amar Akbar and Anthony and Naseeb.
Shakti Kapoor: He is labelled as the rapist in Bollywood movies and his onscreen cunningness has absolutely no match. He has done some amazing roles and has had his share of some good dialogues. “Aaya hoon kuch to lekar jaunga, khandani chor hun main. Mogambo ka bhateeja. Crime Master Gogo naam hai mera,” in Andaz Apna Apna or “Main ek pyaara sa, nanha sa, chota sa bachcha hoon,” as Balma in Chalbaaz or ” Aaooo Lolitaa!” in Tohfa are some of his fun or cringe worthy dialogues.
Anupam Kher : Anupam Kher has played a variety of wicked roles in his career. As Dr Dang in Karma, the lethal combination of scientist and terrorist, Anupam Kher immortalized the character with his brilliant acting. The cold and calculated manner of his dialogue delivery , “Iss thappad ki goonj suni tumne? Ab iss goonj ki goonj tumhe zindagi bhar sunai degi.” is ruthless and chilling.
Nana Patekar : Nana has experimented with both hero and villain roles. He has won awards for his roles as a villain for Aparhan, Parinda and Angaar and is known for his firebrand dialogues and superb acting. As Anna in Parinda, with his quick grins and trigger- happy ways, he is an unpredictable psychotic.
Check out some more Bollywood Villains…
Gulshan Grover : Known as the ‘bad man’ for his many roles as a villain in the 1980s and 1990s. Intense looks, dirty eyes and booming voice, Gulshan Grover has terrorised many of his co-stars on-screen. “Tumhare shareer ke pedh par … jawani ka naya phool khil gaya” or “Apne dhande mein hawas chalti hai, ishq nahi chalta” are some of his epic shudder-worthy dialogues.
Lalita Pawar : Lalita Pawar was the quintessential wicked mother-in-law of Bollywood.
Bindu: Remembered as the most glamorous vamp of her era, Bindu was also famous for her item numbers.
Danny Denzongpa : Danny Denzongpa made his mark as a villain in movies such as Hum and Ghatak. However it was the role of ‘Kancha Cheena’ in Agneepath, which defined his fashionable villainous persona. With his slick back hair and cool sunglasses in Agneepath, Danny recited the stylish dialogue: “Bohat dino baad ek Hindustani machli hamare samundar mein dikhai diya.”
Ranjeet: He paved way for the entry of the local goon in Bollywood.
Sadashiv Amrapurkar : From a corrupt politician to an evil landlord, Sadashiv has played it all. But his portrayal of the sarcasm-spewing eunuch ‘Maharani’ in Sadak earned him raving reviews for delivering dialogues like: “Top ki Veshya banaugi.”
Shahrukh Khan : Shahrukh Khan is amongst the finest few heroes of Bollywood to have also played the villain. As a villain, Shahrukh gave us good performances in Baazigar and Anjaam. In Yash Chopra’s Darr, he played the a dark character obsessed with Juhi Chawla and said this signature, “I love you K K K Kiran.”
Ashutosh Rana : Ashutosh Rana played the creepy pervert postman cum gruesome psychotic serial killer Gokul Pandit in Dushman. His dialogue: “Maine tumhari behan ko issi jaga maara tha,” impressively summed up how heartless his character was. His portrayal of Lajja Shankar Pandey in Sangharsh terrorises us still.
Prakash Raj : Prakash Raj acted as a villain in quite a few Bollywood films, including Wanted, Singham, Dabangg2, Mumbai Mirror, Policegiri. His dialogue from Singham “aali re aali ata majhi bari aali” is pretty famous.
Apart from these Bollywood Villains, there have been many lead actors who are exploring the wicked streak in them. Noteworthy among them are Saif Ali Khan as Langda Tyagi in Omkara, Sanjay Dutt as Kancha Cheena Rishi Kapoor as Rauf Lala in Agneepath, Aamir Khan in Dhoom 3, Vivek Oberoi as Kaal in Krrish 3, Akshay Kumar as Dawood Ibrahim in Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai 2, John Abraham as Kabir in Dhoom, Hrithik Roshan in Dhoom 2, Kajol as Esha in Gupt, Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Badlapur.
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