They have great style, be it over-the-top dialogues, pulling off a perfect rape sequence or sheer physical intimidation.
There is something so alluring about Hindi cinema’s bad boys, or anti-heroes as they now prefer to be called, that a post on our stereotyped evil geniuses was long overdue.
Mind-games and gadgets have taken precedence over melodrama and gun toting.
Move over, Gabbar Singh.
Bollywood has moved on from portraying ruthless bandits as notorious villains.
It is no longer necessary to come horse-back riding, a scarf flung across the neck, red vermillion smeared across the forehead, to make a point.
I compiled a list of some of my favourite anti-heroes of the past decade giving points for originality, subtlety, charm and sheer evil genius.
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Naseeruddin Shah (Sarfarosh: 1999) – He played the role of a brilliant strategist of an arms smuggling racket masquerading as a Pakistani Ghazal singer in a movie that broke the mould of how the police were portrayed in Indian films. His soft-spoken, unassuming demeanor was refreshingly new to senses accustomed to melodramatic guffaws and improbable dialogues.
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Urmila Matondkar (Kaun: 1999) – As an unhinged but glamorous serial killer, Urmila Matondkar is convincing if a little over-the-top in this Ram Gopal Varma thriller. What I like about her character is that she never loses the lipstick, even when mortally scared for her life, and brilliantly outshines the cast of three in histrionics.
Kay Kay Menon (Shaurya: 2008) – Kay Kay as a whiskey-drinking suave armyman who has a sea of bottled up hatred against Muslims carries off the role reasonably well. Until the end that is. When the quintessential Bollywood villain possesses him and turns him into our familiar cursing, frothing evil madcap.
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Shah Rukh Khan (Don: 2006) – Only the genius of Shah Rukh Khan can bring out the mannerisms of a charming, ruthless villain that are cinematically identical to his roles as an honest and passionate hero. How he does that, is beyond me. Yet Khan dominates every scene, every frame of Don and it is impossible not to acknowledge his sinister charm.
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Saif Ali Khan (Omkara: 2006) – Saif as ‘Langda’ Tyagi is simply brilliant. His jealousy triggered by crushed ambitions, brings out the worst in him as easily as it would have in anyone in real life. He is manipulative, rustic and as real as the movie is surreal.
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Abhishek Bachchan (Yuva: 2005) – Appearing as a goon, Bachchan defined his own future career path in this Mani Ratnam flick, working hard to move away from the image of a romantic hero to more darker roles. He joined a growing trickle of actors who felt safe to portray the negative shades in protagonists.
Kay Kay Menon (Life in a Metro: 2007) – Again, Kay Kay as the cheating husband is very believable in this film that showed facets of life in a cosmopolitan and how the various characters deal with day-to-day challenges.
Do let us know who creeps you out in Hindi films, who you will never trust your daughter with, or invite into your home.
My favourite Bollywood anti-heroes from past decade | Analysis & Opinion | Reuters