The Meanest, The Baddest, Real Heroes Bollywood Couldn’t Do Without

They are the real heroes of cinema, the terrible villains who make a story come alive. Without the conflict they create there is no successful film ever made. TII takes a look at the badmash villains of Bollywood we love to hate.

A film is incomplete without conflict and crisis. With nothing to resolve, the greatest heroes of Bollywood would cease to exist. Young Amitabh Bachchan would have nothing to get angry about, Sunny Deol would have nothing to tear into and Anil Kapoor’s watch would have only made him a good hide and seek player, not Mr. India. It is the quintessential villain who enters a dull story and introduces a series of conflicts which make stories entertaining. It is those iconic ‘Bad Boys’ of Bollywood who have made the film industry what it is.

Pran – You will find a Rajesh or Amit, but it is unlikely that you will find a guy named Pran around you. Such was the impact of Pran Krishan Sikand on the psyche of the Indian audience, that his name became a synonym for villainy. In a career that lasted six decades, he portrayed outstanding iconic negative characters, which earned him the title of ‘Villain of the Millennium’. Pran was one of those actors who liked working hard on his characters. He paid special attention to his getup and would have a sketch prepared for his character, to ensure the wig and make-up team delivered precise results. When introducing Pran, you need not mention his Padma Bhushan, Dadasaheb Phalke Award and Filmfare Awards, just saying “Barkhurdaar” with a smug face is enough.

Did You Know? – Pran was among the highest paid actors of his era, earning even more than Amitabh Bachchan for some films.

Amrish Puri – I always felt sorry for heroes who went toe-to-toe with Amrish Puri. His stabbing eyes and roaring voice were weapons of destruction that threatened an entire generation of heroes. But the scariest part about Amrish Puri was the conviction with which he portrayed negative characters on-screen, making him the most daunting villain of Bollywood. Following in the footsteps of his elder brother, another legendary villain Madan Puri,
Amrish Puri joined the bad-boys club only in his 40s.

Steven Spielberg rated him as the “best villain ever” for his 1984 Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom, but it was Shekhar Kapur’s Mr. India which earned him immortality as the definitive villain Mogambo. After that followed a long journey of cinematic tyranny, which tormented the best of heroes and Bollywood’s Mogambo was immensely pleased.

Did You Know? – Amrish Puri failed his first audition, after which he got a government job where he worked for 21 years.

Danny Denzongpa – Who would dare to take on Amitabh Bachchan, Rajnikanth and Sunny Deol? Apparently, Danny would. Tshering Phintso ‘Danny’Denzongpa has played some of the shrewdest and cold-hearted villains we have seen on Indian screens. As Bhaktawar, Kaatya and Kancha Cheena he reserved for himself one of the top spots among the all time baddies of the Hindi film industry. But becoming a Bollywood baddie was not always on his mind. In fact, it was quite the opposite. Danny wanted to join the defence forces and was chosen as the best cadet in West Bengal. Even after qualifying for the prestigious Armed Forces Medical College, Pune, he chose to join the Film and Television Institute of India and the rest, as they say, is history. With
his mean looks, no-nonsense attitude and a cold heart, Danny is one villain you do not want to mess around with.

Did You Know? – Danny is a talented musician and singer. In fact, some of his Nepali songs are big hits, even today.

Amjad Khan – It is said there are two sides of a coin, if one side is bad the other side will be good. But those who have seen Sholay, know that there are some coins with both sides the same, Gabbar is one such coin, bad on both sides. This is one character that grew so much larger than his reel life portrayal, that it became the identity of the man who played it. Amjad Khan’s performance as Gabbar Singh, the pure evil dacoit, was enough to carry him to the top spot of the best villains ever. After his phenomenal start, this gifted actor did plenty of negative roles, against the biggest stars of that era. With 17 years of theatre experience and acting in his blood, molding himself into different characters was not a problem for Amjad Khan, son of popular actor Jayant.

Did You Know? – Amjad Khan almost lost the role of Gabbar because the creators wanted someone with a bolder voice. Danny Denzongpa was the original choice for the role.

Ranjeet – Life is not easy when Ranjeet is around. Not just for the leading ladies who are often the target of his limitless randy performances, but for Ranjeet himself. With a record of over 300 on-screen rapes, his interaction with women in real life was not a happy affair for Ranjeet, for a long time. He played the role of a goon with such conviction and consistency that this image crossed-over to his real life, at least in the minds of the audience. He confesses to facing many awkward situations in social circles, where women were clearly trying to get away from him. But that was the trait which
made him one of the most memorable villains of all time. In his prime, whenever he was on-screen, he wasn’t the loyal husband or loving father he is, no sir, he was the badmash molester who always needed to snatch the girl away from the hero.

Did You Know? – In real life Ranjeet is a non-smoker and a non-drinker.

Lalita Pawar – If you think terrorizing souls is the job of muscle-heads and super villains with fancy gadgets, you don’t know anything about Lalita Pawar. Agreed that she didn’t melt henchmen in acid and keep a collection of sharks and crocodiles to feast on humans, but she could do much worse. By using her powers of taunt and blasphemy, she raised hell in many a home to bathe the helpless in torture all day long. During her illustrious
career of seven decades and over 700 Hindi and Marathi films, she tormented every pretty girl that dared to marry her son, whether it was Wahida Rehman, Asha Parekh, Nutan or Reena Roy, Lalita Pawar just didn’t care. Her superb acting skills and ability to change the mood of the scene in an instant, helped her gain an amazing screen presence. She single handedly took on the male dominated band of villains and proved that at being bad,
no one could beat the late Lalita Pawar, immortal as the wicked mother-in-law of Bollywood.

Did You Know? – Lalita Pawar was the leading lady in several films in her early twenties, before an onset accident gave her facial paralysis and eventually a defective left eye, which became her trademark later on.

Sumit Panwar is a freelance writer based in Mumbai