If you go through the history of the villain culture in Bollywood, it has changed tremendously. The term villain was big in Bollywood industry in 70s and 80s. So, both Bollywood and Hollywood movies had the negative characters. But lately, this has changed in Bollywood. Starting from Pran, Prem Chopra and then moving on to actors like Amrish Puri and Gulshan Grover, the trend of presenting a really powerful villain in Hindi films started to fade with the heroes who themselves are playing characters with a grey tinge.
What made Shah Rukh Khan a star also pushed many producers to not go for established actors in negative roles as Khan’s success almost bridged the gap between the hero and the villain. They called it the arrival of the anti-hero. Prem Chopra, a popular villian in his own realm, goes back to the times when Salman Khan hadn’t popularised Prem as a romantic name. He was ‘Prem, Prem Chopra’ back then. Hindi films are incomplete without devils, and these guys are so bad that they are actually good. Read on as we take you through 16 of the most iconic villains still intact in our memories. Let’s take a look at the most famous Bollywood villains!
#1. Gabbar, Sholay (1975): This iconic character was played by Amjad Khan. And we are sure that no one could have done a better job with it. You’ll be surprised to know that the first choice for this role was Danny who didn’t have dates to shoot the film. Thus, Amjad was selected. It turned out to be the best decision ever because Sholay wouldn’t have been the same without Gabbar in it. Iconic dialogue: Yeh haath humko de de Thakur, Joh darr gaya samjho marr gaya , Holi kab hai, kab hai holi.
#2. Shakaal, Shaan (1980): Shakaal’s character, played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda, was inspired from the west. This villain was the epitome of coolness. He had his own island with sharks and crocodiles. And fancy gadgets too! He was wicked, but a sophisticated baddie. Though Shaan didn’t do well at the box-office, the audiences haven't forgotten Shakaal. Iconic Dialogue: Yeh zahreeli gas dheere dheere mehfil ko aur rangeen banati rahegi.
#3. Mogambo, Mr. India (1987): Believe it or not, one of the reasons Mr. India is still stuck in our heads is because of Mogambo, played by Amrish Puri. Mogambo was completely over the top with a strange costume, a stick and a throne surrounded by his loyalists. He became the very definition of evil. Mogambo was so bad that it made Mr. India (played by Anil Kapoor) a better hero!.Iconic dialogue: Mogambo khush hua.
#4. Lion, Kalicharan (also Teja) (1976): This character was played by Ajit. This guy was a suave, classy villain with an accent. His confident wrong pronunciation of the word ‘lion’ made him famous. Ajit also enacted the role of Teja, the guy with a golden wig, who is yet another negative character to remember. Iconic dialogue: Saara shahar mujhe lion ke naam se jaanta hai.
#5. Sir Juda, Karz: Sir Juda, played by Premnath, had no dialogues in the film, and even then he managed to leave an impact. It was amusing to see him give orders through a series of knocks. Not to forget, his right hand, played by Mac Mohan, translated whatever instruction he received. Premnath was commendable with his expressions and definitely one of the most unique villains in Bollywood.Iconic dialogue: Sir juda kehtey hain...
#6. Ranjeet: Played by Ranjeet himself, this was a guy with evil intentions. In fact, Ranjeet has committed almost 350 rapes on screen, which makes one wonder about Indian cinema. But that's a separate story. Can you imagine how bad this baddie was? Every time you’d hear a girl saying, 'Bhagwaan ke liye mujhe chod do.’ you’d know Ranjeet was around.
#7. Robert, Amar Akbar Anthony (1977): This character was played by Jeevan, who was the most common bad boy in the 60s and 70s. Robert was an over-the-top villain who is most remembered for his dialogue delivery. Jeevan excelled at all negative roles, the suave villain and the evil villager.
#8. Dr. Dang, Karma: This character was played by Anupam Kher and is definitely one of his best performances. He played an educated man who wants to use science to spread terrorism. Kher nails being wicked as hell, making Dr.Dang a memorable villain. Iconic dialogue: Iss thapad ki goonj suni tumne? Ab iss goonj ki goonj.
#9. Anna Seth in Parinda (1989): Anna Seth is a don. He owns an oil factory, to cover up his illegal activities. And what a fancy name for a gangster? He kills his own men mercilessly. It was sad to see him killing the hero (Anil Kapoor) and heroine (Madhuri Dixit) on their wedding night. What a heartless person?!
#10. Shyamlal, Tezaab (1988): Shyamlal is an ideal bad father and is one of the famous Bollywood villains. He makes his wife dance in bars and takes the money she earns. He’s a drunkard, kills his own wife. And then demands his daughter to follow in her mother’s footsteps. The worst evil father I have ever seen.