Legendary Bollywood Villains

There have been some movies in bollywood that have been better known for its villains and their trade mark comic dialogues that have been repeated over and over again for generations after. And these characters have become larger than life bollywood icons. With their gaudy clothes, flashy wigs and corny dialogues, who wouldn’t remember Loyan, Gabbar or Pran? So this blog is for the good old bollywood that has for so many years entertained us, shaped our lives in just more than one way and has endured all our criticism silently. Bollywood is perhaps the most dynamic industry constantly changing, evolving and growing. I have grown up watching these bollywood badies and even today I like them just as much.

Gabbar Singh of Sholay

‘Pachas pachas kos door gaon mein jab bachcha raat ko rota hai to maa kahti hai beta soja ..soja nahin to Gabbar Singh aa jaayega’ booms Gabbar’s voice and the place rings with his manic laughter, his tobacco-stained teeth and the trademark ferocity showing. No one could have done it better than Amjed Khan. And Gabbar is by far Bollywood’s best villain. He is unarguably the most legendary character of tinsel world. ‘Aare Oh samba Kithne aadmi thei?’ Gabbar Singh went on to become the movie’s most memorable character. Post this Amjad Khan appeared in advertisements as Gabbar Singh endorsing Britannia biscuits, and it was the first incidence of a villain being used to sell a popular product.

Mogambo of Mr. India

He is my all time favourite comic-book-villain. The audiences were thrilled every time Amrish Puri glared down at them with his fiercely bulbous eyes sporting an atrocious blond wig and garish knee high silver heeled boots. They came back again and again to hear him mouth possibly the most repeated line of Hindi cinema (post 80s), ‘Mogambo khush hua’. Mogambo has carved a niche for himself amongst Bollywood’s most classic villains.

(Lion) of Kalicharan

‘Sara shehar mujhe Loyan (Lion) ke naam se janata hai’ Lion found ample support in his overly made-up sexy assistant, Mona. Together they epitomized the ‘smuggler villain’ and his dumb-but-sexy moll of the 70s and delighted us by making a complete mockery of their mean act. He always played the suave smuggler with his typical nasal twang drawl of ‘Mona Darling’ and with his comic threat like ‘is ko liquid oxygen me duba do. Liquid ise jine nahin dega aur oxygen ise marne nahin dega’. His liking for names like Michael, Robert, Peter and Lilly is almost legendry. My favourite has got to be ‘Lilly don’t be silly’

Chopra of Bobby

‘Prem naam hain mera. Prem Chopra’ and a chill runs down your spine as he menacingly looks on. This famous line from the film Bobby gave him his ticket to Bollywood Hall of Fame.

These are my all time favourites. Gulshan Grover, Pran, Kulbhushan Kharbanda who played Shakal in Ramesh Sippey’s Shaan, and Danny Denzongpa of the Burning Train came a close second. In the more recent times there is Kkkkkkiran (Sharukh Khan) of Darr and Bhiku Matre (Manoj Bajpai) of Sathya who are also pretty memorable characters.

Over the years peoples’ tastes have changed, so has the industry. The newer villains are stylish slick and plain cold blooded. Its hard imagining Hrithik, Abharam John wearing garish clothes and delivering semi comical dialogues. I wouldn’t even remember them a fewer years down the lane unlike Gabbar who’ll live forever.