Bollywood’s 10 most iconic, sinister villains

“Yeh haath hum ko de de Thakur,” few actors could deliver this as terrifyingly brilliant as the great Amjad Khan, himself. Close to 45 years since Sholay, Gabbar Singh, the character portrayed by Khan, lives on as amongst the biggest bad guys ever. Born in Peshawar in 1940, Khan entered films at the age of 11. However, it was Sholay that gave him his career’s biggest hit. In an interview, Khan’s son Shadaab Khan speaks about how, while his father was happy with the huge success that Sholay met with, he regretted the fact that it outshone everything else Khan did in life. “I started at 25 floors and couldn't go any higher because I had started too high,” Khan once said. Apart from Sholay, Khan is known for his role in the 1977 Inkaar, where he plays a kidnapper, as Dilawar in Mukkadar Ka Sikkandar (1978), Ranjit Singh in Satte Pe Satta (1982) and in the critically acclaimed Shatranj Ke Khilari by director Satyajit Ray, where he plays Wajid Ali Shah, King of Awadh.

Born Omkar Nath Dhar, Jeevan ran away from home at the age of 18. He came to Bombay with just Rs 26 in his pocket, to pursue his dream of becoming an actor – something that his grandfather, the Governor of Gilgit, in Gilgit-Baltistan, looked down upon. His decision paid off, however, as Jeevan went on to become one of the most feared bad guys of the 60s and 70s. Jeevan was known for his versatility in playing villain roles – he could play the rural, village villain, and the urban, suave villain with equal ease. Robert in Amar Akbar Anthony and Heera in Johny Mera Naam are among his most memorable roles.

Prem Krishan Sikhand’s gentlemanly, yet scheming looks, kohl-rimmed eyes, cigarette dangling from his mouth and menacing tone were enough to send a shiver down any movie goer’s spine. Pran, as he is better known as, started his acting career, playing Sita in a Ramlila production in Shimla. On screen, he played the hero, before shifting to playing the villain, reportedly because he hated to dance. As a villain, Pran made such a significant impact in his films, that he was reportedly paid more than the hero and was also one among the few actors for whom roles used to be specially written. He was best known for his characters in films such as Jis Desh Mein Ganga Behti Hai (1960) and Ram Aur Shyam (1967) and Purab Aur Pashchim (1970), Zanjeer (1973), Don (1978) and Amar Akbar Anthony (1977).

It was while watching Prithviraj Kapoor, who was his father's cousin, in the 1934 film Daku Mansoor that Prem Nath decided to pursue acting. Angered by his wish to become an actor, Nath's father sent him off to the Indian States Forces Military Training School. Not one to see his dreams fly by though, Nath left nine months later, boarded a train to Mumbai, and landed up in the Kapoor household. While Nath started off by doing side roles and hero roles, by the late 1950s, as his popularity waned off, Nath reinvented himself as a villain. Among his memorable scenes as a villain is a strip tease number featuring Padma Khanna in the song Husn ke Lakhon, from the movie Johny Mera Naam (1970), and as a villain in Vijay Anand’s “Teesri Manzil” (1966).

The swag with which he said, “Mona Darling” and “Lilly don’t be silly,” endeared Bollywood’s bad boss Hamid Ali Khan, aka Ajit, to the masses. As Teja from Zanjeer, he changed the way villains were perceived and showed that villains could be soft-spoken, cool and suave as well. Ajit’s “Saara shahar mujhe Loin ke naam se janta hai,” has been the inspiration for jokes, across the decades. The actor has also inspired tag lines for products such as Maggi’s, ‘Bass, pass the saas.”

Prem Chopra set out to be a hero. While he did succeed in Punjabi films, the Bollywood films where he played the lead role, did not do well. His loss was filmdom’s gain, though, as Prem Chopra went on to become one of Bollywood’s most iconic villains. In fact, his onscreen image succeeded so well that, as per an interview, men used to hide their wives as soon as they would see him. Among his most memorable roles is that of Prem Chopra in Bobby. The veteran actor instilled much hatred and fear in the audience each time he came on screen to portray the sneering villain in the cult film, and as he delivered the punchline, “Prem Naam hei Mera, Prem Chopra.” Upkaar (1967), Dostaana (1980) and Souten (1983) are other films he has acted in.

Sunil Dutt gave Sunil Sikanderlal Kapoor his big break as the bad guy in the film Rocky, and the name that we all know him by – Shakti Kapoor. He went on to act in films such as Himmatwala and Qurbani, which further established his image as the quintessential bad guy. However, it was his role as Crime Master Gogo in Andaz Apna Apna that made Kapoor one of the funniest villains In Bollywood. His dialogue in the film, “Crime Master Gogo naam hai Mera. Aakhen nikaal kar gotiyan khelta hu main gotiyan,” is considered as one of the most hilarious dialogues in the film. In the 90’s, Kapoor proved that he could be equally successful and sought after in comedy as well. The villain/comedian has worked in around 700 films in his 45-year- long career.

Bad Man Gulshan Grover proved his detractors wrong when they told him that he would not be successful in Bollywood because of his height and looks. Grover established himself as an actor and villain par excellence, and was among the first to make the transition from Bollywood to Hollywood and other international cinema. Grover was also, as he has said in an interview, amongst the last in the era of the specialised villains, often playing the don/mobster to perfection. Amongst his most memorable dialogues is, "Maaya, teri toh main palat dunga kaaya” from the film Khiladiyon Ka Khiladi, where he plays King Don. The actor has worked in over 400 films.