Reel life baddies! There was a time when a hero, heroine, a villain and a comedian used to be the
only constituents for a super-duper
bollywood flick. If to add zing and punch there were comedians like Jhony Walker and Mehmood, then obviously to cater grey shades of life there were baddies like Gabar Singh and Mogambo. But it seems just where the Bollywood dropped this hit formula of
villains; television soaps picked it as vamps.
Gone are the days and such era visibly faded when the quintessential villain was a must in every Bollywood flick. Established actors like Amjad Khan, Amarish Puri, Pran made characters like Gabbar Singh, Mogambo more popular than the heroes themselves. In fact, the movies then used to be more popular and hit because of their villains. “Very true. Even scriptwriters then used to pen down dialogues giving each villain a distinct style, swagger and accent. But times have surely changed in Bollywood!” says Rohit Jugraj, director of just released James.
Today, the watertight dichotomy has totally vanished and the stereotype good guys are also playing the villain. For instance, in Baazigar, Shah Rukh Khan played the anti-hero. So where have the typical villains of Bollywood disappeared? And to the contrary, in tele serials the whole story revolves around their distinctive vamps. No matter if its Komollika or Mohini, they simply woo the viewers with their colourful style and attitude. Shweta Kitwani who used to act as Anu in Des Mein Nikla Hoga Chand says, “Alike villains in movies, vamps are the hit formula for tele serials. In fact the serials are no more the same as they used to be years back. Even vamps are given equal credit as the main character. I won’t be wrong to say that their character is all the more vibrant and lively. So what’s the harm?”
Zakir Hussain, who played Rasheed in James agrees that the prototype villain is slowly disappearing as characters are becoming more and more realistic. "Nobody is just a evil person. Everyone has shades of grey. As cinema becomes more and more realistic, the concept of villains will surely undergo a sea change. Earlier heroes would shy away from playing the stereotype villain as they were image conscious. But now the actors are ready to experiment with different kinds of roles," says Zakir.
May be with passing times Bollywood scripts are also changing and becoming more realistic. Manoj Mishra, an actor says, "No one is writing scripts with characters like Gabbar Singh and Mogambo who could set the screen on fire. Though heroes are playing the villain or characters with shades of grey, they haven't made a bang like the yesteryear villains."