Rhiteek Chatterjee
10. Haasil (2003)
Marking the start of an era known as Irrfan Khan’s realism, Ranvijay Singh showcased the dirty politics which pollute the minds of young individuals.
Directed by Tigmanshu Dhulia, ‘Haasil’ is the life of the talented law-abiding college student Aniruddh, essayed by Jimmy Shergill, whose life completely spirals downwards when he gets embroiled in student politics.
The character goes through transgression which fuels off with his family’s brutal murder. Singh glacially transcends from a naïve and virtuous man to a broken and manipulative man who is set in parallel with the veteran Ashutosh Rana’s villainous Gauri Shankar Pandey and Shergill’s worthy Aniruddh. His offense feels a notch sour as it is discreet and resembles the tragic fall as compared to the authentically pure villain Pandey.
9. Sadak (1991)
Directed by Mahesh Bhatt, ‘Sadak’ is set against the backdrop of the murky business of prostitution, where a young taxi driver Ravi, essayed by Sanjay Dutt, falls in love with a woman forced into prostitution and has to battle with her pimp in order to free her. A product of Marathi theatre, Sadashiv Amrapurkar oozed out the unsettling perfection of a villain. Essaying the role of Maharani, a eunuch who runs the brothel, Amrapurkar helped the film catapult into success.
The character seems the most unassuming antagonist. Short and frail, he does not look like the classic villain of the late 80s. Instead, his performance is backed by the years of experience of being a theatre actor. Packed with punchy dialogues, body movements and expressions, Maharani was just haunting.
8. Sarfarosh (1999)
The 90s saw a rise in renowned actors essaying the antagonists. However, the character sketches were quite loud and extreme. Their portrayal exuded the extravagance of the classic “baddy”. With ‘Sarfarosh’, Indian cinema got introduced to the suave, sophisticated poetic Pakistani singer. The foundation of Shah’s character was built upon a strong conception of the mind. Written by John Matthew Matthan, the 1990 film portrays Indian police’s quest to stop cross-border terrorism. Releasing at the time of the Kargil conflict, it was the perfect timing for the film. The dynamic that Khan and Shah shared formed the character sketch of Gulfam Hassan. The power-packed patriotism and sense of duty of ACP Ajay Singh Rathod were challenged by the terrifying deviousness of Hassan. The film neither overexerts the intensity nor derails anywhere. The foundation is laid on an extremely well-crafted script. Themes of terrorism, crime and patriotism are dealt with composure and ease. The director took over seven years to research and it showed in the way the film dealt with smuggling of arms through the border and the how the police functions and undergoes the procedure. This intricate mapping essentially formed the demonic Hassan.
7. Dushman (1998)
Ashutosh Rana became the face of fear which never scarred audiences with his heinous portrayal of the sadistic rapist Gokul Pandit. Directed by Tanuja Chandra, ‘Dushman’ follows the struggles of Kajol’s Naina Sehgal, who goes on a hunt to find her twin sister’s rapist and murderer, who turns out to be the aforementioned satanic Gokul Pandit. A critical and commercial success, most critics and audience loved the performance of Rana. Devoid of any empathy whatsoever, Gokul layered character showcased his dexterity in imitating human emotions with striking manipulation. Gokul’s predatorial tendencies are layered with his timidity as a postman. The fact that Pandit’s lean and thin frame, combined with his rusty bicycle made him such an unassuming villain.
6. Darr (1993)
Regarded as one of the best works of the veteran director Yash Chopra, ‘Darr’ follows the lovely relationship between Sunny Deol’ Sunil Malhotra and Juhi Chawla’s Kiran Awasthi Malhotra, which is challenged by the obsessive love of Shah Rukh Khan’s Rahul.
‘Darr’ marked the start of the legacy created by Khan for breaking all restraints of the leading actor. Following his “Filmfare Award” winning performance in directing duo Abbas-Mustan’s ‘Baazigar’ (1993), Khan essays the role of Rahul Mehra, who is Kiran’s classmate in college. Mehra’s crush, although cute and seemingly harmless at first, becomes problematic when the crush turns into obsession. Through the course of the narrative, he transgression into his inner demons and slowly transforms into the “darr” he ultimately becomes. His casual stalking propels into murder and massacre. While Khan essayed the soft side of Rahul, who is swooned over by the charm of Kiran, the character glacially morphs into the maniacal lover.
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