Rhiteek Chatterjee
5. Paresh Rawal
This is an interesting choice and the quite controversial one. Rawal has primarily been a comedic actor and has successfully established himself as one of the greatest. What people forget is his rise to prominence as an actor in the 90s. Back then he wasn’t just a comedic actor, but was an artist who could camouflage himself according to the requirements. Paresh Rawal’s Joker could be a weird and absurd amalgamation of sadistic humour and vicious persona. Although Rawal might not be suited for the newer incarnations of the wrathful character, he is certainly a perfect fit for the 1950s version – a goofy prankster.
4. Shah Rukh Khan
“How can Shah Rukh Khan be the Joker? Is the admin mad! This article is a piece of crap.”
This will be the reaction of most. The truth is that at the moment, SRK seems the last person viable for such a legendary villain. However, what we forget is his brief yet immensely successful stint playing the villain and the anti-hero. From 1993 to 1995, the “Baadshah” of Bollywood played some of the most despising characters. Shoving Shilpa Shetty off the terrace in ‘Baazigar’ (1993), creepily stalking Juhi Chawla’s Kiran Awasthi Malhotra in ‘Darr’ (1993) or single-handedly turning a nation against him as the heinous Vijay Agnihotri in ‘Anjaam’ (1994), the actor can be at his most animalistic self. It will be quite interesting to see what will the actor, through his year of experience bring to this character. One of the major criticisms the he has faced is his inclination towards “over-acting” and being “over-the-top”. However, if we dial back, actors such as Cesar Romero and Jack Nicholson successfully popularised the character through their “over-the-top” performance. The 51-year old actor has showcased his inner hideousness and devilish nature, and if he potentially brings back his charismatic persona, Khan might do wonders with the role.
3. Kay Kay Menon
Menon is probably the most underrated actor on this list. An actor who has kept himself away from commercial cinema, Joker would quite brilliantly establish his name on the map. Menon brings an unsettling realism to his performances, applying his experiences in life and career in every film. His act as Khurram Meer, the disquieting traitor was met with immense appreciation from audience and critics alike. One of the primary and maybe the strongest characteristics of the face smeared lunatic is his psychological warfare which is the unstoppable force. Kay Kay, like the Joker has a masterful hold on grasping the human psyche. In is venture as the young Prime Minister in Ketan Mehta’s T.V. series Pradhan Mantri (2001), critics lauded his take on the mental imagery of the character. He again showcased his prowess in understanding the mental utilities as the frustrated and morally corrupt Vishnu Nagre in Ram Gopal Verma’s ‘Sarkar’ (2005). Playing the Joker would certainly be cemented has Kay Kay’s most bizarre yet brilliant performances.
2. Irrfan Khan
Like Kay Kay Menon, Irrfan Khan too has mastered the conversational form of acting. Be it pure indie flicks or commercial cinema, Khan just doesn’t seem to move away from his red-hot form. And that is good as the actor manages to adapt like a chameleon in any role. What makes Khan such a perfect expectation is that no matter which role he enacts, all seems mundane and natural. Perhaps what makes the Joker such a menacing and terrifying entity is that his manipulative mind-set is warped in a scheming spoken masterfulness. With him, his hazardous ideas and ideologies seem justified. Perhaps this is the reason why Khan looks so fitting in the maniacal menace’s role. He terrified the audience with his quite peril in ‘The Killer’ (2006) and made us question the sense of a man’s most terrifying animalistic tendencies as Wasiullah Khan in ‘7 Khoon Maaf’ (2011). Irrfan Khan is a dominant figure in portraying a manipulative mind and will surely take the Joker to another level.
1. Ashutosh Rana
Ashutosh Rana has shown his caliber to play negative characters with exceptional authority in several films. His act in ‘Sangarsh’, and then in ‘Dushman’ are stuff made of legend. Therefore, it is but obvious that someone like Rana would play the role of the Joker with amazing dexterity. He hasn’t been very active in a while, but we all know how capable he is.
