It was always the hero who got the girl. It was always the good guy whose posters were put up in bedrooms. But then there’s the guy in the shadows. The villain looks suave, his character is kept hidden, his name is a mystery. The bad guy is now almost as important as the protagonist. Koimoi.com looks at the rising importance of the villain in Bollywood today…

Ra.One

Arjun Rampal in Ra.One
Arjun Rampal in Ra.One

Shah Rukh Khan’s magnum opus, Ra.One, derived its name from the villain of the movie. Not only that, the entire movie was based around the fact that the villain was more powerful than the hero! While Shah Rukh Khan’s look in Ra.One was all over the place (on posters, games, graphic novels, toys), Arjun Rampal, who played the title role was the surprise package. His look in the film wasn’t revealed till the end.

Ghajini

Pradeep Rawat in Ghajini
Pradeep Rawat in Ghajini

Shah Rukh Khan wasn’t the pioneer in naming the movie on the villain. Before him it was Aamir Khan’s film Ghajini which was named after the antihero (played by Pradeep Rawat). Yes, the Ghajini villain name is Pradeep Rawat.

Don 2

Shah Rukh Khan in Don 2
Shah Rukh Khan in Don 2

Not only was the film named after the “bad guy”, you even rooted for Shah Rukh Khan. SRK’s character wasn’t exactly the typical hero, but then even Amitabh Bachchan managed to make you root for the Don in his original!

Dhoom Series

John Abraham in Dhoom & Hrithik Roshan in Dhoom 2
John Abraham in Dhoom & Hrithik Roshan in Dhoom 2

Fast bikes, hot babes, a super-hot villain, a straight faced cop and a goofy sidekick. This has been the basic formula for all the films of the Dhoom franchisee so far. And while Abhichek Bachchan and Uday Chopra are static through the movies, we’ve got some yummy blackguards like John Abraham (Dhoom), Hrithik Roshan (Dhoom 2) and Aamir Khan (Dhoom: 3).

Khal Nayak

Sanjay Dutt in Khalnayak
Sanjay Dutt in Khal Nayak

Sanjay Dutt Khal Nayak cannot go unmentioned here. Not only did Sanju baba do an excellent job of playing the whimsical baddie, the movie had some memorable songs too!

Have any more to add to the list? Tell us!

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