They say that a hero is only as good as his Villain, and we agree, a great villain is crucial to any story, as it gives the hero a purpose, and the satisfaction of finally seeing the Villain being overpowered after multiple failed attempts are unmatched, Bollywood has seen its fair share of great villains, who have terrorized the hearts of many people and have gone on to get a legendary status, we have made a list of the Top Bollywood Villains.
Here are Top 10 Bollywood Villains of All Time
Gabbar – Sholay (Amjad Khan)
Perhaps the greatest villain we’ve ever seen is Gabbar, his famous dialogue “Kitne aadmi the?” still sends shivers down the spine of anyone listening, maybe this is the reason why Gabbar is still relevant even after 45 years that we first saw him on the silver screen, Amjad Khan in his portrayal of Gabbar Singh was perfect, he was ruthless, scary and most of all, entertaining to watch.
Mogambo – Mr India (Amrish Puri)
Amrish Puri is one of India’s most popular and loved villains, he has received a lot of praise by several critics, even from Hollywood, but perhaps he is best known for his portrayal of Mogambo in the film, Mr India, him impactful screen presence and iconic dialogues like “Mogambo khush hua” has made one of the best villains that we’ve seen, Mogambo is a retired Army General who is extremely clever and strict, this is showcased as all his guard are supposed to greet him with ‘Hail Mogambo!’ Mogambo is as brutal as they come, he planted bombs in toys targeting innocent kids, and threw people in acid, Amrish puri does a fantastic job of nailing the character, I don’t think anyone can think of the character without Amrish Puri’s scary voice playing in our head.
Its often said that one of the main characteristics of a great villain is to make the audience dislike him and hate him, and if that’s the case, there’s no better character then Ramadhir Singh, Tigmanshu Dhulai portrays the role of Ramadhit Singh who is an upcoming politician, present in both the parts of the movie, Ramadhit is the main antagonist of the series and almost kills all the main protagonists. Brilliant acting performance and iconic dialogues like “Beta, tumsey na ho payega” makes Ramadhir Singh one of the most terrifying villains.
“Prem naam hai mera, Prem Chopra“is one of the most iconic lines in the Hindi Film industry, and it immortalized Prem Nath in the history of Hindi cinema, The film Bobby became a trend-setter. It was wildly popular and was imitated by several other films. It introduced to Bollywood the genre of teenage romance with a rich-versus-poor clash as a backdrop. Numerous films in the following years and decades have tried to replicate this formula, but none hold a candle to this gem. Prem stole the spotlight in the movie with his portrayal of a rich businessman, who is cocky, evil and arrogant, if you’ve not seen this movie, stop whatever you’re doing and watch it right now.
The main antagonist of the 2012 Indian film Agneepath, Kancha Cheena Angeepath portrayed by Sanjay Dutt definitely deserves a spot in our list of the Top Bollywood Villains, Kancha is local drug runner in streets of Mumbai, who emerges to the top and becomes the drug kingpin, he is obsessed with the Bhagavad Gita and the Ramayana, and is responsible for the death of our protagonist’s father, Sanjay Dutt’s bald and threating look makes him look extremely dangerous and adds a sense of eerie to the film, he is calm and composed, but is ruthless and is willing to do everything in his power to control the entire state.
At the time of release, we had never seen a character like Shakaal, Kulbhushan Kharbanda’s portrayal of Shakaal was a breath of fresh air, inspired from the west, Shakaal had a tragic back story which gave depth to his character, he had deadly gadgets at his disposal and fed his enemies to sharks, making him terrifying, Shakaal kept quiet most of the time, but when he spoke, he meant business, all of this helped in giving Shakaal a legendary status in the list of villains, despite the film not doing that great at the box office.
Alauddin Khilji – Padmaavat (Ranveer Singh)
The portrayal of the menacing ruler Alauddin Khilji by Ranveer Singh in the Movie Padmavat is described as one of the darkest and disturbing roles that we’ve ever seen, though we’ve already seen some iconic villains in the past, Ranveer’s portrayal is completely unique, and he delivers a powerful and unforgettable performance which won’t be topped anytime soon, Khilji is a ruthless leader who does not understand the concept of mercy, Ranveer’s portrayal is realistic and believable, it was reported that Ranveer had to lock himself in a room for 21 days to play the role of Khilji, and that he had to consult a psychiatrist to get out of the character.
Ashutosh Rana’s portrayal as Gokul Pandit in the psychological thriller film Dushman is described as one of the scariest portrayals of any villain, Gokul pandit is a dangerous cold-blooded murderer, a sadist and a rapist, Ashutosh Rana nails the character perfectly and delivers a masterful performance, Gokul Pandit is evil, psychotic and dangerous, he was so terrifying that women began becoming afraid of postmen after the film.
Dr. Dang – Karma (Anupam Kher)
Dr Dang is certainly a doctor that you wouldn’t want checking up on you for sure, Portrayed by Anupam Kher in the action film Karma, Dr Dang is a dangerous villain in the disguise of a doctor. “Rana Vishwa Pratap Singh, Is Thappad ki goonj suni tumne? Ab is goonj ki goonj tumhe sunai degi, Zindagi bhar sunai degi.” The film launched Anupam Kher into stardom, and Karma remains a turning point in his career, with his portrayal of Dr Dang, we were introduced to a new type of villain, one who is smart and terrifying.
One of the scariest films of our childhoods, Makdi was the reason, why many of us couldn’t sleep properly at night, the terrifying sight of the witch crawling up behind you and turning you into an animal was enough to strike fear in the hearts of any child, Shabana Azmi almost looks unrecognizable in her portrayal of the witch, she is scary, deadly and merciless, and will probably go down in the history books as one the scariest villains.
