All of us desire to be in the good books, from a boyfriend to a politician. No one wants to be in bad books or admit their bad deeds. True that!
But films are a different ball game; a movie cannot be made with good characters only. We need the bad guys to elevate the good guys. Some start as villains and end up as great villains. Some start as villains, just keep raping, smuggling some unknown white packets and murdering whomever the director tells them to. Some start as villains and end as comic actors. But rarely do some actors start as villains and manage to become a HERO.
They have the best time compared to others. They have satisfied themselves in playing negative roles, which if you are a born hero in India, is a tough thing to do. Fans oppukoru kada!
Yet commendable actors have managed to crack the odds and still shine as heroes. Here’s a list:
CHIRANJEEVI
Though he started off with lead roles, for a while Chiru was playing the antagonist in films like Idi Katha Kaadu, Mosagadu etc., and he did it quite convincingly. Once he became the hero with lead roles in films like Khaidi, he never looked back, and started beating up his ex-colleagues – the villains – quite badly. It actually got him immense fame which at a point surpassed Amitabh and Rajni Kanth. Now why would you go back and play a villain when you become an Idol/God.
SRIKANTH
The now soft and simple guy who seems like our smart uncle in the next flat, also started off as a villain in movies like President Gari Pellam, Varasudu etc. He too tried in few lead roles and got a break with Taj Mahal produced by Ramanaidu. However his leading lady in that film, Monica Bedi took this away from him and went on to become Abu Salem’s girlfriend.
GOPI CHAND
Though he debuted with a movie that only the cast and crew of the movie might have watched, he shot to instant fame with his ruthless villain acts in Jayam, Nijam and Varsham. He would have done great if he continued as one. But, probably he was missing out on songs and screen-time. He moved back to being a hero with the fame he gathered and continues to release films as a hero.
SRI HARI
He came into the industry as a fighter, playing villain and comic-villain roles in movies like Allari Priyudu, Mutha Mestri, Dharma Ksetram etc. As he did more and more films, he carved a niche for himself as a character artist. Fans still miss his powerful dialogues and blood-shot eyes. And that heart-wrenching scream as he raised his hands at the villain! RIP.
MOHAN BABU
The versatile actor started his career as a villain with movies like Alluri Sitaramaraju, Padhaharella Vayasu, Kondaveti Donga etc. But once he tasted success as a good guy, he didn’t take up too many negative roles. He truly was more convincing when he held the ‘bad boy’ tag. In fact, most fans still believe his best performances were as a villain.
JD CHAKRAVARTHY
When Shiva happened in 1989, it changed the fortunes of quite a few people. JD Chakravarthy was one of them. Playing the lecherous student in college who regularly bullies and harasses people, JD’s role set the penchant for college villain roles for the entire decade later. With his mentor’s advice, JD went ahead and carved his name as a hero. He is probably the only hero we had with a beard, earning him the moniker – ‘Gaddam Chakravarthy’.
Krishnam Raju too was another conversion who actually got the ‘glamourous villain’ quotient to the scene. With social elements in movies, he got rebellious and further became a ‘Rebel Star’ of the industry.
Is there any actor that we missed out.
Do you think the above actors were able to convince you as good men, after playing villains? What do you think? Do let us know in the comments below. ☺
