Bollywood’s iconic bad men
Reviewed by Manmeet Sodhi

Bollywood Baddies: Villains, Vamps and Henchmen in Hindi Cinema"
By Tapan Ghosh Sage Publication. Pages 213. Rs 395

Tapan Ghosh’s Bollywood Baddies is a comprehensive account of the overlooked dimensions of villainy in Indian cinema. The book crafts an ode to the talented actors who set new trends with their on-screen wickedness, the menacing looks, the evil grins and the venomous one-liners, in a productive study of villains’ school.

Tracing the socio-political journey of the baddies in the film history, the book offers a refreshing insight of these legends: Pran, with his trademark sneer; Prem Chopra's famous line, "Prem naam hai mera," added a new dimension to the annals of villiany; Ajit immortalised the suave villain with his classic style and distinctive accent in which he introduced himself,"Saara shehar mujhe lion ke name se jaanta hai." Ajit was known for his memorable signature dialogues such as, "Mona darling", "Lilly don't be silly", "Smart boy etc".; Lalita Pawar was the archetypal wicked mother-in-law of Bollywood. She essayed the role so perfectly that in real life any 'bad' mother-in-law is still termed Lalita Pawar!; Amrish Puri terrorised everyone with his eccentric looks, eerie laugh and spouting dialogues when he said, "Mogambo Khush Hua", in the film Mr India; Amjad Khan as iconic Gabbar Singh, a rural dacoit, in Sholay is the most legendary negative character in the Hindi Cinema till date. Gabbar Singh has immortal dialogues to his credit and who can forget, "Aare Oh samba Kithne aadmi thei"; Anupam Kher as Dr Dang in Karma brought an ample dose of sophistication to the breed of villains.

But these larger-than-life characters are getting rarer now in new age cinema and somehow the lines between the hero and the villain are blurring. Breaking the clich`E9, the heroes have started playing the roles of villains possibly to explore the other side of the personality. Shah Rukh Khan’s role as obsessive lover in the film Darr started the trend of anti hero in Indian film industry. The heroines of contemporary cinema have also usurped the seductive functions of vamps, articulating themselves as the objects of social desire. This trend has posed a threat to the relevance of reel-life villains. Giving fresh insights, the book is extensively researched, well organised and, a much-needed contribution to the ongoing scholarship in the field of film, media and cultural studies.

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