Darr catapulted Shah Rukh Khan to stardom.
The trend of leading stars playing the role of antagonists is not new in Bollywood and many stalwarts have performed brilliantly.
In cinema, not just the protagonists but sometimes the characters with negative shade also leave a lasting impact on the audience. Whether it’s an iconic dialogue delivery, an evil laugh or a fierce avatar, fans do get hooked on their performances. Be it Ritesh Deshmukh in Ek Villain, Vivek Oberoi in Krrish 3 or Sonu Sood in Singham, it is fun to watch the lead actors as antagonists.
Shah Rukh Khan (Darr-1993)
It is a well-known fact that Shah Rukh Khan always wanted to play negative roles. SRK cemented himself as an actor after he played the role of Rahul Mishra in Darr. His performance in the film stunned the audience and also set a benchmark for all villains to be written in Indian cinema. Even after all his brilliant roles, Rahul from Darr is one of the commendable characters.
Sanjay Dutt (Agneepath-2012)
The bald look with puffy eyes and the scariest wicked smile of Sanjay Dutt is what a villain ever needed. From his expressions to dialogue delivery, the actor made the character of Kancha Cheena dear to us. The film also cemented his place as an antagonist. Sanjay Dutt was later seen as a negative character in the likes of KGF: Chapter 2.
Ranveer Singh (Padmavat- 2018)
From Bajirao to Khilji, Ranveer Singh’s transformation was commendable. Alauddin Khilji was a tyrant, manipulator and ambitious king who wanted to rule the world and Ranveer aptly delivered it. From his critically-acclaimed acting to his breathtaking appearance in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s directorial made us get scared as well as impressed with him.
Vijay Varma (Darlings-2022)
Alia Bhatt and Shefali Shah starrer Darlings have won several hearts. But Vijay Varma as Hamza left an impact on the minds of the audience with his cruel, brutal and manipulative character. His character may be hated but it is Vijay’s acting mettle that kept us connected to the screens.
John Abraham (Pathaan-2023)
John Abraham is loved by all with his on-screen presence as a cop but his performance in Pathaan as Jim made us want to see him in negative roles more. The character who went rogue with the Indian army due to his loss was rightly portrayed by John. The character had his motive and reason to be a villain in the film. This was yet another memorable role in a negative character for John Abraham after Kabir (Dhoom) and Armaan Malik (Race 2).
