Meet film directors who turned baddies

Anurag Kashyap is the new millennium pioneer of offbeat Hindi films. After a considerable period as filmmaker, he showed a shade of his acting talent in a chocolate advertisement and Vikramaditya Motwane’s debut, Udaan. But when the trailer of AR Murugadoss’s Akira was released, his act as a ruthless villain took his admirers completely by surprise. In fact, he made heads turn as much as the main lead, Sonakshi Sinha. Akira released on 2 September.

Now, this came as something of a shock, though a pleasant one. Karan Johar is known for directing and producing light-hearted family entertainers. But more than his association with a filmmaker like Anurag Kashyap, what surprised everyone was that he played main villain in Bombay Velvet (2015), that too convincingly. The scene where he criticises Ranbir Kapoor’s character while giving a hint of his homosexuality is unforgettable.

If you think of Anurag Kashyap’s Gangs Of Wasseypur (2012), one of the first things you remember is Tigmanshu Dhulia’s dialogue, “Beta, tumse na ho payega. Humein tumhare lakshan bilkul theek nahin lag rahe.” His act as Ramadhir Singh made it loud and clear that when it comes to playing realistic characters, he doesn’t lag behind in any way. His is the only character that played a big role in both parts of Gangs Of Wasseypur.

This was yet another surprise move by a Hindi film director. Nishikant Kamat had played an important role in Prawaal Raman’s 404. But not many expected him to play the main baddie in his own fick, Rocky Handsome. His bald look with hardly any eyebrows turned out to be another surprise since he was hardly recognisable. 

Tinu Verma is known as the director of the Sunny Deol-starrer Maa Tujhe Salaam (2002). But not many people remember that he also played the villain in the film. There are two reasons for this – the film didn’t receive a thumbs up from viewers and Verma’s performance didn’t impress much. He was also the bad guy in Mela (2000) starring Aamir Khan, his now-estranged brother Faisal Khan and Twinkle Khanna. That film, too, was panned by critics and bombed at the box office.

Mahesh Manjrekar started off as a theatre director and actor. But his antics as villain didn’t come as a surprise as it was evident from his manner of speaking that he could make an excellent baddie. Although his first stint as an actor came in his own film Ehsaas – The Feeling (2001), it was in Kaante (2002) that he first played a character with negative intentions and impressed viewers. His other notable villainous acts included Run (2004), Musafir (2004), and Slumdog Millionaire (2008). 

Amole Gupte earned accolades for his work as a writer on Aamir Khan’s directorial debut Taare Zameen Par (2007), which was originally to be directed by Gupte. So, it was expected of him to don the hat of director soon. But he surprised everyone by appearing as the villain in Vishal Bhardwaj’s Kaminey (2009). His act as the gangster Bhope Bhau is remembered also for the undertone of comedy he created while playing a villain. Gupte also played the main villain in Singham Returns (2014).