Antagonists who overshadowed the protagonists in Bollywood

What is a Bollywood film without an antagonist in it? There have been several actors who stepped into the role of villains in films but very few have been able to leave a mark with their characters in the history of Indian cinema. Here is a list of antagonists/villains who nailed their characters with such perfection that they even overshadowed the protagonist in the film. Scroll down to know them and their characters:

Considered as one of the iconic films of Bollywood, Ramesh Sippy's 1975 blockbuster 'Sholay' is still touted as the best film by many. Although the film boasted of a stellar star cast comprising of Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Sanjeev Kumar, Hema Malini, Jaya Bhaduri and Asrani, the one that stole the show was Amjad Khan with his portrayal of Gabbar Singh. His dialogue 'Kitne aadmi the?' still echoes in everyone's mind and reminds us of the film. His character was a real masterpiece which overshadowed the likes of Amitabh and Dharmendra in the film.

Anil Kapoor and Sridevi's 1987 fiction thriller film 'Mr. India' which is helmed by Shekhar Kapur, is one iconic film which was the highest earner of the year and remains as a classic cult in the cinematic history of Bollywood. Apart from Sridevi's 'Hawa Hawaii' performance and Anil's stellar acting, Amrish Puri stole all the limelight with his menacing act as Mogambo. 'Mogambo khush hua' is one of the most famous dialogues of Bollywood and his character too is touted as one of the best antagonists in Bollywood's history.

After much hassle, Sanjay Leela Bhansali's ‘Padmaavat' not only released successfully but also broke several records at the box-office and the actors were showered with praise for their stellar performances. But the one who stole the show in the magnum opus was Ranveer Singh, who left no stone unturned to ace the role of the gruesome Alauddin Khilji. The entire nation was mesmerised with his antagonistic act and his role is considered as one of the best in the history of Bollywood till date. To perfect his character on-screen, Ranveer had literally immersed himself in the character of Khilji so much so that he was affected by it on a personal level too.

Ram Gopal Varma's critically acclaimed 1998 crime film 'Satya' which starred south star J. D. Chakravarthy, Manoj Bajpayee and Urmila Matondkar, was a commercial hit but it even opened up the doors of fame for Manoj in Bollywood. Manoj, who has essayed several negative roles in his career, made his mark in Bollywood with his character portrayal of Bhiku Mhatre. He was flooded with praise for his this character and he even went on to win the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Actor for the film.

Known as the King of Romance, Shah Rukh Khan donned the hat of an obsessive lover in 'Darr' and nailed it to perfection. So much so, that even the lead characters of the film, Sunny Deol and Juhi Chawla were completely overshadowed by Shah Rukh's breathtaking performance. The critics, as well as the audience, hailed his performance and he even won several accolades for his character of Rahul Mehra.

Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of William Shakespeare's 'Othello' changed the chocolate boy image of Saif Ali Khan altogether. The film which also featured Ajay Devgn, Vivek Oberoi, Kareena Kapoor Khan, Bipasha Basu and Naseeruddin Shah, won several National and International awards. But what remained as the talking point of the film was Saif's character of Ishwar 'Langda' Tyagi. His character was so perilous that it even overshadowed the other characters in the film which even included the protagonist.

Apoorva Lakhia's 2007 crime action multi-starrer flick 'Shootout at Lokhandwala' which was based on a real-life gun battle between gangsters and Mumbai Police, was the movie which salvaged Vivek Oberoi's failing career. His portrayal of a gangster was so perilous that even the likes of Amitabh Bachchan, Sanjay Dutt and Suniel Shetty were overshadowed. Apart from the praise from the critics as well as the audience, Vivek's effortless display of acting was so good that his character became the talking point of the film and gave his dipping career a new high.

Known for his perfection, Hrithik Roshan donned the character of Aryan aka Mr. 'A', a professional thief and nailed it with utmost perfection so much so that his grey character too was loved by the audience and the critics. Given his killer looks and chiselled body, Hrithik's smart antagonistic character raised the bar to an altogether new level. His dance moves and chemistry with Aishwarya Rai Bachchan surely upped the temperature on-screen.