Robin Bhuyan
In Hindi cinema, there would be many villains who have overshadowed the lead characters or the heroes of their films, and one notable example is Amjad Khan’s portrayal of Gabbar Singh in Sholay, which became one of the most popular and iconic villains of Indian cinema. SRK’s performance in Darr is another example. However, here, we are going to take a list of villains who despite performing better than the heroes and stealing the show, did not get the appreciation they deserved!
Chetan Pandit in Chakravyuh
In Prakash Jha’s political thriller Chakravyuh, Chetan Pandit plays the role of Inspector Madhav Rao, a corrupt cop who loves to beat up and torture anyone who opposes him. His character is shown to be so heinous, that it might even make your blood boil!
Vidyut Jammwal in Force
Force was Vidyut Jammwal’s debut in the Hindi film industry. His portrayal of a ruthless drug dealer who is going to stop at nothing to reach his goal earned him quite the appreciation. He went on to receive the Filmfare Award for Best Debut Actor.
Aanchal Singh in Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhen 
Actress Aanchal Singh plays the female version of SRK in Darr, in the Netflix series Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhen and her performance is definitely unique and terrifying at the same time. She plays the role of a young woman who is obsessed with her childhood crush Vikrant, and is willing to go to any lengths to make him hers. What makes it scary is that the entire system is in her control, due to her father being a rich and highly influential political leader. Driven by the philosophy of everything being fair in love and war, she is willing to let nobody come between her and Vikrant.
Riteish Deshmukh in Ek Villain
Although Riteish Deshmukh is known for his comedic roles, he broke this barrier in the action thriller Ek Villain. He plays a character named Rakesh, who is quite frustrated by his bad marriage, and tired of being bullied by his boss and those around him. He eventually turns into a serial killer and begins taking the lives of any women who tests his patience. Not only was his character more interesting, but even the acting was more convincing than that of the hero.
Saswata Chatterjee in Kahaani
Although the film Kahaani was about a woman played by Vidya Balan, searching for her missing husband, the character Bob Biswas played by Bengali actor Saswata Chatterjee, made a huge impact on the audiences. In the film, Bob Biswas was a contract killer masquerading as a simple insurance agent whom no one would even look twice at, forget suspecting being a killer! And it was due to his meek, geeky and simple nature. And that is what makes his character so special. In fact, his character was so intriguing that they made a spin-off movie in 2021, which unfortunately was filled with a lot of confusions and inconsistencies!
Kay Kay Menon in Shaurya
Shaurya is a military courtroom drama film that focuses on the human rights violations by the Indian Army. The film starred Rahul Bose, Minissha Lamba and Javed Jaffrey in the lead roles, while Kay Kay Menon played the antagonist. Whether the film represents the truth or not can be debated upon, but what made the film unforgettable is Kay Kay Menon’s portrayal of Brigadier Rudra Pratap. Brigadier Pratap is shown as a highly decorated officer of the Indian Army, who is quite skilled and manipulative, willing to bend the rules to achieve his goals. Although the film presents his character as a mass murderer, due to his sympathetic backstory which shows us why he became the monster he is, audiences loved the character a lot more than the lead characters. Plus, Kay Kay Menon’s brilliant portrayal made his character even more interesting. If you look at his eyes during the last scenes, it doesn’t even look like he is acting! The film didn’t get much attention upon its release in 2008, but over the years, due to the influence of social media, Brigadier Pratap’s character gained immense popularity and appreciation.
