The arena of villainous role in Bollywood films is on the decrease in the last 5 to 7 years. We hardly get to see the perfect villains like Mogambo of Mr India, Dang of Karma and Gabbar of Sholay in the newer crop of films. One can almost never forget the cruel smile and wide open eyes of Amrish Puri while saying “Mogambo khush hua.” Anupam Kher, who is known more for his positive and funny roles than the negative, is equally remembered for being antagonist Dang in the film Karma.

The earlier trend of films, wherein there is one perfect hero and one perfect villain, is loosing its sheen. The gap between kindness and wickedness is continuosly narrowing in the current Bollywood films. The one playing the bad character is also a hero in the film or anti-hero. Both parts of Dhoom and Johnny Gaddar are examples of this trend in which the thief is as good as the cop and the hero is no more a person of an image of Rama without any faults. Villainous role has shrunk to a negative image and a term grey shade has emerged for the role such as the one played by Nasseruddin shah in the film A Wednesday.

Films of Abbas Mastan, Ajnabee and Race, were the real examples of this popular trend. The change in the image of villain’s role is apparent because more and more realistic films are being made and sequences like one impeachable person fighting all alone with 15 goons, are nowhere to be seen. Exception was seen in the recent film Ghajni but that was merely a copy of a Tamil film.