The Rise of the Hero vs. Hero Narrative in Bollywood

It's an acknowledgment of shifting dynamics on two fronts when NTR Jr., one of the two exuberant stars of RRR and a hero with a devoted fan base of his own, agrees to portray Hrithik Roshan's nemesis in War 2. One is the potent combination of an almost unbeatable Southern brand with a popular Hindi actor to boost sales. The second is the revived notion that a confrontation is more potent the stronger the opponent.

Maybe it was the astute Rakesh Roshan who realized that a hero would have much more excitement if he portrayed the adversary. When RR assembled Krrish 3 (2013), he finally explored new ground, having previously cast standard villains like Amrish Puri and Rajat Bedi in Karan Arjun (1995), Koyla (1997), and Koi... Mil Gaya (2003). Acknowledging the significance of hero against hero, he cast Vivek Oberoi and Kangana Ranaut in the film Krrish. He had really gone to great lengths to choose the ideal actress to play the shape-shifting Kaya. Although Jacqueline Fernandes and Chitrangada Singh were mentioned, RR was certain that he required a pencil-slim heroine who could fit into Kaya's bodysuit.

RR went on to cast real-life brothers Ronit and Rohit Roy as the villains in Kaabil, where Hrithik portrayed a blind man, after realizing the need to stand out and steer clear of scowling faces who had committed villainy their whole lives.

"I like to cast brilliant, physically fit, and well-groomed adversaries in my films. They are the ones who shape the script," RR said, emphasizing how much weight he placed on villains.

It has now become the standard. When Vijay Sethupathi, the Tamil film industry heavyweight, challenges SRK in Jawan and John Abraham portrays the merciless murderer Jim in Pathaan, Hindi directors are recognizing that for showdowns to have impact, the opponent must be given equal consideration to the hero. Nowadays, commercially speaking, having two heroes in a single movie provides the security that filmmakers want.

This pattern differs from that of the honorable but irate young police officer from Zanjeer (1973), who developed into a full-fledged anti-hero in Deewaar (1975). Or from Joker in the 2008 film The Dark Knight, where the masked genius was meant to captivate. There is a certain audience for the gloom of Dracula and serial murderers. However, our very own Subhash Ghai had already achieved this with Khalnayak (1993), in which the villain portrayed the title part, much before Hollywood's Joker. With great popularity, Aditya Chopra also developed the Dhoom series, in which the major villains who eclipsed Abhishek Bachchan the good policeman were John the pizza delivery guy, Hrithik the dapper robber, and Aamir Khan the circus performer.

Older idols like Sanjay Dutt, who found fresh life with Agneepath (2012), have also benefited from being terrible. He continues to portray adversaries, as shown in KGF2 and the South blockbuster Leo. Bobby Deol, who experienced early celebrity loss, said that when he became sleazy in the online series Aashram, even his mother's friends thought he was attractive. Bobby's acting career takes an unanticipated turn as he plays the antagonist to Ranbir Kapoor in Animal.

But it's not always effective. In Tiger 3, Emraan Hashmi was not given the intimidating flair he needed to create an impression. As opposed to Saif Ali Khan in Tanhaji and Ranveer Singh in Padmaavat, who both brought color as ferocious villains. But this is a recipe that will last for a long, since Arjun Kapoor has signed on to play a villain in the next Singham installment.

Naturally, there are sometimes exceptions. This year, it came from Sun-ny Deol and director Anil Sharma, who produced a true blockbuster despite not even facing a formidable foe in Gadar 2 like Amrish Puri. I suppose the powerful feeling outperforms any real-life villain when the opposing force is a nation named Pakistan.

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