During the 90s, Shah Rukh Khan started his career with several challenging roles that established him as a refined actor. His portrayal of bad boys on the big screen garnered him a cult status, that still resonates with the fan. The Badshah of Bollywood did not shy away from dawning negative roles in his earlier works and even went on to resurrect the charm of a villain again afterwards.
As King Khan turns 57, we take a look at some of his best onscreen villain performances, that eventually made us root for the bad guy.
6 Times Shah Rukh Khan Played the Best Villain
1. Darr (1993)
No one can start a list where SRK plays the bad guy, without mentioning the obsessive Rahul Mehra first. In 1993, just as King Khan was starting out his career, he joined hands with director Yash Chopra to portray a cynically obsessed one-sided lover in a thriller drama. The role of Rahul Mehra earned him a series of accolades and stamped his name in the list of brilliant performers of the celluloid medium.
The typical nuances that SRK captured in his role became a cult expression, which is still attached to his fan following. The haunting laughter, brooding eyes, and of course the unique recitation of Kiran. Everything from Darr made its mark among the fans. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video.
2. Baazigar (1993)
Baazigar revolves around a cold-blooded killer with a charm named Ajay Sharma (played by SRK), who befriends a rich businessman’s daughter and kills her to seek his revenge. The film was directed by a duo of Abbas Burmawalla and Mustan Burmawalla and went on to create several records at the Box Office.
The most thrilling scene of the film has to be the confession, where Ajay Sharma confronts Madan Chopra. The entire monologue is breathtaking and reflects all the shades of villainy. Moreover, Shah Rukh won the Film Fare Award for Best Actor in a leading role for his performance in the movie. You can watch the film on Amazon Prime Video.
3. Anjaam (1994)
SRK played the role of a rich businessman Vijay Agnihotri in the 1994 drama film Anjaam. The film follows a similar path to Darr and turns King Khan into another heartbroken one-sided psychopath. Even though the film did fairly well at the box office, it was unable to surpass the records of his previous hits. However, SRK still received wide critical acclaim for his performance and ended up winning the Filmfare award for Best Actor in a negative role. You can stream the film on Netflix.
4. Ram Jaane (1995)
Ram Jaane follows the story of an orphan, who gets involved in a streak of crimes right from his childhood. Although his friend Murli tries to bring him on the right path, Ram ends up ignoring all the goodwill advice. Eventually, he makes it his life purpose to vow to his love interest, Bela. The film was directed by Rajiv Mehra, and the music was composed by the legendary duo of Anand Bakshi, Anu Malik and Shyam-Surendra. You can stream this film on Netflix.
5. Don (2006)
SRK gave us the modern-day rendition of the much beloved Hindi film Don. The actor surprised everyone in this action thriller saga and made his mark again in the bad boy avatar. The film was directed by Farhan Akhtar and starred Priyanka Chopra Jonas, Arjun Rampal and Isha Koppikar in supporting roles.
The film received a lukewarm reception at the box office but ended up becoming a cult film over the years. You can stream it on Netflix.
6. Fan (2016)
SRK played a dual role in the 2016 thriller drama movie Fan. The plot of the flick revolved around a hyper-obsessed fan of a fictionalised version of Shah Rukh Khan, who becomes infuriated after meeting the mean actor in person. Furthermore, SRK dawned the double shade of grey in the movie and aced the performance of each character. You can stream the film on Apple TV+.
Tell us your favourite SRK portrayal from the list in the comment section below.
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