Indian Movie Villains, Indian Cinema

The concept of a villain in cinema is age old. Ever since the advent of Indian cinema, characters were structured as a protagonist and an antagonist or precisely as the hero and the villain. The main aim of such a concept is indeed to portray the victory of good over evil. In Indian movies therefore Indian villains gradually stood apart as the "evil" characters in the plot of a story. Whether a historical narrative or a work of fiction, these characters were instrumental in bringing that desired twist in the story.

In the heydays of Indian cinema films were either mythological or historical. Mainly the epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata were the trusted source of Indian cinema. Quite ideally therefore the heroes in those films were some deities while the villains were the demons or other evil characters that varied from Kansa, Raavana, Duryodhana, as per the concept of the film.

This idea of villain gradually changed with the varying pattern of Indian cinema. Soon the demons and other mythological evil characters were largely replaced by the cruel Zamindars, brute landlords or moneylenders. This changed concept of Indian movie villains ushered in a new era in Indian cinema whilst making it rather realistic. Gone are the days of perfumed palaces and extravagant court scene.