Unforgettable Bollywood Characters – an interesting topic to write on. I guess there are so many of them and I have tried to list the Top 10 – in no particular order – the first ten that made its way from the sub-conscious to the conscious. This list is not timeless – it is at a finite point in time – I am sure if I write this tomorrow or the day after, it will be different.
Here we are talking about the characters and not the actors or actresses who portrayed them. Long after the credits have rolled, certain characters still remain in your mind either because of their mannerism, the physical appearance, the depth of the character etc. The next time you spot the actor or the actress, the first name that pops up in your mind is the character they had portrayed, then the character is truly a memorable one.
The following is a list of characters who are unforgettable to me based on the limited number of movies which I have had the privilege of viewing and more importantly - remembering them.
# 1: Zabisko from Amar Akbar Anthony
He was the would be husband of Jenny (Parveen Babi) and also her bodyguard. He was typically all brawn and no brain and was no match for the wit of Anthony (Amitabh Bachchan).
Anybody in our friend circle who wore vests (banians) and tried to flex their muscles were tormented thus:
”Hey, Zabisko bahut ho gaya haaan.. ab shirt pehen le aur ghar jaa.”
PS: I have no idea what the name of the actor who portrayed this role was, though he is often seen as a goon who belongs to the baddies gang.
# 2: Jijaji from Chupke Chupke
The fanatical brother-in-law who insists that his driver speak ”shudh” hindi and Dharmendra obliges by using bombastic phrases in pure hindi which Om Prakash has difficulty in understanding. I am sure in each of our families we have an eccentric character like Jijaji.
# 3: Bobby from Bobby
” Hi, I am Bobby – mujhse dosti karoge.” In the early seventies half the country was swooning under the influence of Bobby. She was a fun loving girl who falls in love and because of parental and “khandaani” clashes, the couple elope only to be reunited at the end – love triumps. Bobby established the trend of love stories in Bollywood. Add to that it was the first role for Dimple Kapadia who till date is one of my favorites.
# 4: Samba from Sholay
”Arre O Samba, kitne aadmi the”.
Samba was the side kick of Gabbar Singh. He was a baddie but an intelligent one as he was a storehouse of information. MacMohan found it difficult to loose this identity and in all subsequent films as soon as he made his entry on the screen, you could hear
“ Dekh – Samba aaya hai” . “Arre O Samba…”
# 5: Loin from Kallicharan
”Sara sheher mujhe loin ke naam se jaanta hain.”.
This was the inimitable Ajit – who had a penchant for identifying himself or his henchmen with my feline cousins – lion or tiger and his love for the precious stones and metals makes him name his girls as sona, ruby etc.
Ajit (Wajid Khan in real life) has been immortalized with his phaate – often referred to as “Ajit ke Phatte” – these are one or multiple liners which beats all logic but are delivered with élan. One of my favorite Ajit ka phatta “Mujhe zindagi mein teen cheez pasand hain – Mona, Sona aur Mona ke saath sona.”
# 6: Mr. Pradhan from Saaransh
Mr.Pradhan, a bereaved parent who looses his son in NY and has come to collect his ashes at the airport – gets harassed by the officials – a powerful scene emphatically played by Anupam Kher. I will always remember Anupam for this role.
# 7: Inspector Vijay from Zanjeer
The angry young man who wants to fight the entire world single handed – immortalized by Amitabh Bachchan. Vijay became synonymous with Amitabh and launched him to greater heights.
# 8: Inspector Rathod from Sarfarosh
No list is complete without the mention of Aamir – the only true Khan – the rest of the Khans are also-rans, poor losers, suckers, morons, stammerers, shirtless ... enough said - let me stop.
” Rajasthan jaana hai”
”Saab kab nikalne ka hain”.
If only looks could kill - One look from Rathod and his deputies will never in their lives ask this question. The role had a purpose – to avenge the wrong doings to his family. One could feel the passion in the character.
# 9: Madhuri in Prem Granth
Madhuri (I forget the characters name) plays a rape victim who falls in love with an upper caste boy. In my opinion this was one of the best performance of Madhuri. The character was fearless and a never-give-up kind of attitude and she continues to fight till the end.
# 10: Keshto in Humrahi
These were the adventures of Randhir and Tanuja after they survive a plane crash. What was memorable about Keshtos’ character – he was totally sober. Normally Keshto elicits laughter by playing a drunk.
Even when sober he still was comical - comically sober or soberly comic.
While seated in the plane his neighbor presses the flight attendant button (it is taboo to call them as Stewards or Stewardesses, wonder why?) and a cute female walks up to him and takes his order.
Button dabaane se ladki aati hai kyan? Heee heee “
Keshto combs his hair, wipes his face clean and hopefully presses the button and this time a male flight attendant comes over. I can still visualize the look of disbelief on his face.
Whenever I fly, just thinking of this scene makes me smile and forget the delays and the crowds around me. Keshto – you make my day.
The above are just a sample of the characters I could think of at the time of penning this review. I am sure each one of you have their own list of unforgettable characters that have touched or impressed you in one way or the other.
Looking forward to hearing your list of memorable characters.
