Dhurandhar afterthought: Why isn't there a great villain's role for Arjun Rampal?
As Major Iqbal in Dhurandhar, Arjun Rampal aces the villain's act again, after Raajneeti and Om Shanti Om. Yet, Bollywood is still to create a memorable antagonist for the actor.
Interesting, how Aditya Dhar has under-utilised Arjun Rampal's portrayal of a villain in the Dhurandhar franchise so far. Among the antagonists stacked up in the blockbuster first film, Rampal's Pakistani ISI boss, Major Iqbal, comes across as the one with minimal footage. Yet Dhar has already maximised the character’s impact in a way.
At a glance, the trumpcard villain of Dhurandhar is Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dakait, playing the essential Bollywood prototype with vim and authorbacked punchlines, even an entry dance set to FA9LA, the chartbuster that’s now set a Guinness World Record. But Rampal's essence lay elsewhere. Writer-director Dhar cleverly used the antagonist Iqbal to set the mood for the film before release – in the trailer.
If the first scene of a film's trailer provides the big bang impact and defines what's coming up, Rampal's Iqbal had the first stab at brutalising audience senses. In that opening scene of the trailer, he coldly spewed lines about Pakistan's post-1971 depression and the vow to "Bleed India with a Thousand Cuts", even as he lazily took a drag at his cigar and then went on to unleash gruesome torture upon a captured Indian spy with fishhooks and chains.
Dhar had given away Rampal's standout scene of villainy from Dhurandhar part 1 in its entirety, even before the release of the film.
Remarkably enough, however, long after watching the trailer and the film, as we gear up for Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the sinister calm about Major Iqbal continues to scream in mind. Fans have spotted an exciting villain in Major Iqbal, and a large part of the success of Dhurandhar 2 could depend on how smartly the script pits Iqbal against Ranveer Singh’s protagonist Hamza Ali Mazari, whose backstory as Jaskirat Singh Rangi will be revealed in the sequel.
Here's the official trailer of Dhurandhar:
Why Arjun Rampal could be the perfect villain
Arjun Rampal always had the makings of a perfect movie villain, with his gravitas, towering presence and ability to switch before the camera from deceptively charming to understated devilry.
The traits made him a perfect fit as Major Iqbal, a dreaded character reportedly based on more than one powerful agent of destruction – among them Ilyas Kashmiri, a Pakistani Special Forces Operator turned Islamist jihadist militant who was also an insurgent operative waging attacks against Indian troops. The casting team of Dhurandhar, helmed by Mukesh Chhabra, did well enough to identify Rampal as the coldly cruel Major Iqbal.
Yet, watching the actor go as Major Iqbal in Dhurandhar, the notion crosses your mind: Why isn't there a great villain's role for Arjun Rampal yet? Despite his ability to be sinister on screen without much of an effort, why does Arjun Rampal not have a truly great villain role after a career of a quarter-century and a National Award that endorses his proven histrionic skills?
The question probably answers itself. In Bollywood, where posing, posturing and going over the top traditionally mark 'great' villainy, and still rule that stereotype in commercial cinema, the ability to come across with restraint while exuding evil vibes does not find many takers.
Not surprisingly, Arjun Rampal's roster of screen villainy that's worth a recall can be summed up with a handful of releases. Of these, his performance as the vile billionaire Mike Mehra in Om Shanti Om (2007) and the ruthless politician Prithviraj Pratap in Raajneeti (2010) would be the pick of the lot.
Om Shanti Om, Raajneeti, Ra.One, but...
The Shah Rukh Khan-produced Om Shanti Om happened the year before Rampal would win his National Award as Best Supporting Actor for Rock On!! in 2008. With SRK at the helm opposite sizzling debutant Deepika Padukone, and a soundtrack that was already a rage before the film's release, the Farah Khan directorial, you'd think, didn't need the villain's mention to make the right noise.
Except that it did. It was simple: Om Shanti Om, being a reincarnation story, needed an evil man to bump off the hero and the heroine, so the duo could wake up post interval in another lifetime and take revenge. That's where Rampal as Mike stepped in, adding a veneer of sophistication to a man who would stop at nothing.
Still, Mike Mehra in Om Shanti Om was far from joining the club of Bollywood’s truly great villains like, say, Gabbar Singh, Mogambo, Kancha Cheena, Langda Tyagi or Khilji, simply because neither the film, despite being a blockbuster, nor the character had the ability to resonate in minds. Neither did Rampal's other outstanding villainous portrayal: Prithviraj Pratap in Raajneeti.
Prakash Jha's Raajneeti was part allegory, part political saga, and a wholly enjoyable drama. The film banked on a solid script and well-penned characters, too. Rampal himself was perfect as the emotionally charged and impulsive political bigwig Prithviraj, who openly flaunted his criminal streak. Yet, while the film made for a compelling watch, Prithviraj came across as too derivative a character. Rampal was merely being made to repeat what many other actors had done before him while essaying the corrupt politician.
In all these years, Bollywood hasn't had many other villain roles for Arjun Rampal. You would recall Ek Ajnabee (2005), Ra.One (2011) and Dhaakad (2022), of course. These were interesting performances but done in by weak writing.
Fitting into Bollywood’s scheme of things
For Rampal, however, the challenge of 'fitting’ his personality into Bollywood’s scheme of things has extended to positive roles, too. Since his 2001 debut in Rajiv Rai's romantic drama, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, the actor was never classified as a traditional Bollywood hero – just as he has never fully found space as a conventional villain for hardcore commercial cinema. Over the years, protagonist roles rooted in realism – such as Rock On!!, Daddy, Inkaar or Satyagraha – may have helped him avoid an image trap, but in a world ruled by image-obsessed fans, it’s also kept him away from traditional superstardom.
With the focus on Dhurandhar: The Revenge now, the one question on every fan’s mind: Will Aditya Dhar's film give Major Iqbal a satisfactory closure – a death so spectacularly bloody, maybe, that it ranks high up there with Gabbar Singh's in Sholay?
Interesting, how Aditya Dhar has under-utilised Arjun Rampal's portrayal of a villain in the Dhurandhar franchise so far. Among the antagonists stacked up in the blockbuster first film, Rampal's Pakistani ISI boss, Major Iqbal, comes across as the one with minimal footage. Yet Dhar has already maximised the character’s impact in a way.
At a glance, the trumpcard villain of Dhurandhar is Akshaye Khanna as Rehman Dakait, playing the essential Bollywood prototype with vim and authorbacked punchlines, even an entry dance set to FA9LA, the chartbuster that’s now set a Guinness World Record. But Rampal's essence lay elsewhere. Writer-director Dhar cleverly used the antagonist Iqbal to set the mood for the film before release – in the trailer.
If the first scene of a film's trailer provides the big bang impact and defines what's coming up, Rampal's Iqbal had the first stab at brutalising audience senses. In that opening scene of the trailer, he coldly spewed lines about Pakistan's post-1971 depression and the vow to "Bleed India with a Thousand Cuts", even as he lazily took a drag at his cigar and then went on to unleash gruesome torture upon a captured Indian spy with fishhooks and chains.
Dhar had given away Rampal's standout scene of villainy from Dhurandhar part 1 in its entirety, even before the release of the film.
Remarkably enough, however, long after watching the trailer and the film, as we gear up for Dhurandhar: The Revenge, the sinister calm about Major Iqbal continues to scream in mind. Fans have spotted an exciting villain in Major Iqbal, and a large part of the success of Dhurandhar 2 could depend on how smartly the script pits Iqbal against Ranveer Singh’s protagonist Hamza Ali Mazari, whose backstory as Jaskirat Singh Rangi will be revealed in the sequel.
Here's the official trailer of Dhurandhar:
Why Arjun Rampal could be the perfect villain
Arjun Rampal always had the makings of a perfect movie villain, with his gravitas, towering presence and ability to switch before the camera from deceptively charming to understated devilry.
The traits made him a perfect fit as Major Iqbal, a dreaded character reportedly based on more than one powerful agent of destruction – among them Ilyas Kashmiri, a Pakistani Special Forces Operator turned Islamist jihadist militant who was also an insurgent operative waging attacks against Indian troops. The casting team of Dhurandhar, helmed by Mukesh Chhabra, did well enough to identify Rampal as the coldly cruel Major Iqbal.
Yet, watching the actor go as Major Iqbal in Dhurandhar, the notion crosses your mind: Why isn't there a great villain's role for Arjun Rampal yet? Despite his ability to be sinister on screen without much of an effort, why does Arjun Rampal not have a truly great villain role after a career of a quarter-century and a National Award that endorses his proven histrionic skills?
The question probably answers itself. In Bollywood, where posing, posturing and going over the top traditionally mark 'great' villainy, and still rule that stereotype in commercial cinema, the ability to come across with restraint while exuding evil vibes does not find many takers.
Not surprisingly, Arjun Rampal's roster of screen villainy that's worth a recall can be summed up with a handful of releases. Of these, his performance as the vile billionaire Mike Mehra in Om Shanti Om (2007) and the ruthless politician Prithviraj Pratap in Raajneeti (2010) would be the pick of the lot.
Om Shanti Om, Raajneeti, Ra.One, but...
The Shah Rukh Khan-produced Om Shanti Om happened the year before Rampal would win his National Award as Best Supporting Actor for Rock On!! in 2008. With SRK at the helm opposite sizzling debutant Deepika Padukone, and a soundtrack that was already a rage before the film's release, the Farah Khan directorial, you'd think, didn't need the villain's mention to make the right noise.
Except that it did. It was simple: Om Shanti Om, being a reincarnation story, needed an evil man to bump off the hero and the heroine, so the duo could wake up post interval in another lifetime and take revenge. That's where Rampal as Mike stepped in, adding a veneer of sophistication to a man who would stop at nothing.
Still, Mike Mehra in Om Shanti Om was far from joining the club of Bollywood’s truly great villains like, say, Gabbar Singh, Mogambo, Kancha Cheena, Langda Tyagi or Khilji, simply because neither the film, despite being a blockbuster, nor the character had the ability to resonate in minds. Neither did Rampal's other outstanding villainous portrayal: Prithviraj Pratap in Raajneeti.
Prakash Jha's Raajneeti was part allegory, part political saga, and a wholly enjoyable drama. The film banked on a solid script and well-penned characters, too. Rampal himself was perfect as the emotionally charged and impulsive political bigwig Prithviraj, who openly flaunted his criminal streak. Yet, while the film made for a compelling watch, Prithviraj came across as too derivative a character. Rampal was merely being made to repeat what many other actors had done before him while essaying the corrupt politician.
In all these years, Bollywood hasn't had many other villain roles for Arjun Rampal. You would recall Ek Ajnabee (2005), Ra.One (2011) and Dhaakad (2022), of course. These were interesting performances but done in by weak writing.
Fitting into Bollywood’s scheme of things
For Rampal, however, the challenge of 'fitting’ his personality into Bollywood’s scheme of things has extended to positive roles, too. Since his 2001 debut in Rajiv Rai's romantic drama, Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, the actor was never classified as a traditional Bollywood hero – just as he has never fully found space as a conventional villain for hardcore commercial cinema. Over the years, protagonist roles rooted in realism – such as Rock On!!, Daddy, Inkaar or Satyagraha – may have helped him avoid an image trap, but in a world ruled by image-obsessed fans, it’s also kept him away from traditional superstardom.
With the focus on Dhurandhar: The Revenge now, the one question on every fan’s mind: Will Aditya Dhar's film give Major Iqbal a satisfactory closure – a death so spectacularly bloody, maybe, that it ranks high up there with Gabbar Singh's in Sholay?