One of the most popular villains of Bollywood, Gulshan Grover’s career began in the 80s. He ensured villains became pivotal to the story, and has featured in nearly 400 films in four decades. Inspired by legendary baddies namely Pran, Amrish Puri, Prem Chopra, Amjad Khan, and, Ranjeet, Grover is proud to be the ‘Bad Man’. He had the challenging task of getting the audiences to hate him simultaneously, striking fear and anger into their hearts.
Gifted with a face that can sport many looks, Grover’s fans cheered him in his many avatars. Grover has also been a part of many films in Hollywood such as UnIndian (2015) and Desperate Endeavours (2012). A self-confessed fan of the James Bond villains, Grover ranks amongst the most notable villains in the history of Indian cinema. Revisiting some of his memorable performances on his birthday today:
Kali Baba (Shola Aur Shabnam – 1992)
The David Dhawan film starred Grover as Kali Baba, the gangster. In this commercial blockbuster, the actor gave what is popularly considered his breakout performance. Featuring Govinda and Divya Bharti in the leads, the film offered romance, thrill, comedy and action in equal measure. The film received favourable reviews upon release, and the performance of Govinda and Anupam Kher, particularly, drew critical praise.
Kesariya Vilayati (Ram Lakhan – 1989)
The fact is Grover’s ‘Bad Man’ dialogue in this Subhash Ghai film is how the “Bad Man of Bollywood” title came to life. It has remained the actor’s sobriquet ever since. Kesariya Vilayati is remembered for his menacing unibrow and spine-chilling dialogue delivery.
The crime masala action drama had an ensemble cast of Anil Kapoor, Raakhee, Jackie Shroff, Dimple Kapadia, Madhuri Dixit, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Anupam Kher, Saeed Jaffrey and Satish Kaushik.
Chhapan Tikli (Sir – 1993)
Directed by Mahesh Bhatt, the drama had Grover playing Chhapan Tikli aka Jimmy. Paresh Rawal also starred in a negative role and garnered immense acclaim for his act including the National Award for Best Supporting Role.
Speaking of Jimmy, his menacing look was characterised by the 66 dots that speckled his face. The actor himself includes the character in his list of favourites.
Bhati (I Am Kalam – 2012)
A poor kid learns of the hardships the then India President A. P. J. Abdul Kalam suffered during his childhood. The child, Chhotu, names himself after the aerospace scientist.
Grover essays the role of Bhati, the Dhaba owner where Chhotu’s mother leaves her son to work. Grover pulled off the strong character of Bhati with effortless ease. He won the Stardust Award Searchlight Awards for Best Actor.
Kabeera (Hera Pheri – 2000)
A massive hit upon release, Hera Pheri continues to enjoy a cult status. Remake of the Malayalam film Ramji Rao Speaking, the comedy starred Paresh Rawal (Baburao), Akshay Kumar(Raju) and Suniel Shetty(Shyam) in the main roles. Priyadarshan calls the film a ‘humour of poverty’ inspired by Laurel and Hardy and Charlie Chaplin.
The story is about the trio of Baburao, Raju and Shyam living under a roof with limited means. A wrong phone call changes everything as they get entangled in the kidnapping of a young girl. Grover, who essayed the role of Kabeera, had limited screen time but knew the impact he had to make. His famous dialogue “Kabeera Speaking” is widely mimicked till date.
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