Hindi cinema simply cannot be complete without mentioning the unforgettable characters. Sometimes a character makes such an impression on you that it becomes synonymous to the actors name. Shahrukh Khan becomes Raj/Rahul, Amitabh Bachchan becomes Vijay and Amjad Khan becomes Gabbar Singh.
These characters have carved a separate niche for themselves in the industry with their idiosyncrasies. Certain characters in Bollywood are unforgettable because the actors portraying the roles have given some superlative performance. A true actor never acts, but is one of the characters. Every human being has hundreds of separate people living under his skin. The onus lies on the writer to give them their separate names, identities, personalities and to have them relate to other characters.
A man with a smile, a heart like an ocean filled with honesty and loyalty, courage to fight back from disasters, a love that melts every existing being- The story of such a character becomes an instant success and is loved by all. We Indians give utmost importance to the feelings and emotions and we love to see a character which is an inspiration power house, good or bad but teaches us to make choices in life that matter to us the most, fighting to get the best out of the worse, urging to gain the pain and strive for the penultimate success, displaying his love and trust for the person he cares about more than his life. Such a character just strikes the perfect chord with its audience.
Then there are characters which one loves to hate. The youth get inspired by the way a certain character looks ( John Abraham who played Kabir in Dhoom made stubble a rage among boys), dresses up and talks. Movies and characters continue to inspire the aam junta till today.
Some of the unforgettable characters…..
Gabbar Singh in Sholay (1975)
- Who can forget the famous line “Kitne aadmi the?” This is undoubtedly one of the most famous characters ever portrayed by an actor on screen. This character defined the concept of a villain in a new way. Amjad Khan was totally in sync with the character and it won him and award for the Best Actor in a Supporting role.
Babu Moshai in Anand (1971)
- One of the finest performances by Amitabh Bachchan. He beautifully potrayed the role of a doctor disillusioned by his country, its poverty and grief. Amidst of the movies which had lot of dishum-dishum and mush here was a sensitive movie with characters close to reality.
Raj and Simran of Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge(1995)
- Raj Malhotra- A rich spoilt brat of Dharamvir Malhotra (Anupam Kher) portrayed by Shahrukh Khan became the dream man on any girl and Simran- A sweet simple Punjabi Kudi, became the ideal girl for any guy. The story was a conventional — Boy meets girl, falls in love, songs in rain and dream sequences in beautiful locations of Switzerland dressed in chiffon sarees , rebellion from parents, some good dose of maar-dhaad and in the end everything is good and they happily live ever after. Then what made these characters so lovable? Sweet, simple and the most successful formula in Bollywood- Romance!
Amar and Prem in Andaaz Apna Apna(1994)
- Clearly one of the funniest characters ever on-screen. Amar and Prem were a riot. They were these cute rascals which when together were a perfect recipe for a disaster. Even though this movie performed badly at the box-office, it earned a strong cult following over the years. Thanks to Amar, Prem, Karishma, Raveena, Teja, Mr Bajaj, Robert and crime master Gogo!!!
Ishaan Awasthi in Taare Zameen Par(2007)
- The actor Darsheel Safary proved himself as one of the most promising and upcoming artists of Hindi film industry. The movie with a different story, unique plot and outstanding performances of actors established itself as a landmark movie. The character of a dyslexic child who loved to paint , was unaware of his abnormality and was constantly rebuked by his parents and teachers was portrayed fabulously. The audience cried with Ishaan and was overjoyed when he overcame all the hurdles taking the help from his teacher Ram Shankar Nikumbh. Such was the power of the character.
“Once the curtain is raised, the actor is ceases to belong to himself. He belongs to his character, to his author, to his public. He must do the impossible to identify himself with the first, not to betray the second, and not to disappoint the third.” — Sarah Bernhardt