Sholay’s villain dacoit Gabbar Singh has ruled the hearts of people for a long time. It is remembered even after almost fifty-one years. Amjad Khan himself could not play such a character again. Even after Sholay (1975), there was no film whose villain could leave an indelible mark on the pages of history. Of course, Sakal (Kulbhushan Kharbanda) of Amitabh Bachchan-Shashi Kapoor’s Shaan (1980) created discussion with his looks but due to the average performance of the film, Sakal was also killed soon, he could not settle in the memories. People forgot Sakal. However, Kulbhushan Kharbanda’s acting in that film was praised.
The villain who had an impact on the hearts and minds of the audience was found in 1987, when Shekhar Kapur made a film with Anil Kapoor and Sridevi – Mr. India. In this science fiction-like film Amrish Puri He played such a colorful and flamboyant character of Mogambo that it stuck in people’s minds just like the face of Gabbar Singh.
face of gabbar singh and mogambo
Certainly, it is impossible to forget both the villains Gabbar Singh and Mogambo. Look carefully at the difference between the two characters. There is a rugged bandit, whose costume is very ugly, this costume was decided by Amjad Khan himself. He looks ugly and disgusting and when he screams, people get goosebumps. Whereas if you look at Mogambo, its appearance is completely opposite. Mogambo is a dress designer. It was actually prepared by Madhav Agasti. Mogambo’s hair style is also different. As if a snake had spread its hood over the bald head. It seemed as if he was a creature from another world.
Children especially like both the characters.
It is noteworthy that both the characters are cruel dictators and cynics. The aim of both is to spread terror. However, the scope of Mogambo’s exploits is bigger than that of Gabbar Singh. Gabbar Singh is a notorious dacoit of Ramgarh and its surroundings while Mogambo wants to destroy the whole of India. But at the level of popularity, there is a unique similarity between the two characters. Mogambo also became an equally entertaining character for children as much as children liked Gabbar Singh, who used to speak dialogues that scare children in the film. ‘Mogambo rejoices…’ Amrish Puri’s dialogue is as immortal as ‘How many men were there…’
There have been many such villain characters in Hindi films, whose popularity continues till today. These characters have settled in people’s minds like the villains of history and myth. Like Ravana in Ramayana, Kansa in Mahabharata, similarly Gabbar Singh and Mogambo in Hindi films. It is impossible to forget his exploits on screen.
Amjad shined overnight, Amrish struggled
It is noteworthy that both the actors Amjad Khan and Amrish Puri had appeared in films almost around the same time. The difference was that Amjad Khan became the star villain overnight by playing Gabbar Singh in Sholay whereas Amrish Puri had to struggle a long time to achieve success. Coincidentally, Sholay was released in 1975, and in the same year, Shyam Benegal’s film Nishant was released, in which Amrish Puri played the role of Jagirdar. Before this, he had played small roles in some other films. One started with commercial films while the other also made a place in art cinema. Apart from Nishant, Amrish Puri has also played roles in Manthan and Aakrosh.
Powerful voice gave recognition to Amrish Puri
There was another similarity between the two artists. The family background of both was related to films. Amjad Khan’s father Jayant (Zakaria Khan) was a famous actor, while Amrish Puri’s brother Madan Puri had also established himself in films before him. Well-known singer Kundanlal Sehgal was also a relative of Amrish Puri. Both Amjad Khan and Amrish Puri used to act in drama before films. The voice became the identity of both of them. It is a different matter that Amjad Khan never repeated the dialogue delivery of Sholay. Whereas Amrish Puri established his dialogue delivery with ease. Identified as him.
Like the pair of hero and villain on screen, Mr. In Natwarwal or Muqaddar Ka Sikandar etc., Amitabh Bachchan and Amjad Khan used to make the audience pay, similarly Amitabh-Amrish Puri also used to provide a lot of thrill and entertainment together in many films. For example, Shahenshah, Ganga, Jamna, Saraswati etc.
Amrish Puri popularized many villain characters.
There is no doubt that Amjad Khan became a villain many times while playing various roles but could not match Gabbar Singh. Whereas Amrish Puri has played such villain roles many times, which are unforgettable. All these characters are very loud with different getup and background, which Amrish Puri has taken to such heights with his voice that they appear different even in front of the hero in those films.
For example, Tantrik Bhairavnath, the snake charmer from Rishi Kapoor-Shri Devi’s Nagina, whose fear in the eyes created terror on the screen, similarly, the vicious and cruel leader Balwant Rai from Sunny Deol’s Ghayal, Durjan Singh from Salman-Shahrukh’s film Karan-Arjun, Damini’s barrister Inderjit Chaddha, Tridev’s underworld don Bhujang, Jackie Shroff’s Hero’s Pasha, Vidhata’s Jagawar. Chaudhary, in Meri Jung Ka Thakral To Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, became such a father whose dialogue also became memorable for years – Ja Simran, Ja Jee Le Apni Zindagi.
Will be remembered for the iconic dialogue
Undoubtedly, Amrish Puri was such an artist who is remembered for not just one but many iconic dialogues in the role of villain. If we turn the pages of the past, KN Singh was called the innocent face of fear in Hindi films, then in his era, an evergreen actor like Pran completely changed the game. Pran was the most popular villain of his era. It is said that life weighed heavily even on the hero. However, it was during Pran’s era that Jeevan, Prem Chopra, Ajit or Danny also started making their own identity. But over time, the impression left by Amjad Khan’s Gabbar Singh and after that by many other characters including Amrish Puri’s Mogambo – is an unforgettable page of Hindi cinema.
Also read:Why does Zeenat Aman, the fashion icon and bold actress of her time, not believe in any religion?
Leave a Reply