Shah Rukh to Priyanka Chopra: As Abhishek Bachchan enters his villain era in King, meet others who turned antagonists

Abhishek Bachchan has been roped in to play the antagonist in Shah Rukh Khan and Suhana Khan’s film King. But he’s not the first hero to turn into a villain

After breaking box office records with his back-to-back releases Jawan and Pathaan in 2023, Shah Rukh Khan is now busy gearing up for his next project King. The Sujoy Ghosh directorial marks the superstar’s first-ever film with daughter Suhana Khan. As if this wasn’t enough of a casting coup, makers have now roped in Abhishek Bachchan as the antagonist. Well, as he prepares to enter his villain era, let’s revisit times when other beloved actors became onscreen baddies:

Shah Rukh Khan, Abhishek Bachchan and Priyanka Chopra Jonas

Shah Rukh Khan

Let’s begin with the baadshah himself. SRK has been known as the king of romance for many decades. But he proved he was a versatile actor when he played an obsessive lover in Darr (1993). The same year, Shah Rukh gave another memorable villainous performance in Anjaam

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Bobby Deol

Ranbir Kapoor’s role in Animal (2023) was accused of exhibiting toxic masculinity. But the real antagonist was Bobby Deol’s ruthless character Abrar. Despite having less screen time than Ranbir, Bobby managed to leave a mark on the audience. His scenes from the Sandeep Reddy Vanga directorial even went viral on social media soon after the film’s release

 

Kareena Kapoor Khan

Apart from being the OG diva of Bollywood, Kareena Kapoor Khan is also an extremely talented actor. She has proved her mettle time and again with versatile performances. Well, in the 2004 film Fida, Bebo turned into the ultimate villain as Neha who cons Jai, portrayed by Shahid Kapoor, by faking her love. The character was pure evil! It was a pleasant surprise for many movie buffs to see Kareena in such an unexpected role

 

Saif Ali Khan

Much like his wife Bebo, Saif Ali Khan is a multifaceted actor. One of his most lauded negative roles ever was Langda Tyagi in Omkara (2006). He was vicious and the audience relished it! He went on to win hearts as a villain in Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior (2020) as well as Adipurush (2023), both directed by Om Raut

 

Ranveer Singh

Another actor who turns into the character given to him like a chameleon is Ranveer Singh. Evidence of the same is his filmography which consists of several hits. But one of his most iconic roles ever is undoubtedly Alauddin Khilji in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s 2018 masterpiece Padmaavat. He gave the audience goosebumps with his intense and intimidating performance. This is one character which will remain etched in the history of cinema

 

Priyanka Chopra Jonas

How can global icon Priyanka Chopra Jonas not be on a list that consists of some of the most versatile actors of the country? PeeCee first portrayed a villain in Aitraaz (2004) who tried to trap her married ex-boyfriend. Unable to handle rejection, the character accused him of rape. In the 2011 film 7 Khoon Maaf, PeeCee’s character killed 7 husbands. Then in Baywatch (2017), Priyanka returned to her villain shoes as the badass Victoria Leeds, making us proud in Hollywood

 

Akshay Kumar

Bollywood actor Akshay Kumar earned the ‘Khiladi’ tag because of his epic actioners. But in 2001 he proved that he can also be the ‘Khiladi of evil’ when he portrayed the wicked Vikram Bajaj aka Vicky in Ajnabee. He was the ultimate antagonist and we would honestly love to see Akshay as a Bollywood baddie again

 

Abhishek has portrayed characters with grey shades before in Raavan (2010) and Breathe: Into the Shadows, but this time Jr Bachchan will reportedly be seen as an actual baddie. We can’t wait to see him slay!