No one is born a criminal. But a combination of peculiar circumstances and a moment of weakness can push anyone into the world of crime. The ability to exert power – political or physical – is as addictive as any narcotic substance and makes people go to extremes to keep this power. However, not all criminals see themselves as evil. Like Robin Hood, some believe that their actions benefit a larger set of unfortunate people. They believe that they are doing more good than an existing, corrupt system that can only be corrected through force.
You will find these Bollywood Gangsters from the last few decades, difficult to hate. You may even sympathize with their plight as they battle goons and government to deliver justice to the poor and helpless.
1. Vinod Khanna as Shakti Velu in Dayavan
There have been many adaptations of Godfather. You can say that Dayavaan was lightly adapted and based on a similar concept. The hindi movie was a remake of Tamil movie by the name Nayagan.
Dayavan (1988)
Director: Feroz Khan
Stars: Vinod Khanna, Feroz Khan, Amala Akkineni
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gjuxy-wxWL0
Shakti velu witnesses his father being killed by the police and this creates distrust and hate toward authority. Similar experiences growing up in Mumbai slums further fortifies his hate toward the police. When his mentor is found hanging in police custody, Shakti Velu loses his cool and kills the police officer responsible for this. This public killing establishes him as a local don and Savior of the poor.
2. Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay Deenanath Chauhan in Agneepath
Master Deenanath, a gandhian school teacher, wants to make Mandwa literate and a model town. But his aspirations do not gel with the evil Jamindar and a drug lord who wants to make Mandwa, a sea-side village, a hub for drug trade.
Agneepath (1990)
Director: Mukul Anand (as Mukul S. Anand)
Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Mithun Chakraborty, Madhavi
Master Deenanath poses a challenge to their evil designs and is disgraced and killed for his alleged relationship with a prostitute. Vijay sees this injustice unfold before his eyes and moves to Mumbai to escape vilification at the hands of the villagers. But Mumbai offers fresh challenges and he turns to crime to protect his mother from the local goons and grows up to become a feared Don.
3. Sanjay Dutt as Munna Bhai in Munna bhai M. B.B.S.
Munna Bhai is perhaps the most endearing negative character Bollywood has created in many years. Munna Bhai a local goon wants to impress his father, who believes hi son is a doctor in the city. Through a series of events, Munna Bhai is now forced to carry on the facade and play a doctor and meet his fathers childhood friend, who is a real doctor.
Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. (2003)
Director: Rajkumar Hirani
Stars: Sunil Dutt, Sanjay Dutt, Arshad Warsi
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UVUnNA8YdGw&nohtml5=False
His bluff is soon called by the real doctor and humiliates Munna’s parents. To avenge this insult, Munna Bhai decides to get a degree in Medicine, employing whatever illegal means he can. And so the fun begins.
4. J. D. Chakrvarthy as Satya in Satya
Satya comes to Mumbai is search for an honest living. However, he is insulted, prodded and incited multiple times by people who hire him and the local goons who visit the bar where he works. He loses his cool and gets into a fight with a powerful goon, is brutally beaten, and then lodged in jail for standing up.
Satya (1998)
Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Stars: J.D. Chakravarthi, Urmila Matondkar, Paresh Rawal
Mumbai is in midst of a turf war. Satya meets Bhiku Mhatre, a gang leader, in the jail and the two hit it off. Mhatre sees potential in physically fit and intelligent Satya and hires him as his trusted lieutenant in this war. As the war heats up Satya decides to leave the world of organized crime, but that proves to be more difficult than he has anticipated. Old enemies and vested interests of politicians force him to reconsider and lose all he has.
5. Sanjay Dutt as Raghu in Vaastav
Injustice, inequality, ans social and financial aspirations. There are many reasons why people succumb to the world of crime. Easy money and the glamour of life of crime can make you see the world full of glitter. But all that glitters is not gold. And this is what Raghu must learn – but not before he has chosen the wrong path.
Vaastav: The Reality (1999)
Director: Mahesh Manjrekar
Stars: Sanjay Dutt, Namrata Shirodkar, Mohnish Bahl
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h9rS-oXeah4&nohtml5=False
Raghu and his friend run a street-food stall and envy the rich and powerful who regularly visit them. They get into a quarrel with a rich, local goon one day and accidentally kill him. On the run from the police since, they both get sucked into very active world of organized crime and soon become sought hit-men for a rival gang. But will this wealth and crime solve all of Raghu’s problems or will it create more problems?
6. Anil Kapoor as Munna in Tezaab
An idealistic young college graduate hopes to fight for his country and make his parents proud. Unfortunately, his parents are killed in front of him as he struggles to stop an ongoing bank robbery and save his parents.
Tezaab (1988)
Director: N. Chandra
Stars: Anil Kapoor, Madhuri Dixit, Anupam Kher
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsQ9hXt6Cns&nohtml5=False
Scarred for life, Munna takes a turn for the worst and becomes a fearless con artist and a local menace. His ongoing crime spree makes a judge rule against him, and throws him out of the city. But Munna must return. Return to save the love of his life, Mohini. Mohini is kidnapped by Lothia Pathan for non-payment of dues by her father. Watch Munna assemble a team of faithful friends as they plot and fight get Mohini back.
7. Amitabh Bachchan as Subhash Nagre in Sarkar
Sarkar was Ram Gopal Verma’s official tribute to Godfather. Subhash Nagre a local leader and sympathizer of the poor laborers and workers is a powerful man in Mumbai. The movie opens with one such poor, common man pleading Subhash Nagre to get justice for his dauhter who is brutally beaten and raped by a rich kid.
Sarkar (2005)
Director: Ram Gopal Varma
Stars: Amitabh Bachchan, Abhishek Bachchan, Kay Kay Menon
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fnDyfYkXsKo&nohtml5=False
His methods are wrong, but his judgement is always fair. As fair as he is, his elder son doesn’t see things the same way and is admonished by Subhash Nagre. He joins forces with the enemy to plot and bring down his father.
8. Nagarjuna as Shiva in Shiva
Student politics and student elections were big in the 80s and 90s. Most of the student leaders had backing of a major political party that provided all the money and muscle needed to create new leaders. Shiva is a movie that unfolds in these times. Idealistic Shiva, new to the college, gets in a scuffle with the reigning college leader. His fearless actions prompt a backlash from the local goons. But it also gives hope to other students who wish to take part in a fair election process.
Shiva (1989)
Director: Ram Gopal Varma (as Ramgopal Varma)
Stars: Nagarjuna Akkineni, Amala Akkineni, Raghuvaran
The movie chronicles this journey of student politics that spirals into a full blown political war, where leaders of opposing groups plan to use Shiva to their benefit. The idealistic Shiva triumphs against the local goons, but at the cost of his dreams and aspirations that fueled his college years.
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