Upon asking filmgoers “What, in your opinion, makes a film complete?”, it would be a common fact to observe that different people would project their opinions from varied perspectives. But one aspect which is sure to remain perpetually everlasting is the role of the protagonist. Irrespective of the gender, the personality or the overall framework of the protagonist’s character and the requisites underlined in the pre-emptive idea draft which sheds light upon the big three P’s, the plot, the protagonist and the problem; any cinematic enterprise will never truly come full-circle without revolving around the protagonist’s lore. And while there are, again, a multitude of attributes which build the edifice for the protagonist’s story to progress, it is safe to assume that the initial predisposition drawn from the epics, the Geeta, the Upanishads and the like, veered the early filmmakers to portray the protagonists as the ‘protectors of peace’, ‘harbingers of justice’ and their characters were infused with a strong adjudication of moral values, a sense of duty and a morbidly strong ‘saviour complex’ which led them to defy all odds for the supposed greater good. And this connotation did them good, it lured the audience into the theatres and got the big bucks rolling, since watching films on the big screen has always been more than just a cinematic experience for the Indian audience, it’s an escape from the rather platitudinous reality. In a setting where an almost cathartic encounter between the godsend hero and the Satan-reincarnate villain culminating in the victory of good over evil was starting to get outrageously redundant; the advent of ‘morally grey’ characters helped explore nuance and presented multi-faceted depictions.
This hot, new take on the formulation of a protagonist was now inclusive of the darker elements of rage, revenge, lust and vengeance and the like. The new band of protagonists wasn’t entirely vengeful and immoral in their words and actions, an aspect which drew a thin line of distinction between the hero and the villain; but were associated with attributes like suffering, the pain of loss and such which led them down their current path in sort of a grey area and added an underlining of depth and darkness to their characters at the very outset. The basic prototype of a protagonist’s character which thrived off securing justice for society or personal happiness for themselves delved into a grey area since the ‘morally grey’ lead sought to maximise their own profits in the greater good (or evil) by hook or by crook, and when seldom worked for the society’s cause; even that was through their own twisted ways. The ever-precise moral compass which never failed the erstwhile protagonist was now tampered with as the ‘grey’ lead’s character, shrouded with controversy, used ‘objectionable’ means for the fruition of their purpose.
For one to say that such characters have been a premise underexplored by Bollywood through its many decades as a prolific cinematic functionary would only be an exponent of their sheer and devastatingly prolonged cinematic ignorance. Though it is admittedly difficult to trace the origins of this shift, it would be imperative to cite Naseeruddin Shah and Rekha’s ‘Ijaazat’ in (1987), wherein they depicted the lives of an estranged couple in a problematic marriage, after Anuradha Patel emerges as an omnipresent, ‘third person’ former lover in their relationship. Despite not being greatly commercially successful, the film roped in an unprecedented dynamic which piqued the viewers’ interest and paved the way for mainstream nineties’ movies to experiment with the trope further and bring in quaint artworks. Needless to say, exactly this took place in the time that followed and Hindi cinema witnessed the waves of glory which were being newly associated with movies that had portrayals of flawed men, not righteously fighting their way out of misery; but scheming viciously to attain their objectives. Sanjay Dutt in ‘Khalnayak’ (1993) and Salman Khan in ‘Tere Naam’ (2003) were two of the commercially prolific leading men whose roles in the aforementioned movies were massively successful. To assess the same with a contemporary critiquing eye, these characters generally relied a lot on ‘toxic masculinity’, along with ‘obsessive and maladaptive behaviour’ to substantiate their actions, but their finer exploration of the ‘blurred line’ to deliver an ‘edge’ made them stand apart from the previous Hindi film heroes.
A more personalised take on this purview makes me feel compelled to include the name of the supermassive icon who, in my opinion, led the ‘anti-hero cortége’ in Hindi cinema and revolutionised the same in his legacy for decades to come. Shah Rukh Khan became the publicly recognised and unanimously accepted face of this spectacle, and rightfully so, as he perfected the art of playing characters who didn’t mind being besmirched in the public eye and would defy all that is considered ‘morally right’ in the blink of an eye to get what they desire, as was the case in a multitude of his works, namely ‘Darr’ (1993), ‘Baazigar’ (1993)’, ‘Anjaam’ (1994), ‘Fan’ (2016) and ‘Raees’ (2017) (the ginormous SRK fan in me simply HAD to ensure that these movie titles were arranged in the rightful chronological sequence of their release dates). The end of the nineties didn’t mark the end of this wave, nor did it dissuade Shah Rukh from taking on more roles belonging to the same fora. Yet again, he shined as a ruthless, yet inexplicably chic and poised international drug lord in ‘Don’ (2006) and ‘Don 2’ (2011). To cite a recent instance, through his movie Jawan, he addressed critical social issues but the means adopted by the character(s) to tackle those issues in the due course of the film were widely regarded ‘questionable’.
Over time, not too long after the mighty men of Hindi Cinema’s takeover of the ‘morally grey’ genre, filmmakers started observing potential in the leading ladies of Bollywood to play sinister roles. Apt movies to mention in this vertical would be Vidya Balan’s phenomenal performance in the ‘Kahaani’ duology (2012, 2016), Deepika Padukone’s problematic yet stunning role in ‘Gehraiyaan’ (2022) and Priyanka Chopra’s indomitable acting prowess in ‘Saat Khoon Maaf’ (2011). This was different from the contextual cinematography in which Rani Mukherjee played ‘Maya’ in ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ (2006), for it has the undertones of forbidden love, extramarital relationships and infidelity. Intriguingly enough, the very fact that the aforementioned movie delved into the ‘morally grey’ sphere between the two pairs of leads brought widespread disapproval of it in the early 2000s but is also the reason it is regarded a ‘cult classic’ in the present time and age. As more and more films exploring the surmise of having commercially influential actresses taking on projects wherein they utilise deceit, subterfuge and more often than not, seduction to achieve their purpose have made their mark on cinema, the plethora of mixed responses from the viewers upon the same has not yet made its exit from the scene.
Additionally, it is interesting to comment upon the portrayal of anti-hero characters by actors like Hrithik Roshan in Agneepath (2012), Ranbir Kapoor in Rockstar (2011), Shahid Kapoor in Haider (2014) and Varun Dhawan in Badlapur (2014), all these movies signifying the initiation of the protagonist’s ‘villain arc’ owing to the atrocities inflicted upon them and the grievous loss of their lady loves. An overused trope, yes; but the fact the actors playing them near-perfectly managed to cater to the viewers’ expectations despite owing their popularity in the aegis of Hindi films to their continued portrayal of mostly comical/sweet/‘chocolate boy’ characters for the longest time is doubtlessly remarkable. Movies like ‘Satya’ (1998) and ‘Raajneeti’ (2010), which are inclusive of characters dripping with deception to varying degrees, have always managed to remain on the viewers’ minds long past their respective run-times. The versatile Ayushmann Khurrana and ravishing Taboo need to be just as greatly applauded for their performances in ‘Andhadhun’ (2018), a rare sight of a psychological thriller wherein both the protagonist and the antagonist played deviously flawed characters; as the veteran Ajay Devgn in the psychological crime thriller ‘Drishyam’ (2015, 2022) duology wherein he plays a resolute father, who ventured in all sorts of condemnable pursuits to ensure his family’s safety; deserves a special mention in this segment for bringing to the audience a cinematic experience one couldn’t have possibly thought of experiencing on the big screen, movies which were more than just ‘murder mystery investigation thrillers.’Increasingly, with varying perspectives and the critical eye of a cinephilic tróupe of viewers who crave substance and depth, unmoved by the grandeur of masala mass entertainers; more and more grey characters with varying degrees of foibles to them are being witnessed.
But what can be conjectured with near-absolute certainty is that in their absence, Hindi cinema would never possibly be the artfully divine that it is. “I’ll stare directly at the sun but never in the mirror,It must be exhausting always rooting for the anti-hero.”(Taylor Swift, Anti-Hero, Midnights, 2022)
By: Irijaya Dash.B.A. Sociology (Hons.), First Year.
Celluloid: The Film Society of Miranda House 