New Delhi: The fluency with which the makers have started to use the term anti-hero shows how the sympathy is slowly shifting towards the bad guys. There was a time when villains were understood as people who are evil by default. They couldn't restrict their devil streak even if the conditions were favourable for a good communication which can lead to a solution. They were baddies by nature.
Now, with the advent of suave, sophisticated villains, the scenario has changed. In fact, they are ready to replace the traditional heroes. The filmmaking techniques have been modified by new age directors who know how to present a story. They are constantly experimenting with the content also. Their characters are more realistic who flaunt a bad side as well.
Sher Khan was one such villain in 'Zanjeer' (1973). He was a tough guy who stood in the way of law, but had a golden heart. Characters like Gabbar Singh or Shaakaal were evil to the core and they induced fear. They were so larger than life that nobody actually believed they can exist in reality.
Probably, it was Amitabh Bachchan who made the bad guy popular. He played a hot headed gangster in a number of films which went down well with the changing mindset of the audience. Mithun and Anil Kapoor carried forward Big B's legacy, and with the arrival of Shah Rukh Khan, the idea of a bad guy touched a new height.
However, despite all these developments, a villain was yet to find a solid place in the viewer's heart because they were still treated as someone who was misguided. What they were lacking in was the importance of motive attached to their deeds.
Shah Rukh Khan was the new champion of anti-hero wave but he was the only one, and there was always a hero whose stature in the film was equally important than him. Be it Sunny Deol or be it Madhuri Dixit, people wanted to see him defeated.
The perception towards the hero versus villain battle changed with 'Dhoom' (2004). Director Sanjay Gadhvi created a character who was greedy, bad and motivated, not because he was born like that but because he had theoretical backup. John Abraham's image on a superbike was anyday more powerful than Abhishek Bachchan, who played a cop in the film.
Interestingly, Abhishek Bachchan also resorted to the same techniques to get rid of the villain. He couldn't do it alone, so he found a thief-turned-cop in the form of Uday Chopra. It was like a good hearted bad guy versus a real bad guy rather than a cop-con story.
'Dhoom 2' (2006) took the story to a new level. Hrithik Roshan and Aishwarya Rai were the brand the makers banked upon, and they looked at their glamorous best. Nobody actually felt bad about their roles as they were the poster perfect replica of the popular imagination of superheroes. They looked so stunning on the big screen that the film became an instant hit.
The onus is on Aamir Khan now to keep the prestige of the franchise intact. The promos and trailers of 'Dhoom 3' are breathtaking and the director Vijay Krishna Acharya has ensured that the film remains high on glamour quotient. Aamir Khan is a bankable actor and has given big box-office hits in the past, so 'Dhoom 3' is also likely to get a good opening. If things go as per the predictions then 'Dhoom 3' will also give the spectators a bad guy to vouch for.
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