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Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood
Sholay (1975): Gabbar chops off Thakur's arms with a sword in each hand.
Karz (1980): Kamini murders her husband by ramming him repeatedly with a jeep.
Mr. India (1987): Mogambo kills hundreds of innocent citizens.
No, you don't want to meet these Bollywood baddies in a dark alley; you may not escape with your life if you do.
In Pure Evil, Balaji Vittal examines, in delicious detail, the misdeeds of the gangster, the sly relative, the corrupt policeman, the psychopathic killer...
A rollercoaster ride, looking at the changing face of the Hindi film villain.
Karz (1980): Kamini murders her husband by ramming him repeatedly with a jeep.
Mr. India (1987): Mogambo kills hundreds of innocent citizens.
No, you don't want to meet these Bollywood baddies in a dark alley; you may not escape with your life if you do.
In Pure Evil, Balaji Vittal examines, in delicious detail, the misdeeds of the gangster, the sly relative, the corrupt policeman, the psychopathic killer...
A rollercoaster ride, looking at the changing face of the Hindi film villain.
- GenresNonfiction
328 pages, Kindle Edition
Published December 1, 2021
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 116 reviews
December 19, 2021
There was once a time when an otherwise popular name for boys—Pran, meaning ‘life’—had become pretty much taboo in India, or at least in those parts where Hindi films were popular. Because who would want their son to be given the same name as Hindi cinema’s most vicious, cunning, nasty villain (never mind that the actor Pran was just an actor, playing those villains)?
Villains in Hindi cinema are probably, as a lot, more iconic than the heroes. Who remembers more than a couple of dialogues by heroes? But even mention “Kitne aadmi thhe?” or anything about liquid oxygen, and you’re bound to draw knowing smiles. Villains have always been interesting characters in Hindi cinema, men (and women, even if the title of this book suggests that it’s male-centric) who will stoop to anything, illegal, unethical, immoral or worse to get what they want.
This entire panoply of villains—from traitors, nasty foreigners and terrorists, through conniving relatives, adulterers, serial killers, smugglers, mafia dons, gangsters, psychos, anti-heroes, and many more—is the focus of Balaji Vittal’s Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood. It’s quite a breathtaking tapestry of villainy: so many types, so many styles, such utter nastiness. Vittal weaves in a brief history for each type, beginning with its first appearance onscreen, and then moving chronologically forward. There are interesting examples, with quick storylines, of important cinematic villains, their motives, and their deeds. There are behind the scenes trivia, and some interesting anecdotes.
At the same time, Vittal weaves in examples of how the changing face of India affected what Hindi cinema depicted. For instance, how the way dacoits held sway across Central India heralded their appearance onscreen, or how the Bombay underworld’s coming to power brought a new wave of very real, very violent cinema to the fore during the 1990s.
This—the real, violent, just a little too graphic cinema—takes up a good bit of the book (a reflection, of course, of trends in cinema villainy over the past three decades or so). Since I don’t like this type of cinema (the bulk of my cinema-watching is restricted to pre-1970s cinema), a good bit of this didn’t appeal to me, but yes, I appreciate the merit of it, as a contribution towards what amounts to a fairly comprehensive history of the villain in Hindi cinema.
Also, I do wish Vittal had devoted some more time to the vamp. Not the female villain, like Simi Grewal’s in Karz (which appears as a chapter on female villains), but the sort that Helen played in countless films: arm-candy for the villain, but also helping in other nefarious deeds, especially enticing the gullible hero, and (finally) conveniently dying in his arms because deep down, it’s him she loves, and him for whom she takes a bullet. There are some mentions of women like this, but I wouldn’t have minded liked a more full-fledged chapter on them.
And, lastly: this book needed a good proofreader. There aren’t a lot of unforgiveable errors, but the frequent inconsistencies in tenses, for instance, are irritating.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s readable, it’s well-researched, and it really is a good tribute to the villains of Bollywood.
Villains in Hindi cinema are probably, as a lot, more iconic than the heroes. Who remembers more than a couple of dialogues by heroes? But even mention “Kitne aadmi thhe?” or anything about liquid oxygen, and you’re bound to draw knowing smiles. Villains have always been interesting characters in Hindi cinema, men (and women, even if the title of this book suggests that it’s male-centric) who will stoop to anything, illegal, unethical, immoral or worse to get what they want.
This entire panoply of villains—from traitors, nasty foreigners and terrorists, through conniving relatives, adulterers, serial killers, smugglers, mafia dons, gangsters, psychos, anti-heroes, and many more—is the focus of Balaji Vittal’s Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood. It’s quite a breathtaking tapestry of villainy: so many types, so many styles, such utter nastiness. Vittal weaves in a brief history for each type, beginning with its first appearance onscreen, and then moving chronologically forward. There are interesting examples, with quick storylines, of important cinematic villains, their motives, and their deeds. There are behind the scenes trivia, and some interesting anecdotes.
At the same time, Vittal weaves in examples of how the changing face of India affected what Hindi cinema depicted. For instance, how the way dacoits held sway across Central India heralded their appearance onscreen, or how the Bombay underworld’s coming to power brought a new wave of very real, very violent cinema to the fore during the 1990s.
This—the real, violent, just a little too graphic cinema—takes up a good bit of the book (a reflection, of course, of trends in cinema villainy over the past three decades or so). Since I don’t like this type of cinema (the bulk of my cinema-watching is restricted to pre-1970s cinema), a good bit of this didn’t appeal to me, but yes, I appreciate the merit of it, as a contribution towards what amounts to a fairly comprehensive history of the villain in Hindi cinema.
Also, I do wish Vittal had devoted some more time to the vamp. Not the female villain, like Simi Grewal’s in Karz (which appears as a chapter on female villains), but the sort that Helen played in countless films: arm-candy for the villain, but also helping in other nefarious deeds, especially enticing the gullible hero, and (finally) conveniently dying in his arms because deep down, it’s him she loves, and him for whom she takes a bullet. There are some mentions of women like this, but I wouldn’t have minded liked a more full-fledged chapter on them.
And, lastly: this book needed a good proofreader. There aren’t a lot of unforgiveable errors, but the frequent inconsistencies in tenses, for instance, are irritating.
Overall, though, I enjoyed this book a lot. It’s readable, it’s well-researched, and it really is a good tribute to the villains of Bollywood.
December 12, 2021
A delightful read - as interesting and delectable as the men and women it chronicles. Exhaustive research and great nuggets of information
December 12, 2021
First thing first! The book is way better than my expectations! It covers not just key villains but wide fulcrum of entire gallery however small or iconic roles they performed in Hindi cinema. It is well researched book and not just another bollywood book flocking around corner! It surprisingly explored some very interesting first cases of Hindi film's dark characters way back to 1940s! What is more credit worthy is the way author designs the chapters: not based on time zone of decades or key villains but covered under different types! And it managed to give readers a fine frame of reference of time and tide of era, it's influences covering the social, political and economical background of nation which gave birth to such characters!
After reading first twenty pages, I started taking notes of the films that remained due watch for me! And though being big film buff and classic film lover, I ended up noting down more than 100 titles due for me to witness! This fact indicates how much painstaking research and detail the author had covered penning this book! Beauty of the book lies in also in Balaji's penchant style of dry humour and fine anecdotes! Being big fan of author and his early associate Aniruddha Bhattacharjee, this is his dubious departure from classic retro music to straight down rogue's gallery of hindi cinema! But it's all equally satisfying and praise worthy! The only one thing missing here is absence of photographs! It would be more better if publisher or author covered that as well in center! But that's just one missing part and bit negligible one!
I sincerely love to recommend this book to everyone who has even slightest interest in Hindi cinema, this book surely give new light to the way you see bad men of hindi cinema! And it makes you shock, surprise and smile around your reading journey! 😊
After reading first twenty pages, I started taking notes of the films that remained due watch for me! And though being big film buff and classic film lover, I ended up noting down more than 100 titles due for me to witness! This fact indicates how much painstaking research and detail the author had covered penning this book! Beauty of the book lies in also in Balaji's penchant style of dry humour and fine anecdotes! Being big fan of author and his early associate Aniruddha Bhattacharjee, this is his dubious departure from classic retro music to straight down rogue's gallery of hindi cinema! But it's all equally satisfying and praise worthy! The only one thing missing here is absence of photographs! It would be more better if publisher or author covered that as well in center! But that's just one missing part and bit negligible one!
I sincerely love to recommend this book to everyone who has even slightest interest in Hindi cinema, this book surely give new light to the way you see bad men of hindi cinema! And it makes you shock, surprise and smile around your reading journey! 😊
February 4, 2022
Ideal for Bollywood film buffs.
Rather than talk about individual actors in a ‘negative role’ – an euphemism for villains – the author has grouped them into types of crooks: rapists, smugglers, con-men, murders, corrupt cops and politicians etc. Is this not a rather patronizing attitude by a film maker?
Rather than talk about individual actors in a ‘negative role’ – an euphemism for villains – the author has grouped them into types of crooks: rapists, smugglers, con-men, murders, corrupt cops and politicians etc. Is this not a rather patronizing attitude by a film maker?
More than 90 percent of the movie-going public was rustic and with low IQ levels.All the moolah that the film fraternity rakes in is from these low IQ rustic public!
March 31, 2022
Pure Evil by Balaji Vittal examines in enamouring detail the characters who left an unforgettable impression, the dark and dangerous Villains of Indian cinema like Gabbar from Sholay, Kamini from Karz and innumerable more who we have grown-up watching.It's an attention grabbing glimpse of changing and evolving face of Hindi Cinema when it comes to antagonists.
These iconic roles, theri character arcs, how they came into limelight and emerged all have been written with utmost precision and quality. It's apparant how well researched the book right from the start.
A seamless balance of indepth reasearch and fascinatingly painted details and background, made it an Engrossing and Memorable tribute to the Great Villains.
Personally speaking,i loved the book. It was such a treasure to an avid movie lover like me.Even though I haven't watched every movie mentioned in the books because there's many of them, but for the ones I have watched it was enlightening experiance to know about them.
All in all it was an massive undertaking by the author and a beautiful effort that transported me to a different era.
4+ stars
These iconic roles, theri character arcs, how they came into limelight and emerged all have been written with utmost precision and quality. It's apparant how well researched the book right from the start.
A seamless balance of indepth reasearch and fascinatingly painted details and background, made it an Engrossing and Memorable tribute to the Great Villains.
Personally speaking,i loved the book. It was such a treasure to an avid movie lover like me.Even though I haven't watched every movie mentioned in the books because there's many of them, but for the ones I have watched it was enlightening experiance to know about them.
All in all it was an massive undertaking by the author and a beautiful effort that transported me to a different era.
4+ stars
March 27, 2022
Title - Pure Evil : The Bad Man of Bollywood
Author - Balaji Vittal
Publisher - Harper Collins
Genre - fiction
Pages - 307
Format - paperback
It's the title and the cover of the book which made me to pick it up and from the title it's very much clear that the book is about the villains of the Bollywood.
Read the book to know about the various negative roles like cunning relatives, crimes done by gangsters, corrupt police, psychological murders etc.
The cover of the book is aptly designed, engaging and informative. The author has very well narrated the evolution of villains in Bollywood.
Language used is simple and lucid. The flow of the book is well paced.
Hats off to the author for his research work on Badman of Bollywood and he has written in such a manner that it seems to be watching a movie.
Overall, an entertaining read.
Rating - 4.8/5
I recommend this book to all specially to Bollywood lovers out there.
Author - Balaji Vittal
Publisher - Harper Collins
Genre - fiction
Pages - 307
Format - paperback
It's the title and the cover of the book which made me to pick it up and from the title it's very much clear that the book is about the villains of the Bollywood.
Read the book to know about the various negative roles like cunning relatives, crimes done by gangsters, corrupt police, psychological murders etc.
The cover of the book is aptly designed, engaging and informative. The author has very well narrated the evolution of villains in Bollywood.
Language used is simple and lucid. The flow of the book is well paced.
Hats off to the author for his research work on Badman of Bollywood and he has written in such a manner that it seems to be watching a movie.
Overall, an entertaining read.
Rating - 4.8/5
I recommend this book to all specially to Bollywood lovers out there.
April 4, 2022
This book is truly a masterpiece.
Well researched.
Beautifully written.
Well structured.
This book took me back to the movies of my childhood, movies in which the actors who were later seen as the heroes, actually played villains. It has big names and it also covers the small time villains.
Usually a book such as this one works on the chronology, but this book works on the types of villains. It talks about how the villains evolved in Bollywood, the difference between the Indian and the Amreekan villain, the different kinds of villains and the different ways of being one. It also talks about the different ways a villain can come into a movie, ie the different characters that can be assigned to a villain.
I have made a list of movies that I have already seen but would now see them in a different perspective and some which I have not seen. But most of them are the old ones.
A must, must read.
Well researched.
Beautifully written.
Well structured.
This book took me back to the movies of my childhood, movies in which the actors who were later seen as the heroes, actually played villains. It has big names and it also covers the small time villains.
Usually a book such as this one works on the chronology, but this book works on the types of villains. It talks about how the villains evolved in Bollywood, the difference between the Indian and the Amreekan villain, the different kinds of villains and the different ways of being one. It also talks about the different ways a villain can come into a movie, ie the different characters that can be assigned to a villain.
I have made a list of movies that I have already seen but would now see them in a different perspective and some which I have not seen. But most of them are the old ones.
A must, must read.
December 14, 2021
The 1970s saw a particular genre of cinema. These were neither overly commercial. Nor something which nobody understood, including the makers. Called the middle-of-the-road variety, these films appealed to basic human sensibilities without appearing conspicuously dramatic.
The same principle could be applied to Balaji Vittal's dissertation on the 'Bad men and women in Hindi cinema.' Unlike most books catering to the junta, it is not a collection of unverified wiki-driven bullets. And despite having an implicit academic bent, it does not bore the reader. The language used is simple, and the stories, relevant, most of them, are told interestingly. Dry humour does make its presence felt on multiple occasions. Most importantly, the book addresses an oft-ignored area - how the definition of the villain in Hindi cinema changed with the times. The segmentation is done in all seriousness, helping the reader identify with the changing values, the process of evolution, the societal response to the same, and how it inspired filmmakers down the ages.
As much as it would sound like a book fiercely focussed on academics, the book has enough backstories which make the reading fun. These are not google sourced stories. These are the result of exclusive interviews which the author has conducted over a span of 10 years or more. That is the major takeaway from the book, one that shall find a place of honor in film school libraries. Surely.
The same principle could be applied to Balaji Vittal's dissertation on the 'Bad men and women in Hindi cinema.' Unlike most books catering to the junta, it is not a collection of unverified wiki-driven bullets. And despite having an implicit academic bent, it does not bore the reader. The language used is simple, and the stories, relevant, most of them, are told interestingly. Dry humour does make its presence felt on multiple occasions. Most importantly, the book addresses an oft-ignored area - how the definition of the villain in Hindi cinema changed with the times. The segmentation is done in all seriousness, helping the reader identify with the changing values, the process of evolution, the societal response to the same, and how it inspired filmmakers down the ages.
As much as it would sound like a book fiercely focussed on academics, the book has enough backstories which make the reading fun. These are not google sourced stories. These are the result of exclusive interviews which the author has conducted over a span of 10 years or more. That is the major takeaway from the book, one that shall find a place of honor in film school libraries. Surely.
December 12, 2021
A tribute to villains in Hindi Cinema, PURE EVIL is extensively researched and beautifully crafted. The book is well structured. It's divided into several sections, each dedicated to villains of a particular category. These are broken down further into chapters that highlight the variety of negative characters within each genre. Filled with anecdotes and insights from cinema experts, the book is not only informative but also a delightful read. I loved it ❤. This book is a must-read👍.
December 12, 2021
Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood by Balaji Vittal
Salute to the esteemed published author Balaji Vittal for his outstanding Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood. Kudos to the extensive research and well constructed stories and anecdotes of the immortal evil men and women of Bollywood. He has thoughtfully divided the book into numerous chapters and each of those chapters are as entertaining and informative as ever !! A must read for all lovers of cinema. My best wishes to you Balaji :)
May 12, 2022
If you're also filmy like me then you might also be wondering how this all started. The start of Indian cinema, first Indian movie, the struggle behind shooting it and more importantly coming up with the idea to make a movie, first of all! Who would have thought that our Indian cinema would come this far and achieve so much!
This book is definitely for you If you want to know the history of Indian cinema, the rise of movie industry and what impact it created on people in those times.
It talks about the 1920s era and how it had shaped our Indian film industry, The making of the villain and how censor board criticized the films. In those days, the movies were a means to deliver a social message which can reach to the attention of maximum people.
A few films like 'Duniya na maane' which was released in 1937 which talks about the widow remarriage and 'Vinayak’s Brandy ki Botal' which was released in 1939 which talks about the rise in alcohol consumption.
In those times indian film industry was in its developing stage and faced a huge criticism from the censor board. The filmmakers, directors and writers had to go through a lot of difficulties to release their film, many a times the film also got banned by the censor board.
Films like 'Achhut' which was released in 1940 had a great social message to deliver and it caught the attention of many great leaders as well. 'Pagal' which was released in 1940 is said to be first movie on psychosis.
The book describes how our Indian films tries to portray the reality of our society like how rich exploited poor, misuse of power, mental and physical abuse on women, struggles of single parent and second marriage.
The writing is simple and easy for even a beginner. All i can say is that this book was fun to read, it was very insightful and a movie buff like me would love reading it.
The book describes how our Indian films tries to portray the reality of our society like how rich exploited poor, misuse of power, mental and physical abuse on women, struggles of single parent and second marriage. All i can say is that this book was fun to read, it was very insightful and a movie buff like me would love reading it.
This book is definitely for you If you want to know the history of Indian cinema, the rise of movie industry and what impact it created on people in those times.
It talks about the 1920s era and how it had shaped our Indian film industry, The making of the villain and how censor board criticized the films. In those days, the movies were a means to deliver a social message which can reach to the attention of maximum people.
A few films like 'Duniya na maane' which was released in 1937 which talks about the widow remarriage and 'Vinayak’s Brandy ki Botal' which was released in 1939 which talks about the rise in alcohol consumption.
In those times indian film industry was in its developing stage and faced a huge criticism from the censor board. The filmmakers, directors and writers had to go through a lot of difficulties to release their film, many a times the film also got banned by the censor board.
Films like 'Achhut' which was released in 1940 had a great social message to deliver and it caught the attention of many great leaders as well. 'Pagal' which was released in 1940 is said to be first movie on psychosis.
The book describes how our Indian films tries to portray the reality of our society like how rich exploited poor, misuse of power, mental and physical abuse on women, struggles of single parent and second marriage.
The writing is simple and easy for even a beginner. All i can say is that this book was fun to read, it was very insightful and a movie buff like me would love reading it.
The book describes how our Indian films tries to portray the reality of our society like how rich exploited poor, misuse of power, mental and physical abuse on women, struggles of single parent and second marriage. All i can say is that this book was fun to read, it was very insightful and a movie buff like me would love reading it.
March 29, 2022
Posing the question pertaining why the supposed villains fascinate each and every one of us is akin to asking why evil itself intrigues us.
There may be a variety of different reasons and if we take a deep look in to it, we will find that there is so much more to our continued interest in them than what meets the eyes.
Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood by Balaji Vittal is a fascinating take by the author about how these so called villains are not the villains in their own story and it is only a matter of perspective on how we look at them as well as the valuable lessons that we can all learn from their characters.
For all the movie fanatics, this book poses as a great take on to the untold and untouched area which most of us might have never heard of before, there by making us engrossed in the narration.
There are some of them who are just pure, downright evil with no redeeming quality whatsoever and then there are those who are just simply misguided or misjudged, hence the characterization and finding the thin line between good versus bad becomes difficult.
There was a time, an era when the villains from our movies were far more popular than the main protagonist, and just hearing their name would send a chill down the spine of many.
However, no matter their acclamation, these villains never really received their due credit, hence this book and the story serves as a great tribute to those characters who made us love the heroes. Hence I am going to give this book FIVE STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
There may be a variety of different reasons and if we take a deep look in to it, we will find that there is so much more to our continued interest in them than what meets the eyes.
Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood by Balaji Vittal is a fascinating take by the author about how these so called villains are not the villains in their own story and it is only a matter of perspective on how we look at them as well as the valuable lessons that we can all learn from their characters.
For all the movie fanatics, this book poses as a great take on to the untold and untouched area which most of us might have never heard of before, there by making us engrossed in the narration.
There are some of them who are just pure, downright evil with no redeeming quality whatsoever and then there are those who are just simply misguided or misjudged, hence the characterization and finding the thin line between good versus bad becomes difficult.
There was a time, an era when the villains from our movies were far more popular than the main protagonist, and just hearing their name would send a chill down the spine of many.
However, no matter their acclamation, these villains never really received their due credit, hence this book and the story serves as a great tribute to those characters who made us love the heroes. Hence I am going to give this book FIVE STARS ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
March 22, 2022
"Arey O Samba, kitne aadmi they?"
No matter in whichever generation you have born into, this famous dialogue delivered by one of the dreaded villains in the history of Bollywood will forever reverberate in the minds of the people.
The Bad Men of Bollywood is a tribute to all actors who enlivened that silver screen and made the heroes look good. This book is a complete package consisting of the chronological journey of the famous villains, their mindset, their impact on the audience and how as actors they grew to become stellar performers.
✒VERDICT
🥇Pros:
1) This book is an absolute delight for all the filmy buffs who will get a chance to take a trip down the memory lane and relive their favourite filmy moments.
2) I liked the unique concept presented by the author who went on to shed more light on the famous villains whom we always take for granted but they play a major role in glorifying our favourite heroes. The author also gave a psychological analysis regarding the behaviour of the villains and how they are relevant on the real life spectrum.
3) I liked the fact that the author touched upon the emotional aspect of catharsis which helps the viewers vent out their repressed feelings. This makes the role of villains all the more important.
4) Kudos to the author for including various real-life trivia, anecdotes and conversations between various actors and Bollywood personalities which added to the attraction of this book.
💫Overall, this book is highly recommended for all the Bollywood buffs who want to walk down the memory lane and enjoy the larger-than-life image of silver screen villains.
No matter in whichever generation you have born into, this famous dialogue delivered by one of the dreaded villains in the history of Bollywood will forever reverberate in the minds of the people.
The Bad Men of Bollywood is a tribute to all actors who enlivened that silver screen and made the heroes look good. This book is a complete package consisting of the chronological journey of the famous villains, their mindset, their impact on the audience and how as actors they grew to become stellar performers.
✒VERDICT
🥇Pros:
1) This book is an absolute delight for all the filmy buffs who will get a chance to take a trip down the memory lane and relive their favourite filmy moments.
2) I liked the unique concept presented by the author who went on to shed more light on the famous villains whom we always take for granted but they play a major role in glorifying our favourite heroes. The author also gave a psychological analysis regarding the behaviour of the villains and how they are relevant on the real life spectrum.
3) I liked the fact that the author touched upon the emotional aspect of catharsis which helps the viewers vent out their repressed feelings. This makes the role of villains all the more important.
4) Kudos to the author for including various real-life trivia, anecdotes and conversations between various actors and Bollywood personalities which added to the attraction of this book.
💫Overall, this book is highly recommended for all the Bollywood buffs who want to walk down the memory lane and enjoy the larger-than-life image of silver screen villains.
June 27, 2022
It is a very interesting book of one is looking for bollywwod movies recommendation based on their villains.
I liked how the author have classified the movies according to the types of villains we had in past. It must have taken a lot of reaserch and I really feel amazed by it.
The author have added a few minor interviews he had with the relatives of certain actor or director amd it gives a new insight on the making of the film. The dialogues of 90's films at the start of some chapters added the spice to the reading. One cannot just read a dialogue and not recall the character behind. The author chose wisely on these dialogues, the famous ones, the effective ones. One cannot help but recall the voice, the scene, the character behind the dialogue.
I am amzomed by the research done for the book again and again. The author have usually named the old time films but one can see the references of new ones too and the latest I noticed was of 2019.
The author also made a couple of pages for notes, references interview, critic from a newspaper, sharing the link etc.
All in all, it's a very through book though I felt like the last few chapters after the chapter of Don, were a drag.
I liked how the author have classified the movies according to the types of villains we had in past. It must have taken a lot of reaserch and I really feel amazed by it.
The author have added a few minor interviews he had with the relatives of certain actor or director amd it gives a new insight on the making of the film. The dialogues of 90's films at the start of some chapters added the spice to the reading. One cannot just read a dialogue and not recall the character behind. The author chose wisely on these dialogues, the famous ones, the effective ones. One cannot help but recall the voice, the scene, the character behind the dialogue.
I am amzomed by the research done for the book again and again. The author have usually named the old time films but one can see the references of new ones too and the latest I noticed was of 2019.
The author also made a couple of pages for notes, references interview, critic from a newspaper, sharing the link etc.
All in all, it's a very through book though I felt like the last few chapters after the chapter of Don, were a drag.
July 6, 2022
Pure evil: The bad man of Bollywood
From Amzad Khan as Gabbar(Sholay) to Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji(Padmaavat), from Amrish Puri as Mogambo(Mr. India) to Sharukh Khan as Rahul Mehra (Darr), Bollywood has given us the best and most memorable villains till now.
This book, PURE EVIL, written by Balaji Vittal, is a well-researched book based on all the iconic villains from decades past.
The author has portrayed the biographies of all the villains so well that it reminds us of our childhood when we used to watch those interesting nostalgic movies with our family.
The best part is that the author has not only written about iconic male antagonists but also about amazing female antagonists of Bollywood movies.
The book is a well-researched book about the grey characters that entertained us and gave us memorable moments with their fearful and exciting acting.
The language used is beginner-friendly.
And the book cover is good.
But the book is a page-turner, especially for all the movie buffs.
You can pick up this book without giving it a second thought.
From Amzad Khan as Gabbar(Sholay) to Ranveer Singh as Alauddin Khilji(Padmaavat), from Amrish Puri as Mogambo(Mr. India) to Sharukh Khan as Rahul Mehra (Darr), Bollywood has given us the best and most memorable villains till now.
This book, PURE EVIL, written by Balaji Vittal, is a well-researched book based on all the iconic villains from decades past.
The author has portrayed the biographies of all the villains so well that it reminds us of our childhood when we used to watch those interesting nostalgic movies with our family.
The best part is that the author has not only written about iconic male antagonists but also about amazing female antagonists of Bollywood movies.
The book is a well-researched book about the grey characters that entertained us and gave us memorable moments with their fearful and exciting acting.
The language used is beginner-friendly.
And the book cover is good.
But the book is a page-turner, especially for all the movie buffs.
You can pick up this book without giving it a second thought.
April 1, 2022
"There has to be Evil so that the Good can prove its purity above...... Gautama Buddha
This saying is perfect for the book Pure Evil by Balaji Vittal, . Our movies revolve around a plot that has a good guy (Hero) who is an angel and a bad guy (villian) who does all the bad only to showcase the goodness of our Hero. But the fact remains that there is no Hero without a Villian.
This book speaks about various villains characterized into different categories like terrorists, cunning relatives, smugglers betraying friends etc. Some iconic roles that have impacted the audience's mind for a long time has been highlighted. The author has tried to cover all these ruthless monsters from 1940s till date which shows the intense research done by him.
The anecdotes included makes the read an interesting one. Since I have a fascination towards the "Bad Guy" this was an engrossing read for me. I have added some of the movies to my list to be watched later. The good narration , lucid language and the attractive cover sums up to make the book an enjoyable read.
Overall a treat to movies buffs....
This saying is perfect for the book Pure Evil by Balaji Vittal, . Our movies revolve around a plot that has a good guy (Hero) who is an angel and a bad guy (villian) who does all the bad only to showcase the goodness of our Hero. But the fact remains that there is no Hero without a Villian.
This book speaks about various villains characterized into different categories like terrorists, cunning relatives, smugglers betraying friends etc. Some iconic roles that have impacted the audience's mind for a long time has been highlighted. The author has tried to cover all these ruthless monsters from 1940s till date which shows the intense research done by him.
The anecdotes included makes the read an interesting one. Since I have a fascination towards the "Bad Guy" this was an engrossing read for me. I have added some of the movies to my list to be watched later. The good narration , lucid language and the attractive cover sums up to make the book an enjoyable read.
Overall a treat to movies buffs....
March 29, 2022
Honestly am not a cinematic book reader......but this time I really become a big fan of these and I wanna read more cinematic books now. This book is beyond my expectations.
In movies , apart from hero and heroine there is a very interesting & important character whom we say Villen. They make the movie more realistic. I must say author Balaji ji made a good research . Beautifully Portrayed all the villens from black and white days to colour cinema days. The book title itself is enough to draw attention of readers. Each & every chapter is very informative also easy to understand about our favorite villen characters. Firstly I searched for gabbar as I'm a big fan of 'sholey'.
So overall I really enjoyed reading this book. Strongly recommend for cinema lovers.
In movies , apart from hero and heroine there is a very interesting & important character whom we say Villen. They make the movie more realistic. I must say author Balaji ji made a good research . Beautifully Portrayed all the villens from black and white days to colour cinema days. The book title itself is enough to draw attention of readers. Each & every chapter is very informative also easy to understand about our favorite villen characters. Firstly I searched for gabbar as I'm a big fan of 'sholey'.
So overall I really enjoyed reading this book. Strongly recommend for cinema lovers.
May 13, 2022
This book turned out to be something really amazing.
.
Pure Evil brings into limelight the infamous villains of Hindi Cinema. We are often so busy focusing on the heros that we forget to talk about the villains whi make these heros.
In this book, we get to see the ideas behind making of a villian. Starting from a pre-independence era when the villans were the British till the present era of villains, how time and meaning and portrayal of villian in a movie a changed, has been very beautifully captured by the author.
.
I was so excited the entire time while reading this book. I kept highlighting the names of various movies mentioned in book, I am definitely going to watch them. I really liked how the author included a few back stories related to some movies and some characters, it was really fun to read.
.
Anyone who enjoys watching movie, this book is a must for you.
.
Pure Evil brings into limelight the infamous villains of Hindi Cinema. We are often so busy focusing on the heros that we forget to talk about the villains whi make these heros.
In this book, we get to see the ideas behind making of a villian. Starting from a pre-independence era when the villans were the British till the present era of villains, how time and meaning and portrayal of villian in a movie a changed, has been very beautifully captured by the author.
.
I was so excited the entire time while reading this book. I kept highlighting the names of various movies mentioned in book, I am definitely going to watch them. I really liked how the author included a few back stories related to some movies and some characters, it was really fun to read.
.
Anyone who enjoys watching movie, this book is a must for you.
June 6, 2022
Villains are bad and evils, but has an important role in a movie to run. In this book the author brought some of the Bollywood's most evil figures together and talks about how the portrayal of the villains in movies has changed during the times. What's more interesting in this book is the author chose appropriate films to describe the villainous roles played by specific actors. We can understand by reading how the author has done a really good job by writing a detailed version of this book by researching perfectly. It was a fresh and an entertaining read. This book is a new of it's kind.
March 20, 2022
Title of book- Pure evil, the bad men of bollywood.
Written by- Balaji Vittal
Rating- 5/5
We always talks about hero but never about villian. But villain plays a important role in every story. This book talks about our famous Bollywood villians. About their life journey. They have done several famous movies and we remember them till now. They are evergreen. Some famous Bollywood villians are Gabbar, Prem Chopra, and many more.
Overall I love to read this book. Book language is easy to understand. Book cover is attractive and relatable. Book title is so interesting that's why I picked it to read.
I personally recommend you to read this book. You will feel enjoyable and engaged in whole book.
Written by- Balaji Vittal
Rating- 5/5
We always talks about hero but never about villian. But villain plays a important role in every story. This book talks about our famous Bollywood villians. About their life journey. They have done several famous movies and we remember them till now. They are evergreen. Some famous Bollywood villians are Gabbar, Prem Chopra, and many more.
Overall I love to read this book. Book language is easy to understand. Book cover is attractive and relatable. Book title is so interesting that's why I picked it to read.
I personally recommend you to read this book. You will feel enjoyable and engaged in whole book.
April 12, 2022
Meticulously researched, artistically written. A reading pleasure.
January 9, 2022
“Who is the bad in this story?” This used to be the first question that my then 5-yr old son would ask when being told a story. When asked why he would say: “The goods (his word for the protagonist) are boring. The bads don’t follow any rules. They are interesting.” Now that I think about it, even at that age he understood the importance of an antagonist in any story.
The heroes/ good men triumph and become who they are - because of these antagonists. Not surprising then, that antagonists are pivotal to any story. More so in movies, especially Hindi movies, where the heroes come alive and become the heroes because of the onscreen villains. And some of these villains have been iconic - entertaining and memorable. Take for example Pran, the legendary villain of the 50s and 60s. For more than two decades, Indians stayed away from naming their kids Pran, all because of the sheer terror he unleashed in the movies back then.
Balaji Vittal’s insightful book, Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood delves deep into the evolution of villains in Hindi cinema. Backed by thorough research, the book is neatly structured, as it categorises the villains into different types - be it evil foreigners, traitors, cunning zamindars, evil relatives, smugglers, mafia and terrorists are all analysed with many examples provided. The evolution of the genre and the depiction of these types is set against the socio-political context of the country and we get a glimpse of how India has changed.
The book is a must-read because of its research, well-thought out structure and, oh yes, the delightful trivia. What the book needed was sharp editing and proofing to make it crisper and error-free.
The heroes/ good men triumph and become who they are - because of these antagonists. Not surprising then, that antagonists are pivotal to any story. More so in movies, especially Hindi movies, where the heroes come alive and become the heroes because of the onscreen villains. And some of these villains have been iconic - entertaining and memorable. Take for example Pran, the legendary villain of the 50s and 60s. For more than two decades, Indians stayed away from naming their kids Pran, all because of the sheer terror he unleashed in the movies back then.
Balaji Vittal’s insightful book, Pure Evil: The Bad Men of Bollywood delves deep into the evolution of villains in Hindi cinema. Backed by thorough research, the book is neatly structured, as it categorises the villains into different types - be it evil foreigners, traitors, cunning zamindars, evil relatives, smugglers, mafia and terrorists are all analysed with many examples provided. The evolution of the genre and the depiction of these types is set against the socio-political context of the country and we get a glimpse of how India has changed.
The book is a must-read because of its research, well-thought out structure and, oh yes, the delightful trivia. What the book needed was sharp editing and proofing to make it crisper and error-free.
April 20, 2022
Why do villains fascinate us? Because they needn’t follow any rules, whereas the hero always needs to play by the book.
In 'Pure Evil (The Bad Men of Bollywood)', the author Balaji Vittal encompasses the evolution of the villains and vamps of bollywood films with deep research and insights from the bollywood industry, and pays a homage to all these films and characters.
The book cover is compelling enough to pick this one up as it features the baddest villains of all-time from Bollywood. Even though I haven't watched all the movies covered in the book, it's such a great experience to get to know about the films and the development of certain characters. The book is highly interesting and not at one point does it bore the reader, because we all will recognise one villain or the other, that's mentioned in the book.
This book is the result of extensive research and over 50 interviews of the actors, script-writers, filmmakers and other individuals associated with the film industry. In conversational style of writing, the book is a delight to read and exceptionally a must-read for movie buffs and anyone who needs an insight on the antagonists of the bollywood films right from the start till now.
In 'Pure Evil (The Bad Men of Bollywood)', the author Balaji Vittal encompasses the evolution of the villains and vamps of bollywood films with deep research and insights from the bollywood industry, and pays a homage to all these films and characters.
The book cover is compelling enough to pick this one up as it features the baddest villains of all-time from Bollywood. Even though I haven't watched all the movies covered in the book, it's such a great experience to get to know about the films and the development of certain characters. The book is highly interesting and not at one point does it bore the reader, because we all will recognise one villain or the other, that's mentioned in the book.
This book is the result of extensive research and over 50 interviews of the actors, script-writers, filmmakers and other individuals associated with the film industry. In conversational style of writing, the book is a delight to read and exceptionally a must-read for movie buffs and anyone who needs an insight on the antagonists of the bollywood films right from the start till now.
December 29, 2021
All human beings are capable of being good or evil. A certain moral code of one’s own, or the restraints that society places on our actions, may ensure that most of us stay on the straight and the narrow. This extends to our viewing of films – we shudder at the evil the villains unleash; we applaud the hero for overcoming the villain; we root for the triumph of good over evil. Or, at least, we did.
As Hindi cinema progressed and villains changed from the local goon or the devious moneylender to larger-than-life characters, we began to celebrate them. Or how else could you explain the fact that ‘Gabbar Singh’, the dreaded dacoit whose name was “used by mothers to frighten their recalcitrant children into going to sleep”, was also selling Brittania Glucose biscuits targeted at that very same demographic?
This unique evolution of villainy in Hindi cinema is the subject of national award-winning author, Balaji Vittal’s new book – Pure Evil – The Bad Men of Bollywood.
There is a wealth of information in this book, backed by solid research and validated by multiple sources. The personal anecdotes, behind-the-scenes trivia, untold stories of unknown men – all these can only begin to fill the serious lacunae in the written records of our cinematic history.
With a foreword by director Sriram Raghavan, Vittal quickly moves on to chronicling the changing faces of villainy through the journey of Hindi cinema beginning with the 1920s until the present day.
Divided into categories – colonizers and foreign villains; backstabbers and scheming relatives/friends; zamindars and dacoits; outlaws, rebels and more – Pure Evil traverses a panoply of villains who inhabit/inhabited the world of Hindi cinema, even if it skews towards the male of the species. Vittal skilfully weaves in the history of each category, the first time this category appears on screen, and provides examples of each, even as he introduces us to what he terms ‘rogues’ gallery’ of villainy. The language is simple and the narration, interesting.
Vittal also tries to weave in India’s changing socio-economic landscape with the changes in the faces of evil, how one informs the other, and how the latter often reflects – and sometimes, even imitates – the real. In this, he’s only partially successful, not being able to weave the various threads into a cohesive tapestry that can inform us of the whys.
I understand the desire to offer lesser-known villains their place in cinematic history, and it is indeed admirable that the focus is not only on the most iconic of screen villains, but the ambition overclouds the narrative – when each chapter reads like a roll call of villains, it becomes hard to focus on what that chapter seeks to achieve.
There’s also a lack of interest in the female of the species – while he refers to a few of them, they are not as deeply analysed as their male counterparts (indeed, the book’s title precludes their involvement).
There are a couple of other points that – to me, at least – mar this otherwise fine addition to my library of books on film. Perhaps this is a professional handicap (I’m an editor by profession), but why does Vittal have an over-fondness for ellipses (even in headlines)? Why is there a verb-tense disagreement so often, and why is Vittal so fond of using the third person, when a personal pronoun is a better alternative? For instance, there’s a passage where Vittal is quoting actor Danny: “In a fight scene between Ajit sahib and Feroz Khan, Feroze Khan kicked Ajit sahib in the face. But Ajit sahib did not react in time, and the shoe caught Ajit sahib on the eye, causing an injury.” (Pg. 132) There are three ‘Ajit sahibs’ too many in that sentence.
This is not the only instance where this occurs, and it is seriously disturbing because the awkward construction of the sentences takes away from the point that the author is trying to make.
Then, there are some strange editorial choices – of picking quotes to highlight, when that very same sentence appears just below the quote, leaving the reader with the impression of sentences being duplicated. It is distracting and avoidable. And as always, it would appear that there’s a severe lack of good proof-readers in the publishing world. The errors aren’t too egregious, or too many, but they are there, and they are irritating.
But these are just minor peeves. Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives. Vittal’s writing style is conversational, not academic, and this makes it easier for the average film fan who may turn away from a more serious manuscript. But well-researched and well-written books on cinema are rare, and Pure Evil can also serve as a reference tome to any serious student of cinema. With film historians, directors, actors et al weighing in, this book is a well-deserved tribute to our on-screen villains.
(A longer version of this review is available on my blog here.
As Hindi cinema progressed and villains changed from the local goon or the devious moneylender to larger-than-life characters, we began to celebrate them. Or how else could you explain the fact that ‘Gabbar Singh’, the dreaded dacoit whose name was “used by mothers to frighten their recalcitrant children into going to sleep”, was also selling Brittania Glucose biscuits targeted at that very same demographic?
This unique evolution of villainy in Hindi cinema is the subject of national award-winning author, Balaji Vittal’s new book – Pure Evil – The Bad Men of Bollywood.
There is a wealth of information in this book, backed by solid research and validated by multiple sources. The personal anecdotes, behind-the-scenes trivia, untold stories of unknown men – all these can only begin to fill the serious lacunae in the written records of our cinematic history.
With a foreword by director Sriram Raghavan, Vittal quickly moves on to chronicling the changing faces of villainy through the journey of Hindi cinema beginning with the 1920s until the present day.
Divided into categories – colonizers and foreign villains; backstabbers and scheming relatives/friends; zamindars and dacoits; outlaws, rebels and more – Pure Evil traverses a panoply of villains who inhabit/inhabited the world of Hindi cinema, even if it skews towards the male of the species. Vittal skilfully weaves in the history of each category, the first time this category appears on screen, and provides examples of each, even as he introduces us to what he terms ‘rogues’ gallery’ of villainy. The language is simple and the narration, interesting.
Vittal also tries to weave in India’s changing socio-economic landscape with the changes in the faces of evil, how one informs the other, and how the latter often reflects – and sometimes, even imitates – the real. In this, he’s only partially successful, not being able to weave the various threads into a cohesive tapestry that can inform us of the whys.
I understand the desire to offer lesser-known villains their place in cinematic history, and it is indeed admirable that the focus is not only on the most iconic of screen villains, but the ambition overclouds the narrative – when each chapter reads like a roll call of villains, it becomes hard to focus on what that chapter seeks to achieve.
There’s also a lack of interest in the female of the species – while he refers to a few of them, they are not as deeply analysed as their male counterparts (indeed, the book’s title precludes their involvement).
There are a couple of other points that – to me, at least – mar this otherwise fine addition to my library of books on film. Perhaps this is a professional handicap (I’m an editor by profession), but why does Vittal have an over-fondness for ellipses (even in headlines)? Why is there a verb-tense disagreement so often, and why is Vittal so fond of using the third person, when a personal pronoun is a better alternative? For instance, there’s a passage where Vittal is quoting actor Danny: “In a fight scene between Ajit sahib and Feroz Khan, Feroze Khan kicked Ajit sahib in the face. But Ajit sahib did not react in time, and the shoe caught Ajit sahib on the eye, causing an injury.” (Pg. 132) There are three ‘Ajit sahibs’ too many in that sentence.
This is not the only instance where this occurs, and it is seriously disturbing because the awkward construction of the sentences takes away from the point that the author is trying to make.
Then, there are some strange editorial choices – of picking quotes to highlight, when that very same sentence appears just below the quote, leaving the reader with the impression of sentences being duplicated. It is distracting and avoidable. And as always, it would appear that there’s a severe lack of good proof-readers in the publishing world. The errors aren’t too egregious, or too many, but they are there, and they are irritating.
But these are just minor peeves. Overall, the positives outweigh the negatives. Vittal’s writing style is conversational, not academic, and this makes it easier for the average film fan who may turn away from a more serious manuscript. But well-researched and well-written books on cinema are rare, and Pure Evil can also serve as a reference tome to any serious student of cinema. With film historians, directors, actors et al weighing in, this book is a well-deserved tribute to our on-screen villains.
(A longer version of this review is available on my blog here.
May 31, 2022
We all love to watch movies, that too Bollywood movies having super heroes and extraordinary villains. We all see a story between a hero and a villain. Its like a battle with something good and bad. But we forget to see or think behind the scenes of those pure evils which are having a good heart yet revealed as a bad. On the other hand, we all get fascinated with those villains too. Because villains never follow rules and secretly we would like it too.
This book "Pure Evil" of Balaji's shows us that how the modern era gave birth to different villains, how the image and the nature of the villain have been changed with time. It includes research and love to the movies, especially to the one who wants to explore movies like students, readers, anyone who is interested in Bollywood and much stories behind, a deep understanding of what makes our villains so alluring.
The language used is easy to comprehend. And I can say who love movies and who wants to know more or so crazy about Indian cinema will enjoy this book fully. I used to make a note of Hindi movies to watch it whenever I found time. I always would like to watch 90's movies but this book made me to mark so much fascinating movies of 70's and 80's. "Sholey" is the exception that I watched many times as it is a favorite of my dad. He used to take this movie as example whenever we watch new movies. I recalled all those stories by this book.
Such a wonderful research by the author, the interest and the good heart to expose all about those bad men behind the screen's actual face to the world is truly appreciable. This book also touches all anti-heroes and foreign villains too. A few iconic villain roles covered in depth are no longer with us but this book made to rethink of those. It is actually about the history and development of Villains in movies. It is also a documentation of the changing political and social scenario of India. From British to zamindari's, gangsters and mafia's how they played the role of Villain that is presented in Indian cinema was elaborated nicely by the author. And I am impressed with the dedication of this book to all the doctors and para medics who serve them and the classification of them in the content also unique.
A delightful read to know all about the bad men in Indian cinema's which can be recommended to have a fun filled informative read to get engaged fully.
This book "Pure Evil" of Balaji's shows us that how the modern era gave birth to different villains, how the image and the nature of the villain have been changed with time. It includes research and love to the movies, especially to the one who wants to explore movies like students, readers, anyone who is interested in Bollywood and much stories behind, a deep understanding of what makes our villains so alluring.
The language used is easy to comprehend. And I can say who love movies and who wants to know more or so crazy about Indian cinema will enjoy this book fully. I used to make a note of Hindi movies to watch it whenever I found time. I always would like to watch 90's movies but this book made me to mark so much fascinating movies of 70's and 80's. "Sholey" is the exception that I watched many times as it is a favorite of my dad. He used to take this movie as example whenever we watch new movies. I recalled all those stories by this book.
Such a wonderful research by the author, the interest and the good heart to expose all about those bad men behind the screen's actual face to the world is truly appreciable. This book also touches all anti-heroes and foreign villains too. A few iconic villain roles covered in depth are no longer with us but this book made to rethink of those. It is actually about the history and development of Villains in movies. It is also a documentation of the changing political and social scenario of India. From British to zamindari's, gangsters and mafia's how they played the role of Villain that is presented in Indian cinema was elaborated nicely by the author. And I am impressed with the dedication of this book to all the doctors and para medics who serve them and the classification of them in the content also unique.
A delightful read to know all about the bad men in Indian cinema's which can be recommended to have a fun filled informative read to get engaged fully.
May 14, 2022
“Have foreigner villains exhausted their ideas? What novel villainy can they now conceive of? What about an invisible, man- made virus in a laboratory in China that is contagious enough to bring India’s social and economic machinery to a halt?”
.
Over the decades, the Bollywood Hindi cinema has presented us with wide variety of entertainment channels through its story plots, unforgettable heroes, commendable acts and evergreen music. Did I miss something? Oh! Yes, the horrified infamous villains of Bollywood definitely. They had been contributing greatly in shaping the largest entertainment source of the country.
Pure Evil is one-of-a-kind repositories of the evil roles played by the talented actors since the Indian Cinema came into existence. It not only elaborated their roles, but also the whole background/idea of choosing the scripts and everything little things associated with it. It showed proper hierarchy and chronology of the changes that had been incorporated in the characters with the demand of the situation. One would witness drastic modifications in their portrayal. The different categories of the negative roles in the cinema has also been highlighted.
.
This is a gem of a thing for the fans as well as critics of Bollywood to perfectly absorb and analyse the vast insights. Antagonists are equally important as the protagonists and this has been smoothly expressed in this book. And honestly, I believe they serve as more impactful character than the heroes, and deserves more hype.
This is a well extensive researched book including every little detail such as dialogs, movie names tagged with timelines, behind the scene chaos, its success and the repercussions as well. I personally loved the highlights that made the read captivating. With an impressive coverpage and contents, the book would definitely pave its way through the majority of audience.
.
Over the decades, the Bollywood Hindi cinema has presented us with wide variety of entertainment channels through its story plots, unforgettable heroes, commendable acts and evergreen music. Did I miss something? Oh! Yes, the horrified infamous villains of Bollywood definitely. They had been contributing greatly in shaping the largest entertainment source of the country.
Pure Evil is one-of-a-kind repositories of the evil roles played by the talented actors since the Indian Cinema came into existence. It not only elaborated their roles, but also the whole background/idea of choosing the scripts and everything little things associated with it. It showed proper hierarchy and chronology of the changes that had been incorporated in the characters with the demand of the situation. One would witness drastic modifications in their portrayal. The different categories of the negative roles in the cinema has also been highlighted.
.
This is a gem of a thing for the fans as well as critics of Bollywood to perfectly absorb and analyse the vast insights. Antagonists are equally important as the protagonists and this has been smoothly expressed in this book. And honestly, I believe they serve as more impactful character than the heroes, and deserves more hype.
This is a well extensive researched book including every little detail such as dialogs, movie names tagged with timelines, behind the scene chaos, its success and the repercussions as well. I personally loved the highlights that made the read captivating. With an impressive coverpage and contents, the book would definitely pave its way through the majority of audience.
June 14, 2022
"𝑊ℎ𝑦 𝑑𝑜 𝑣𝑖𝑙𝑙𝑖𝑎𝑛𝑠 𝑓𝑎𝑠𝑐𝑖𝑛𝑎𝑡𝑒 𝑢𝑠? 𝐵𝑒𝑐𝑎𝑢𝑠𝑒 𝑡ℎ𝑒𝑦 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑛'𝑡 𝑓𝑜𝑙𝑙𝑜𝑤 𝑎𝑛𝑦 𝑟𝑢𝑙𝑒𝑠.....𝑊ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑠 𝑡ℎ𝑒 ℎ𝑒𝑟𝑜𝑒𝑠 𝑎𝑙𝑤𝑎𝑦𝑠 𝑛𝑒𝑒𝑑𝑠 𝑡𝑜 𝑝𝑙𝑎𝑦 𝑏𝑦 𝑡ℎ𝑒 𝑏𝑜𝑜𝑘"
In each and every movie we watch, the hero is loved and the villian is loathed. But do we know that it's the villians that gives the hero the limelight. It's the villians and their actions in the movies that makes us remember them even today. And a book that compiles all the dangerous and snarky villians of Bollywood is a cherry on top.
I remember watching Sholay with my family and later acting as Gabbar, reciting his infamous lines "Kitneyy aadmi the......". I remember Mogambo from Mr.India and his punch line "Mogambo Khush Hua". Indeed these villlians made bollywood movies much much better.
Starting from the villians of pre independent and post independent era, the unpleasant foreigners and terrorists, the book goes on describing the villians within the family (the scheming relatives, the backstabbing friends), the zamindars, smugglers and dacoits, the psychotic and serial killers an the mafias. The book delves into different types of villians giving a brief history of each type and then moving forward to give a descriptive view of each.
The book talks about some amazing villians Bollywood has given us since it's inception. The book delves into the fact that how the changing face of India both social and political reflected in the storyline as well as the villians of the movies. The book is a delightful read about those villians without whom the movies would be bland. Although we loathe these villlians, but we can't deny the fact that we will always remain in awe with their performance and without them we would have not enjoyed the movies.
I loved everything about this book, from the writing style, the description of the villians to the anecdotes about the evil men of Bollywood.
In each and every movie we watch, the hero is loved and the villian is loathed. But do we know that it's the villians that gives the hero the limelight. It's the villians and their actions in the movies that makes us remember them even today. And a book that compiles all the dangerous and snarky villians of Bollywood is a cherry on top.
I remember watching Sholay with my family and later acting as Gabbar, reciting his infamous lines "Kitneyy aadmi the......". I remember Mogambo from Mr.India and his punch line "Mogambo Khush Hua". Indeed these villlians made bollywood movies much much better.
Starting from the villians of pre independent and post independent era, the unpleasant foreigners and terrorists, the book goes on describing the villians within the family (the scheming relatives, the backstabbing friends), the zamindars, smugglers and dacoits, the psychotic and serial killers an the mafias. The book delves into different types of villians giving a brief history of each type and then moving forward to give a descriptive view of each.
The book talks about some amazing villians Bollywood has given us since it's inception. The book delves into the fact that how the changing face of India both social and political reflected in the storyline as well as the villians of the movies. The book is a delightful read about those villians without whom the movies would be bland. Although we loathe these villlians, but we can't deny the fact that we will always remain in awe with their performance and without them we would have not enjoyed the movies.
I loved everything about this book, from the writing style, the description of the villians to the anecdotes about the evil men of Bollywood.
May 21, 2022
Movies are one of the most impactful sources of our entertainment that’s why everyone wants to know about the characters and people behind them. If you love to watch movies and if any movie from Bollywood ever made you cry, emotional, romantic, guilty, etc. this book is for you. This book contains descriptions of characters and behind stories and why this book's name is Pure evil. Here, the author has talked about how negative characters are written in Indian cinema impactfully that after decades also people have remembered them. To make any movie evergreen, the villain has also played the main role, like in Sholey, Mr. India, etc.
This book started with those movies which were released before 1947 and on the censor board, we had British people. From Bhagat Singh to Razzi how movies have portrayed a community or a country as villains, is explained very nicely in this book.
Even in love triangle how movies have shown someone as a villain and how sometimes our protagonist itself is a villain like in movies Saudagar and Johny Gaddar, Don, Don 2, Pati Patni Aur Woh. How female characters were written with different characters and how they go against someone with motives or be with someone to take revenge is just mind-blowing. Movies like Jewel Thief, Prem Pujari, Dum Maro Dum, Andhadhun, etc. stories are written in this book. Do read this book to learn about many Bollywood myths and to know which Hollywood movies have influenced our Bollywood and its characters. I personally like the actor's experiences with their own characters. The author has collected all statements said by Actors who played villains or the sidekick of the movie. Those experiences and how they felt while shooting was the one of the centre of attraction in this book.
This book started with those movies which were released before 1947 and on the censor board, we had British people. From Bhagat Singh to Razzi how movies have portrayed a community or a country as villains, is explained very nicely in this book.
Even in love triangle how movies have shown someone as a villain and how sometimes our protagonist itself is a villain like in movies Saudagar and Johny Gaddar, Don, Don 2, Pati Patni Aur Woh. How female characters were written with different characters and how they go against someone with motives or be with someone to take revenge is just mind-blowing. Movies like Jewel Thief, Prem Pujari, Dum Maro Dum, Andhadhun, etc. stories are written in this book. Do read this book to learn about many Bollywood myths and to know which Hollywood movies have influenced our Bollywood and its characters. I personally like the actor's experiences with their own characters. The author has collected all statements said by Actors who played villains or the sidekick of the movie. Those experiences and how they felt while shooting was the one of the centre of attraction in this book.
March 31, 2022
"Mogambo Khush Hua" this dialogue still gives the same thrill after 35 years. For decades, Hindi movies have entertained audiences with stories of heroes slaying villains to save their loved ones.
These evil men are nasty and terrifying, yet their aura is admirable. With the passing years, there has been a massive change in portraying the characteristics of Villains in Bollywood movies.
And through his book "Pure Evil-The bad men of Bollywood," "Balaji Vittal" explained the evolution of antagonists in Hindi movies. The author chronically described the change in the character arc of villains from wicked foreign colonizers, lusty moneylenders, professionally corrupt, psychotic lovers like Sharukh Khan in Darr, etc.
I am surprised to see the author's deep research on Hindi Cinema; he covers all the aspects like plot requirements, raw emotions, and facial expressions needed to craft an influential and unforgettable antagonist in the movie. Various movie references, directors working techniques, and famous Bollywood evil men's interviews are like icing on the cake.
I loved how the author supports and explains each type of villain's characterization with ample movie examples. He not only talked about male antagonists but also talked about the female Villains, from sexy mafias to wicked mothers-in-law.
The language and narration of the book are simple and easy to understand, and I thoroughly loved the book. After finishing this book, I am craving to watch the 80's Hindi Bollywood movies mentioned in the book. If you are a Bollywood movie buff like me, you will love this well-researched book talking about unforgettable villains of Bollywood.
These evil men are nasty and terrifying, yet their aura is admirable. With the passing years, there has been a massive change in portraying the characteristics of Villains in Bollywood movies.
And through his book "Pure Evil-The bad men of Bollywood," "Balaji Vittal" explained the evolution of antagonists in Hindi movies. The author chronically described the change in the character arc of villains from wicked foreign colonizers, lusty moneylenders, professionally corrupt, psychotic lovers like Sharukh Khan in Darr, etc.
I am surprised to see the author's deep research on Hindi Cinema; he covers all the aspects like plot requirements, raw emotions, and facial expressions needed to craft an influential and unforgettable antagonist in the movie. Various movie references, directors working techniques, and famous Bollywood evil men's interviews are like icing on the cake.
I loved how the author supports and explains each type of villain's characterization with ample movie examples. He not only talked about male antagonists but also talked about the female Villains, from sexy mafias to wicked mothers-in-law.
The language and narration of the book are simple and easy to understand, and I thoroughly loved the book. After finishing this book, I am craving to watch the 80's Hindi Bollywood movies mentioned in the book. If you are a Bollywood movie buff like me, you will love this well-researched book talking about unforgettable villains of Bollywood.
May 11, 2022
Everybody who comes to act in Bollywood movies, they want to become a hero - nobody wants to be portrayed as a villain but then, there come some actors who are exceptionally talented - so much so that they win our hearts by performing very heart-touching role, sometimes terrifying and downright evil - this is what this book is about - it contains many actors and actresses from Bollywood movies who performed their best and left a benchmark - casted a shadow on their audience's hearts and minds.
It happens sometimes in your life that you want to read these kinds of books and I was grateful that they exist and try to strike a chord with us that we don’t even know if we possess or not. A powerful read for me.
The book teaches very smoothly about how these personalities deal with their inner goals and pave the way to achieve them all, even if the roles are negative and not many people will act on them.
There are many brilliant words of wisdom that draw on a vast array of stories with examples, from literature to history, to philosophy. This book is a good start for anyone to arm yourself with ancient wisdom and a pool of knowledge about many villains in Bollywood movies and cinema.
We all are capable of doing powerful things in our lives. Powerful and meaningful. In order to never have a day without a purpose, we must know when it is time to start pursuing a goal, and when it is time to stop.
What I loved about this book and what it taught me was - that even if you are playing a villain role, you must do it with your whole heart and never give up on your passion. Totally loved the book to its core and would recommend it to everyone interested.
It happens sometimes in your life that you want to read these kinds of books and I was grateful that they exist and try to strike a chord with us that we don’t even know if we possess or not. A powerful read for me.
The book teaches very smoothly about how these personalities deal with their inner goals and pave the way to achieve them all, even if the roles are negative and not many people will act on them.
There are many brilliant words of wisdom that draw on a vast array of stories with examples, from literature to history, to philosophy. This book is a good start for anyone to arm yourself with ancient wisdom and a pool of knowledge about many villains in Bollywood movies and cinema.
We all are capable of doing powerful things in our lives. Powerful and meaningful. In order to never have a day without a purpose, we must know when it is time to start pursuing a goal, and when it is time to stop.
What I loved about this book and what it taught me was - that even if you are playing a villain role, you must do it with your whole heart and never give up on your passion. Totally loved the book to its core and would recommend it to everyone interested.
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