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In 100 years, Bollywood has taught us how to celebrate life, stand up for our rights, fight against injustice, spread optimism and learn from our mistakes. Bollywood has often come up with path-breaking movies that have changed our perception and forced us to question our beliefs. These films have been successful in bringing about a change in the society because of a central character, a role that compelled us to think and created an impression on our minds. These roles are iconic because of their popularity, reach and influence.
Here is a list of 10 most iconic roles of Bollywood:
1) Nargis as Radha in Mother India (1957): Nothing has moved the Indian audience more than Radha's ultimate sacrifice in Mother India. Nargis played a poverty-stricken village woman who struggles to raise her sons in the absence of her husband. Despite the hardships, Nargis portrayed Radha as a strong and independent woman who fights against a greedy money lender and kills her son for the good of the society. Considered as the ultimate symbol of woman empowerment, Nargis is among those few actresses who motivated us with her strength of character, fight for justice and ultimate sacrifice. Terming her as the 'ultimate mother figure', Bollywood actor-director Rajat Kapoor feels " Radha is the most iconic female character of all times."
2) Dilip Kumar in Devdas (1955): Nothing beats the 'tragic lover' role portrayed by Dilip Kumar in Devdas. Be it his dialogue delivery or display of emotions, Dilip Kumar captured millions of hearts with his performance in Devdas. Terming Dilip Kumar as an "iconic actor who was considered as a 'tragedy king' due to his movies like Jogan, Deedar, Daag and Madhumati", actor Farooq Sheikh feels that "Dilip Kumar's Devdas was one of a kind."
3) Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh in Sholay (1975): Sholay is synonymous with Gabbar Singh as no one can forget the character of the ruthless dacoit played with such finesse. Gabbar Singh was the first depiction of pure evil on Indian cinema. "Fortunately or unfortunately when we talk about any iconic or popular characters of Indian cinema, villains have always garnered all the appreciation as well as critics' acclaim. Hence, actors like Amjad Khan, Pran and Amrish Puri have been remembered for their roles as Gabbar Singh, Sher Khan and Mogambo respectively, "says actor and director Ravi Gossain.
4) Dev Anand as Raju in Guide (1965): Dev Anand, the eternal romantic hero, wowed the audience with his beautiful performance as a guide who falls in love with a married woman and is then jailed for forgery and stealing money. Based on the novel The Guide by R.K. Narayan, this movie is considered as one of the best performance by the actor. The actor brought maturity and simplicity in the role that made it a cult movie in its time.
5) Raj Kapoor as Raju in Mera Naam Joker (1970): Raj Kapoor's performance as a circus clown was par excellence. The ability to make others laugh at the cost of one's sorrows was beautifully depicted by the actor. This film traced Raju's journey from his childhood to the day of his last performance and is considered as one of the finest roles by the actor. "Though there are several classic and iconic roles, I think Raj Kapoor's role as a clown made an impact over generations," says director Vivek Agnihotri, who has raised to fame with his movies like Chocolate, Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal and Hate Story.
6) Rajesh Khanna as Anand Sehgal in Anand (1971): An inspiration for generations, Anand was a cancer patient who believed in living life to fullest. Rajesh Khanna played the ebullient character with elan. His famous dialogue 'Babu-Moshai' is still extremely popular among the masses and is synonymous with him. Rajesh Khanna, who rose to popularity with his romantic roles in movies as Amar Prem and Aradhana, touched many hearts with this performance. His onscreen camaraderie with Big B was also appreciated in the movie.
Here is a list of 10 most iconic roles of Bollywood:
1) Nargis as Radha in Mother India (1957): Nothing has moved the Indian audience more than Radha's ultimate sacrifice in Mother India. Nargis played a poverty-stricken village woman who struggles to raise her sons in the absence of her husband. Despite the hardships, Nargis portrayed Radha as a strong and independent woman who fights against a greedy money lender and kills her son for the good of the society. Considered as the ultimate symbol of woman empowerment, Nargis is among those few actresses who motivated us with her strength of character, fight for justice and ultimate sacrifice. Terming her as the 'ultimate mother figure', Bollywood actor-director Rajat Kapoor feels " Radha is the most iconic female character of all times."
2) Dilip Kumar in Devdas (1955): Nothing beats the 'tragic lover' role portrayed by Dilip Kumar in Devdas. Be it his dialogue delivery or display of emotions, Dilip Kumar captured millions of hearts with his performance in Devdas. Terming Dilip Kumar as an "iconic actor who was considered as a 'tragedy king' due to his movies like Jogan, Deedar, Daag and Madhumati", actor Farooq Sheikh feels that "Dilip Kumar's Devdas was one of a kind."
3) Amjad Khan as Gabbar Singh in Sholay (1975): Sholay is synonymous with Gabbar Singh as no one can forget the character of the ruthless dacoit played with such finesse. Gabbar Singh was the first depiction of pure evil on Indian cinema. "Fortunately or unfortunately when we talk about any iconic or popular characters of Indian cinema, villains have always garnered all the appreciation as well as critics' acclaim. Hence, actors like Amjad Khan, Pran and Amrish Puri have been remembered for their roles as Gabbar Singh, Sher Khan and Mogambo respectively, "says actor and director Ravi Gossain.
4) Dev Anand as Raju in Guide (1965): Dev Anand, the eternal romantic hero, wowed the audience with his beautiful performance as a guide who falls in love with a married woman and is then jailed for forgery and stealing money. Based on the novel The Guide by R.K. Narayan, this movie is considered as one of the best performance by the actor. The actor brought maturity and simplicity in the role that made it a cult movie in its time.
5) Raj Kapoor as Raju in Mera Naam Joker (1970): Raj Kapoor's performance as a circus clown was par excellence. The ability to make others laugh at the cost of one's sorrows was beautifully depicted by the actor. This film traced Raju's journey from his childhood to the day of his last performance and is considered as one of the finest roles by the actor. "Though there are several classic and iconic roles, I think Raj Kapoor's role as a clown made an impact over generations," says director Vivek Agnihotri, who has raised to fame with his movies like Chocolate, Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal and Hate Story.
6) Rajesh Khanna as Anand Sehgal in Anand (1971): An inspiration for generations, Anand was a cancer patient who believed in living life to fullest. Rajesh Khanna played the ebullient character with elan. His famous dialogue 'Babu-Moshai' is still extremely popular among the masses and is synonymous with him. Rajesh Khanna, who rose to popularity with his romantic roles in movies as Amar Prem and Aradhana, touched many hearts with this performance. His onscreen camaraderie with Big B was also appreciated in the movie.
7) Amitabh Bachchan as Vijay Khanna in Zanjeer (1973): No actor would have been able to do justice to the role of 'angry young cop' than Amitabh Bachchan. The movie changed the trend from romantic films to action films and made Amitabh popular as a brooding but explosive person who fights against the ills of the society. He became very popular with this role as it gave strength to the common man who was frustrated over rampant poverty and corruption at that time. Writer-director Sanjay Amar feels Big B's role in Zanzeer and Agneepath pioneered a trend where character-driven films were made. Hence, both were iconic and path-breaking in their own way.
8) Rekha as Amiran in Umrao Jaan (1981): Be it her beauty, grace or seductiveness, Rekha captured millions of hearts with her courtesan act in Umrao Jaan. Her sizzling chemistry with Farooq Shaikh, her dance moves to chartbuster songs or her yearning for love made Rekha's role truly deserving of a National Award.
9) Naseeruddin Shah as Anirudh in Sparsh (1980): Naseeruddin Shah gave a heart-touching performance of a visually impaired school principal who falls in love with a teacher. Naseeruddin brought in lot of maturity and subtleness to his performance that also won him many accolades as well as critical appreciation.
10) Sanjay Dutt as Munna Bhai in Munna Bhai series (2003): From 'jadu ki jhapi' to Gandhigiri, Munna Bhai struck a chord among us. Sanjay Dutt gave a heart-touching performance of a tapori who pretends to be a doctor to impress his father. From his comic timing to his chemistry with Arshad Warsi, Sanjay Dutt did full justice to this role. Munna Bhai as a character is an iconic that will live for many years. It is extremely popular because everyone loves him and identifies with him, "adds Sanjay Amar.
8) Rekha as Amiran in Umrao Jaan (1981): Be it her beauty, grace or seductiveness, Rekha captured millions of hearts with her courtesan act in Umrao Jaan. Her sizzling chemistry with Farooq Shaikh, her dance moves to chartbuster songs or her yearning for love made Rekha's role truly deserving of a National Award.
9) Naseeruddin Shah as Anirudh in Sparsh (1980): Naseeruddin Shah gave a heart-touching performance of a visually impaired school principal who falls in love with a teacher. Naseeruddin brought in lot of maturity and subtleness to his performance that also won him many accolades as well as critical appreciation.
10) Sanjay Dutt as Munna Bhai in Munna Bhai series (2003): From 'jadu ki jhapi' to Gandhigiri, Munna Bhai struck a chord among us. Sanjay Dutt gave a heart-touching performance of a tapori who pretends to be a doctor to impress his father. From his comic timing to his chemistry with Arshad Warsi, Sanjay Dutt did full justice to this role. Munna Bhai as a character is an iconic that will live for many years. It is extremely popular because everyone loves him and identifies with him, "adds Sanjay Amar.
Source: TOI
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