Have you ever liked a villain more than the hero? Who and why?
I will answer this prompt (a bit delayed though) a little differently.
As respected Professor Sahab says in his post @Veerite, in response to the prompt, it’s a real life skill to deal with real life villains who maybe your neighbour, one of the family members, an apparently friendly soul , any detestable person for that matter.
I also endorse his choice of favourite villain – K N Singh – tall, imposing without any over the top mannerism. My mother, who had a keen interest in the performing arts, used to call him a sophisticated villain. An oxymoron.
I became aware of the invasive role of a villain in literature after reading Shakespeare’s Othello. Iago did whatever he wanted to do just by mere suggestion. A fascinating character who took deception to another level.
In a Pakistani Serial “Dar Si Jaati Hai Sila” Noman Ijaz plays the unsuspected child abuser in the family. Recommended by my colleague I could sit through only one episode of this Serial. Pakistani dramas are highly nuanced. Yet Noman’s lecherous expressions made me extremely uncomfortable to put it very mildly. The same feelings I had when I saw Utpal Dutt in Amanush. Suave, humble but satanic to the core.
Legend has it that Ishwar Chandra Vidyasagar Mahashaya, the great 19th Century social reformer and educator, once went to see one of the plays of the iconic theatre artist Girish Ghosh. He was so enraged by his performance in a negative role in the play that he took off his sandal and threw it at him on the stage. Girish Ghosh took the sandal and touched it to his forehead as a token of the greatest compliment of his acting skills.
In political history I think the colonisers were the biggest villain who exploited the colonies in the name of development and emancipation. Sadly, the colonized were an equal participant in this. Villainy in the guise of goodness transcends all possible definition of evil.
I am watching a Web Series ‘The Revolutionaries‘ on Amazon Prime based on Sanjeev Sanyal’s book ‘Revolutionaries – The Other Story Of How India Won It’s Freedom‘. Even after close to eighty years of India’s independence , the atrocities under the Raj could still make my blood boil.
As Nusrat @Her Daily Doses says in her post to the prompt the enemy or the villain is among us. We have to recognise him. And as Professor Sahab says rather than shunning or hating, it would be braver to accept the perpetrator as he is and deal with him accordingly. I cannot agree more.
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I enjoyed your post and you really do have me thinking more about the villain and how good writers can twist things so well
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The real villain is living with us on Earth 😁 anyway, Nusrat and Raj are kind friends to me.
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The villain is sometimes inside us too. Both are my very good friends too.
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I agree. I have a villainous behaviour sometimes
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You may be having a rebellious streak in you but you can’t be villainous.
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This made me googled what I said. I think you expressed it well, gc. Thanks
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You are always welcome
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That’s such a well written and thought provoking write up. Who are the villains really and aren’t we in a way villains to some. The grey area.
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You are right we are the enemy of the people. We are our own enemy. Till we find ourselves and transform. Thanks Parikhit.
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♥
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Very true Geeta. In real life, the villain is seldom very apparent. We know them through their deeds- like most politicians are
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It is sad but true.
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Yes indeed. If real life villains looked like villains in movies, how easy it would be to avoid them, not elect them and convict them of crimes they have committed.
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😂😂
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🤣
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ज़हे नसीब,गीता दी आप के पोस्ट में हमारा नाम आया,इस से बड़ कर खुश नसीबी क्या.
Girish Gosh is right in taking sandals as a compliment as the biggest compliment for an actor acting as a villian is to hate him.
I hated Ashutosh Rana so much after watching the movie Dushman(Kajol is my favourite actress)that I wanted to kill him.
Thanks once again Di🙏
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Ashutosh Rana is repulsive in the movie Sangharsh also. A fine actor.
This is my good fortune that I am able to interact with such knowledgeable persons like you on this platform. Heartfelt gratitude 🙏🙏🙏🙏
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In most cases, I think there are reasons people become villains. Understanding those reasons is the first step in perhaps understanding the person.
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Yes, the root cause analysis. I agree with you.
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That was an interesting post, Geeta – villians eh?
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Thank you Chris. The WP prompt was quite intriguing.
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A well written post Geetji.
In performing arts, villains often receive the greatest praise for their performances.
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Thank you Rupali
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“Sophisticated villain” is a wonderful phrase from your mother. K N Singh could ruin your life and still make sure his collar sat right. Iago is the opposite kind of efficient: he says a few words and everyone else does the work for him. I’ve worked with people like that, minus the poetry.
I’ll be looking at my neighbours a little more carefully now.
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Thank you Romilla. Yes, K N Singh would not let a fly sit in his well ironed suit. We have Iagos around us. I am sorry if this post see people with distrust. But it is a big bad world. It’s better to be prepared for the worst.
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it is interesting how some actors can show villianism so well that we hate to even watch them. Identifying villians in real life is tough though.
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Yes you are absolutely right. Villainy can be very polished.
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Excellent choices for “best villains”. Another oxymoron! I agree with your about that sophisticated villain. He was good, wily but good. 😀. Very insightful writeup on an intriguing subject. Enjoyed reading it.
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Thank you very much Ratna Prabha. Life is full of oxymorons. 😊
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