The anti-heroes are in power; Is Bollywood Killing Good Guys From Ideal Hindi Film?

For the majority of over 100 years of Indian cinema, the definition of a true Hindi film hero has remained that of a man who is an ideal good guy.

During the first three decades of Indian cinema from 1913, the hero of Hindi film was often the eternal good guy who can do no wrong.

Most movies made before the 1940s were based on folk or mythological tales featuring heroes who are always on the right side of the law.

The Rise of the Anti-Hero

This changed in 1943 when Ashok Kumar starred in Gyan Mukherjees The kismetwhich was the first blockbuster in Indian cinemas and the first film to reach Rs 1 crore at the box office.

Bombay Talkies

It was also the first film in the history of Indian cinemas to feature a flawed hero. The main character played by Ashok Kumar is a pickpocket and a con artist who cuts his way through a woman’s heart and is always on the run from the law.

He was the new kind of Hindi film hero that audiences saw and it immediately struck a chord with them.

While The kismet was a blockbuster, the public’s love of ideal heroes continued over the next two decades, which also saw the rise of India’s first superstar Rajesh Khanna, who rose to fame with his romantic and social dramas often focused on women as Aradhana, Anand, Bawarchi, Kati Patang etc

The era of the angry young man

However, in 1973 there was a massive paradigm shift in the way Hindi film heroes were written. Screenwriting duo Salim-Javed wrote Zanjeer and in Amitabh Bachchan, Indian cinema had its Angry Young Man.

Prakash Mehra Productions

Over the next few years, Amitabh Bachchan’s anti-hero took over Indian cinema with blockbusters like Deewar, Muqaddar Ka Sikandar, Trishul, Sholay etc

Even at a time when the hysteria around Amitabh Bachchans character Angry Young Man was unparalleled, the ideal heroes of Hindi film continued to be loved.

For every Vijay of Devwar And Zanjeer, there was Satyapriya of Satyakam and Parimal Tripathi of To install Chupke Chupke.

Punch Arts International

But, in the 80s, only a few good men remained in Hindi films.

For example, in most two-hero movies Jackie Shroff and Anil Kapoor have starred in, the former played a straight character while the latter was the complete opposite.

And it was always the gray character of Anils who brought the public attention to the straight man of Jackies and one of the proofs of the same is Ram Lakhan.

Looking at the kind of movies that were doing at the box office at that time and the heroes that were getting love, it seemed like the end of the road for the ideal Hindi movie hero.

But then Shah Rukh Khan burst!

Nice guys don’t always finish last

With Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge, Shah Rukh Khan brought the good man back to the screen. Son Raj was the kind of character who wouldn’t run off with the bride but would make sure he had his parents’ permission before marrying her.

Yash Raj Movies

A year before that, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa cast him as a loser who even loses the love of his life to Deepak Tijoris Chris, the ultimate good man.

Over the years, SRK held the stronghold of gentiles in Hindi cinema and in the mid-2000s the same was taken over by Saif Ali Khan, Shahid Kapoor and Abhishek Bachchan.

But over the past decade, the ideal Hindi film hero seems to be a dying breed.

Whereas before the pandemic there was still room for contrasting characters like in Jab we met And Kabir Singh Or Bajrangi Bhaijaan And Cut but after the pandemic, it became a one-way street.

Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Limited

The toxic alpha hero wins

The rise of action films in South Indian cinema has led the audience to be completely invaded by the toxic alpha males who are hyperviolent in nature.

The success of KGF: Chapter 2, Pushpa And kantara proven that gray is the new black.

Moreover, Lal Singh Chadha which starred Aamir Khan as an innocent soul was a box office bomb.

Now, there are solid reports that Aamir is planning to return to the action genre with the Ghajini sequel in order to score a box office hit.

Similarly, Ranbir Kapoor’s next film is Animal where we see him playing the character of a gangster and Shahid Kapoors’ next film is Bloody daddy.

T-series

Come to think of it, Shah Rukh Khan, who became a superstar as the quintessential good man, also became violent on screen with movies like Pathane and the next jawan.

Interestingly, in 2008 he gave us a glimpse of what the future will be for good men on screen with Rab and Jodi’s children.

In the film, Anushkas character is unimpressed with her husband, a simple Surinder Sahni, but the moment he transforms into a scary, loud-mouthed Raj, she falls in love with him and is even ready to leave. her husband.

The re-emergence of the ideal Hindi film hero?

But, just like the end of Rab and Jodi’s children where Suri eventually trumps Raj, there is still hope for the perfect Hindi movie hero to take down the toxic alpha male and get the audience’s love again as two of the biggest stars – Shah Rukh Khan and Salman Khan prepare for Rajkumar Hiranis Soak And Bajrangi Bhaijaan following Pawan Putra Bhaijaan.

At a time in Hindi cinema where hypermasculinity and toxicity are celebrated and the ideal man is seen as boring, Hollywood is breaking the mold with one of the world’s most beloved hit shows. Ted Lasso where the titular character is the ultimate positive guy with not a single bad bone in his body.

AppleTV+

Hoping that Hindi cinema is also inspired by Ted Lasso and Satyakam, PK or even Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge a few characters are making their return to the big screen soon.