There’s a lot to love in the Animal teaser that roared into our lives yesterday, not the least of which is its closing shot. Bobby Deol, looking eerily like Ranbir Kapoor's long-lost twin, flaunting a rather gorgeous emerald and diamond necklace on his bare chest, beckons someone into his room. It’s a spine-chilling moment.
For an actor who began his career as a romantic hero with puppy-dog eyes, the second act of Deol’s career is proving to be fascinating. Deol seems to have found his niche as the bad guy, effortlessly switching on an aura of menace and evil. Also, who knew a lush beard would do such good things to his face?
But let us not digress. Here are our top picks of Deol playing the bad guy:
For context, we have to tell you that this film was “inspired” by The Devil's Own (1997), starring Harrison Ford and Brad Pitt — not that this information will make it any easier to process the plot of Badal.
Deol is a fearsome terrorist Badal, whose descent into a criminal life has its roots in a horrifying massacre in which he lost his entire family as a child. Enter Deol, sporting a scruffy beard and a headband in what can only be described as the “optical illusion” print. Fueled by profound resentment for his arch-nemesis Jaisingh Rana (Ashutosh Rana), Badal goes around smashing a television and accusing Rana of deceit. With intense shootouts, explosions, and even some romance — the game’s afoot and Badal’s determined to exact revenge.
Trigger warning: mention of suicide.
In Bichhoo, Deol plays Jeeva, a guy from a humble family who falls for Kiran (Malaika Arora), a wealthy girl. Her father frames Jeeva's mother and sisters, bribes the police and has the women arrested for prostitution (which, incidentally, is technically not illegal in India). The distraught women kill themselves. Kiran, ashamed of her father, decides she’s going to punish him by also killing herself. A grief-stricken Jeeva becomes an assassin, which turns out to be a rewarding career move. Also, he meets another woman and coinkydink — she’s also named Kiran (Rani Mukerji). Kiran, who also lost her entire family, is trained by Jeeva to become an assassin like him.
In the wild world of Shaka Laka Boom Boom, Deol is Ayan Joshi, or AJ, a music maestro and the living embodiment of the seven mortal sins. AJ's heartstrings are playing a love ballad for Ruhi (Kangana Ranaut), but she's busy swooning over Reggie (Upen Patel). Now, instead of writing a sad song, AJ decides to compose a symphony of chaos to ruin Reggie's life and career. As the plot rises to a crescendo, a disco ball (randomly) falls on AJ…and he dies. Admit it — that’s a great way for an evil music composer to exit this world.
Spoiler alert: AJ goes to hell at the end of the film.
There are no jokes to be cracked about this role. Aashram was something of a comeback project for Deol, and his dark turn is truly terrifying. Deol plays the enigmatic and sinister Baba Nirala, a godman (read: conman) with a flock of devoted followers. While the show quickly lost its steam after the first season, Deol delivered a magnificent performance as the conniving godman who doesn’t hesitate to exploit the needy to build his criminal and political empire.
In Love Hostel, Deol was Viraj Singh Dagar, an unrelenting ex-convict turned mercenary with an unusual agenda — to "correct" young couples who have strayed from the straight and narrow path of social conventions. When Ahmed (Vikrant Massey) and Jyoti (Sanya Malhotra) decide to defy societal norms and elope, they unwittingly step into Viraj's crosshairs. This gritty thriller doesn't tiptoe around the complexities of inter-faith love; it charges headfirst into a narrative marked by societal disapproval and the ensuing chaos. In this world, where passion and danger entwine, Deol as Viraj is terrifying as he stands as the harbinger of an unpredictable tumult.