Is somebody trying to take over legend Amrish Puri's space in Bollywood

Is somebody trying to take over legend Amrish Puri's space in Bollywood
Saturday, February 20, 2016 09:00 IST
By Santa Banta News Network
Actor Ravi Khanna, who essayed the role of the ISI boss who frames Salman Khan's character as an Indian spy in "Bajrangi Bhaijaan", says there's a vacuum for an onscreen villain in Bollywood, and feels he can fill it with his authoritative voice and effective screen presence.

"Bajrangi Bhaijaan" reconnected Khanna with Bollywood, who, after 33 years in the US, had moved last year to Mumbai. Now he is exploring new roles, while also working on a book titled "Indian Antagonist", in which he traces the history of the Bollywood villain.

"It's the villain that interests me, and there is a vacuum in that space. With my voice and screen presence, I could be in roles like Amrish Puri did. Bollywood has not had many villains... There has been Ranjeet and Amrish Puri and Amjad Khan.

"I hope some director will notice my eyes, screen presence, voice and acting skills... and feel that I can fill that gap," Khanna told IANS.

Khanna's book "Indian Antagonist" explores how the ethos of the Bollywood villain hasn't changed much since several years -- whether it was K.N.Singh, Pran, Madan Puri, Ranjeet or Prakash Raj -- because all of them in most films, led a team of goons who used force against the hero to defeat him but never succeeded.

"The film industry has changed, and improved technically, but the villain has not changed. Today's villain is still like Kansa or Ravana and rarely like Shakuni, who is known for playing mind games.

Khanna feels that whenever filmmakers took Shah Rukh Khan, Hrithik Roshan and Aamir Khan to essay a villain who played mind games, the movies worked as "the villain can also be a hero".

Having a background in theatre as well as journalism, Khanna has an "uninterrupted passion for acting", and has worked across TV, plays, serials and radio.

Khanna began his acting career in New Delhi in the 1970s on stage, radio and television with his contemporaries such as Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Dinesh Thakur, Kamna Chandra, Om Shivpuri, Sudha Shivpuri, T.P. Jain and R.P. Sethi among others.

They ventured to Mumbai and Khanna, on the insistence of his mother, went to the US to pursue journalism. There he worked as the South Asia Bureau Chief in the Voice of America Newsroom for 27 years. But he kept his interest in theatre alive and kept on acting on stage in English, Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi whenever he got a chance.

In India, he feels the fervour for the theatre medium is not as promising among the youth as it was earlier. And the TV industry, according to him, is in "shambles" due to the system of casting co-ordinators who treat people "like animals".
Rashmika Mandanna Stuns with Power Looks and Exciting Upcoming Movies!

Rashmika Mandanna continues to dominate both the fashion scene and the silver screen, proving why she is

Monday, April 28, 2025
Arjun Kapoor Shares Playful Throwback Moments from Set: 'Not Yet,' Says the Actor!

Bollywood heartthrob Arjun Kapoor once again delighted his fans by sharing an exciting glimpse into his

Monday, April 28, 2025
Legendary Filmmaker Martin Scorsese Boards Ishaan Khatter's Homebound as Executive Producer Ahead of Cannes 2025 Premiere!

Ishaan Khatter’s next big project, Homebound, has just earned a major global boost — legendary filmmaker

Monday, April 28, 2025
Realme Hip Hop India S2 Gets a Bollywood Twist with Bhool Chuk Maaf Stars Rajkummar Rao and Wamiqa Gabbi!

Amazon MX Player, Amazon’s free streaming service, dialled up the drama and energy in the latest

Monday, April 28, 2025
Ashi Singh to play an aspiring lawyer Kairi Sharma in Sony SAB's upcoming family romcom Uff Yeh Love Hai Mushkil!

Sony SAB continues to bring fresh, engaging, and heartwarming narratives to its viewers, and its soon

Monday, April 28, 2025
ADVERTISEMENT
ADVERTISEMENT