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From Ra. One to Raees: 6 Iconic onscreen villains we loved to hate – Dusshera 2025
From Ra.One to Raees, Bollywood villains have fully captured audiences. Their charisma, complexity, and unforgettable performances prove a simple truth: a hero is only as great as the villain they face.
The music gets loud and dark, and suddenly, everyone watching gets quiet. The room goes silent as everyone feels the change—fists tighten and teeth clench. This is more than just a role; this is a Bollywood villain– a perfect storm, a magnetic mix of charisma and pure evil on screen. Something is menacing about their darkness, like the calculative threat of Ra. One or the chilling, sheer madness of Raman Raghav 2.0, that makes them look so powerfully good.
But the best villains do more than just act as a baddie on screen. They truly get under your skin. They might be the sneaky relative who smiles while planning to ruin everything, the powerful criminal who acts like human life is worthless, or the rich bully who always seems to win. They believe in their own wickedness, and their power and evil draw the camera while making you sick to your stomach.
A great Bollywood villain isn't just a character; their perfect acting makes the audience feel a raw, burning rage toward the actor himself. This depth of feeling—a true hatred inspired by skill—is the highest praise. When the movie ends, you feel shaken and angry, realizing that your exhaustion stems from watching such undeniable talent embody pure evil.
In this Dussehra special, we have listed down 6 Bollywood villains we truly felt repulsed by. Keep reading to find out.
1. Khurram Meer (Kay Kay Menon) in Haider
In the 2014 Hamlet adaptation, Haider, set in 1995 Kashmir, Kay Kay Menon played the chillingly manipulative and ambitious uncle, Khurram Meer. Khurram's hunger for power is shown when he marries his brother's widow. Menon's performance was remarkable for its subtlety and control, making Khurram a complex villain—not a standard melodrama antagonist—who expertly balanced genuine charm with utter cruelty.
2. Raees Alam (Shah Rukh Khan) in Raees
In the crime-thriller Raees, Shah Rukh Khan took on the title role as an ambitious and clever bootlegger. His character was famously defined by having a "businessman's brain and a Muslim man's courage" (baniye ka dimaag aur miyanbhai ki daring). Although portrayed as an anti-hero, his character operated in a morally grey area, making him both compelling and morally questionable.
Despite his illegal empire, Raees used his charisma and philanthropy to win over the audience, who found themselves rooting for the criminal. This complex role completely changed the Bollywood gangster trope, successfully introducing an anti-hero instead of a straight villain.
3. Ramanna (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) in Raman Raghav 2.0
Nawazuddin Siddiqui gave a bone-chilling performance in Anurag Kashyap's intense psychological thriller, Raman Raghav 2.0. Playing serial killer Ramanna, he was brutal and disturbingly real in his portrayal. The film, based on a notorious 1960s murderer, is still considered one of the best crime thrillers to date. With acting so well, Siddiqui's role was terrifyingly realistic and deeply nuanced. The ability with which he stayed eerily calm while delivering disturbing dialogues truly proved his skills as a seasoned actor.
4. Alauddin Khilji (Ranveer Singh) in Padmaavat
Ranveer Singh blew everyone away as the awful ruler, Sultan Alauddin Khilji, in Padmaavat. His acting was big, dramatic, and honestly, a little unhinged! Singh played the cruel, obsessive emperor with this wild, out-of-control energy that let him completely steal every single scene. It made him one of the most unforgettable movie villains we've seen in the last decade. This intense character was pure, unpredictable power, complete with a terrifying, animal-like laugh and crazy mood swings. This performance was a major highlight for Singh, and everyone—both critics and the audience—really loved that he was so fearless in transforming himself for the role.
5. Rakesh Mahadkar (Riteish Deshmukh) in Ek Villain
In Ek Villain, Riteish Deshmukh surprised everyone by delivering a deeply chilling performance as the serial killer Rakesh Mahadkar. Otherwise famous for his comedic roles, it was a breath of fresh air to see him in a new and negative avatar. Rakesh starts as a mild-mannered, henpecked husband who secretly becomes a cold-blooded killer just to let out his pent-up anger. Deshmukh's terrifying yet subtle acting as this character was a main highlight and a huge reason the film succeeded, powerfully showcasing his impressive range as an actor.
6. Ra.One (Arjun Rampal) in Ra.One
Even though the movie is named Ra. One, but Shah Rukh Khan's character, G.One, is the hero. The actual villain is the video game's bad guy, also named Ra. One, played by Arjun Rampal. This guy is huge, super smart, and totally menacing, and he breaks out into the real world to track down the person who beat him. Rampal was genuinely scary because his performance was this chilling combination of being totally calm and absolutely deadly.
Which iconic Bollywood villain, according to you, fully captured your attention?
