Bollywood’s favourite ‘villain’ Shakti Kapoor turns 57: His most memorable roles

Shraddha Kapoor doing last year's 'Ek Villain' was poetic justice, as her father and veteran actor Shakti Kapoor has been one of the most iconic villains of the Hindi Film Industry. Born on September 3, 1958, Shakti Kapoor turns clocks 57 today and that has been no less than a bumpy ride to stardom.

On his birthday, we enlist a few roles of the actor which made us love and hate him, in equal measures.

After a long struggle, Shakti Kapoor was spotted by superstar Sunil Dutt whilst he was making 'Rocky' to launch his son Sanjay. He was then cast as the antagonist in the movie. But Sunil Dutt felt that his name 'Sunil Sikanderlal Kapoor' wouldn't do justice to his villainous stint and hence, 'Shakti Kapoor' was born.

Shakti Kapoor's portrayal of RD earned him praises and made him a name to be sought out for.

In 1980, alongside legendary Amrish Puri, Shakti Kapoor acted in Firoz Khan's 'Qurbani' and his revenge seeking character struck the right chord with the critics and audiences alike.

Long before the long list of cruel villainous roles, Shakti Kapoor was cast as megastar's innocent brother Mangal in the 1982 movie 'Satte Pe Satta' and his character's stammering was loved by one and all.

Apart from Jeetendra, who gained the most from the 1983 movie 'Himmatwala', it was Shakti Kapoor, who with his portrayal of Shakti Gopaldas, the evil son of a powerful man in the village, was despised by viewers, pointing towards a wonderful performance.

Then came 'Jimmy' in the Jackie Shroff-starrer 'Hero' the same year and that changed the very definition of villainous roles of Hindi cinema for years to come.

His negative shades punctuated with frequent 'Balma' musically said by Sridevi in the 1989 release 'Chaalbaaz' was a delight to watch for all Kapoor fans. His effortless transition from negative to comic is a thing to look out for in this movie.

The year 1994 was perhaps the most successful year for Shakti Kapoor. The first role that gave him supreme stardom was his 'Nandu' act in the Govinda-starrer 'Raja Babu'. His 'Nandu, sabka bandhu' still finds a fan following with the audience, especially the 90s people.

The second one and the most remembered till date - Crime Master Gogo. The movie 'Andaz Apna Apna' still resonates with comedy lovers across the nation and world. And his demeanour in which he mouthed 'aankhein nikaal kar gotiyaan kheloonga' is just too iconic to forget. ‘Andaz Apna Apna’ might be treated a cult comedy movie today, but the movie had failed at the box office then. The presence of stars Aamir Khan and Salman Khan couldn’t save it either. But 'Crime Master Gogo' was the only character, which got imprinted in people's minds then.