Animal by Sandeep Reddy Vanga stars Ranbir Kapoor as Vijay, who is no new creature. Over the years, toxic characters—both male and female—have appeared and even been praised in Hindi film. Here are five that stand out the most—for all the wrong reasons.
R Madhavan – Rehna Hai Terre Dil Mein
The lead actress of Gautham Vasudev Menon’s romantic 2001 film, Dia Mirza, admitted in a recent interview that she wasn’t at first at ease with the way R Madhavan’s character, Maddy, stalked her character. In the end, she even decides to wed him rather than Saif Ali Khan’s more rational choice.
Dhanush – Raanjhanaa
Director Aanand L Rai gave Dhanush’s portrayal of Varanasi child Kundan the hero treatment—yet another stalker. Even though he ultimately dies, Sonam Kapoor’s character views it as a sacrifice made in remembrance of his unfulfilled love. She is so humiliated that she starts to think Kundan died for her.
Aditya Roy Kapur – Aashiqui 2
Mohit Suri’s 2013 love drama, a loose remake of A Star Is Born, had a very negative stance on the passing of Aditya, the film’s main character. Aditya’s character blows up in a perpetually inebriated state after his “find,” Aarohi (Shraddha Kapoor), succeeds him in her musical career. He then kills himself to “get out of her way.”
Priyanka Chopra – 7 Khoon Maaf
Priyanka’s character in Vishal Bhardwaj’s 2011 romantic thriller, Susanna’s Seven spouses, an adaptation of Ruskin Bond’s book, courted six spouses from different backgrounds before killing them all for fun. Ultimately, she is seen admitting her transgressions to her “seventh husband,” Jesus Christ.
Madhuri Dixit – Pukar
Madhuri appeared in Rajkumar Santoshi’s 2000 film as an enraged, unfulfilled romantic partner. Anil Kapoor, her crush, marries beauty pageant winner Namrata Shirodkar, and she gets involved in a plot that ends up with him facing a court martial from the Indian Army. Even though she eventually acknowledges her error and makes amends by assisting Anil’s character in getting back on track, he ultimately chooses to forgive her.
