When Kulbhushan Kharbanda played Bollywood’s scariest villain in this 80s movie

A larger-than-life hero or protagonist in a movie must be balanced by a terrifying villain. There have been many movie villains over the years, but one stands out among the villains of 80s Hindi films. In case you haven’t guessed yet, we’re talking about the supervillain Shakur, played by veteran actor Kulbhushan Kharbanda in his 1980 film Shaan. Shakur’s villainy and danger quotient is reflected by the fact that all of his men wore the same white suits. His nest was located on an island resembling a submarine, surrounded by sharks and crocodiles. Shakur was one of the most technologically advanced villains of the 1980s.

Kulbhushan Kharbanda, who is now 79 years old, was last in the news for his role in Mirzapur. His role in Satyanath, Tripathi aka Bauji, made him a household name and earned him more recognition than he had already achieved in his long career. His role as Bauji was a terrifying and twisted character that reminded many of Shakur. Almost three decades later, Kulbhushan Kharbanda has proven that he still has what it takes to be a bad guy on screen.

Shaan was directed by Ramesh Sippy and featured an ensemble cast including Sunil Dutt, Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor, Shatrughan Sinha, Rakhi Gulazar, Parveen Babi and Vindhya Goswami. Ramesh Sippy was trying to recreate the magic of Sholay with Shaun. It didn’t reach the same level of success, but it was a decent hit.

Much of the film’s success lies in the elaborate design of Shakur’s high-tech lair. Kulbhushan Kharbanda was so deep in his role that people got chills every time he rubbed his bald head on screen. Because it was shown to be dangerous in the movie. Shakar did not hesitate when one of his men became enraged and fed to his pet crocodile.

Shakur’s personality bears a striking resemblance to the famous James Bond movie villain Blofeld, a fact that cannot be overlooked. Blofeld wore a similar costume, his head was bald, and he was equipped with some strange gadgets that could summon storms. Ramesh Sippy played the character Shakal, which was modeled after Blofeld, something never seen before in Indian cinema. This is why Kulbhushan’s Shakur ranks as one of the most iconic villains of Hindi cinema, along with Amrish Puri’s Mogambo and Amjad Khan’s Gabbar Singh.