A film would not be complete without a hero who is facing an imposing opponent. The audience simply adores the villains in films. There are numerous instances where the villains have taken the spotlight from heroes for their extraordinary portrayal of villains. South Indian movies feature both local talent and Bollywood actors who have made a an impact with their villainous characters. Certain of them have been featured in this article.
1. SJ Suryah
SJ Suryah works as a director of films and composer, screen writer as well as a film producer and actor. He made his debut in acting with the film New and later made appearances as a character in Thirumagan as well as Vyabari. His debut role as a villain in the film thriller Spyder established his status as a prominent villain. In this film in which he played the character of a sadist who has a dual personality disorder. Then, he appeared in the part of a villain in several other films, including Mersal, Maanadu, Mark Antony and Don.
2. Prakash Raj
Prakash Raj is an actor filmmaker, actor and producer who has a long-running career which spans Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, English and Hindi films. He is a cult villain who has a string of memorable roles in the role of a villain. Raj is most well-known for his role as antagonist Muthupandi in the hit film Ghilli which starred Thalapathy Vijay as well as Trisha Krishnan in the leading roles. Prakash Raj has several awards to his name including an award from the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actor for the film Iruvar and an National Film Award for Best Actor for his part in the Tamil film Kanchivaram.
3. Sanjay Dutt
Sanjay Dutt is a major Bollywood actor with a long career that spans over four decades. He was primarily seen in characters as protagonists in romantic and action films. He also starred as an antagonist in the cult South Indian movie KFG Chapter 2. The role of Adheera in the film which featured an Viking appearance and a double-edged sword, was awe-inspiring to the audience and in the near future, we will be able to see him among the villains in Bollywood films.
4. Vinayakan
Vinayakan is a composer, actor and former dancer. He is featured as a composer, actor and dancer in Tamil as well as Malayalam films. The actor gained a lot of attention due to his role as Varman, the villain Varman in the highly acclaimed Rajnikant-starring Jailer. His character of an eccentric and sinister idol smuggler from the film was well-received and made him a prominent villain. Vinayakan is slated to play an antagonist on his upcoming Tamil movie, which is a thriller based on spying Dhruva Natchathiram: Chapter One-Yuddha Kandam.
5. Ramachandra Raju
Ramachandra Raju, better known by his screen name Garuda Ram is an actor who is mostly seen on Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Malayalam films. The actor gained a lot of attention because of his performance as the antagonist Garuda in the hit film KGF Chapter 1. Ramachandra Raju has played the part of a villain in numerous different South Indian movies such as Sulthan, Kodiyil Oruvan and Yaanai.
6. Kabir Duhan Singh
Kabir Duhan Singh recognized for his sly roles on Telugu, Kannada and Tamil films. In 2015, he made his debut in his debut film Telugu film Jil in which he performed the role of a villain and received a positive review. Then, he was featured in the film Kick 2 as a villain and was praised by the viewers. To this point, Kabir Duhan Singh has been the villain in a variety of films, including Vedalam, Dictator, Sardar Gabbar Singh, Pailwan, Kanchana 3, Hebbuli and other films.
7. Sonu Sood
Sonu Sood is known for playing negative characters In Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films. He began his career playing the part of a villain in Hands Up, a Telugu movie Hands Up released in the year 2000. Then, he took on the part of a villain in numerous other films like Arundhati, Vishnuvardhana, Dookudu, Ek Niranjan and others. Sonu Sood is a recipient of numerous awards, including the Andhra Pradesh State Nandi Award for Best Villain, the Apsara Award for the Best Actor in a Negative Roll as well as Filmfare Award for Best Supporting actor Telugu.
8. Jagapathi Babu
Jagapathi Babu is primarily a part of Telugu cinema, however he has also appeared as a character in Tamil, Malayalam, Hindi and Kannada films. He made his debut as an antagonist on Legend, a Telugu film Legend in the year 2014. The following year, the actor also appeared as a villain in the film Lingaa with Rajnikanth. Recently, he was in the blockbuster film Salaar: Part 1- Ceasefire.
9. P Ravi Shankar
P Ravi Shankar is an actor dubbing artist, actor and director. He made his debut as a lead character actor in his debut in the Telugu movie Aolochinchandi which was released in the year 1986. His first role as a villain took place with his Telugu movie Tholi Valapu. But his first appearance as a villain came on the screen in 2011’s Kannada film Kempe Gowda.
10. Arun Vijay
Arun Vijay is primarily a part of Tamil film, but has also been seen as a character in Hindi, Kannada and Telugu films. He played lead roles in numerous films including Malai Malai, Manja Velu, Thadam and others. He is, however, more well-known for his sly role as a villain in Yennai Arindhal Chakravyuha as well as Bruce Lee.