Bollywood over the 100 years of its existence has amazed generations with path breaking movies that has taught one to experience life, fight injustice and relish close moments with family and friends.
Most of the Bollywood movies that make up to this list have become popular owing to the iconic roles that stars managed to portray in these movies. Below are listed 5 such iconic roles in Bollywood that make us realize the power of cinema.
1.) Mother India (Nargis)
This 1957 movie was appreciated for the role of Radha that was portrayed by Nargis. The iconic role centres around Radha who struggles hard to raise her sons in the absence of her husband. Nargis plays a determined lady in the movie and sacrifices her son for the ultimate good of the society. One of the most iconic role of its times, Radha inspires Indian women, even 56 years after the movie hit the silver screen.
2.) Devdas (Dilip Kumar)
The tragedy king lived up to his expectations in Devdas. The display of emotions and dialogue delivery was so impeccable that the movie still continues to cast its spell, even 58 years later. The words of Farooq Sheikh describe best what Devdas means to the Indian audience. In his words, Dilip Kumar’s Devdas was one of its kinds.
3.) Sholay (Amjad Khan)
Gabbar Singh continues to inspire Bollywood even after the legendary Amjad Khan’s demise. The role was played to such perfection that even real time dacoits take inspiration from Gabbar Singh. This role played by Amjad Khan can be cited as the first real depiction of a dacoit on Indian cinema. The movie continues to amaze us, even decades later. The role was so well written and portrayed that Amjad Khan was able to get critical acclaim for the role of a dacoit and that too in his first ever Bollywood appearance.
4.) Guide (Dev Anand)
The eternal romantic hero of his time, Dev Anand was able to make girls sway with his charming moves. The same was displayed in Guide where he played the role of Raju Guide who falls for a married lady and is able to woo her away from her husband, eventually landing in prison. Dev Anand too considered Guide as one of the best portrayals of its times and his cherished roles. The movie was based on the novel ‘The Guide’ by R.K. Narayan.
5.) Mera Naam Joker (Raj Kapoor)
The role of Raju as a circus clown was well appreciated in Mera Naam Joker. The real worth of a Joker is to make other smile, even at the cost of their own sorrow. This depiction was portrayed by Raj Kapoor with such amazing perfection that despite the movie not doing well on the Box Office, Raj Kapoor received much critical acclaim for his role. This role traced Raju’s journey from his childhood to the last performance as a joker in a circus and is considered to be the best role played by the legendary Raj Kapoor.
Bollywood continues to inspire us with amazing portrayal of innocence, greed and love through various depictions at times. Movies continue to be made and often we see iconic roles that create a niche for the actors as the movies listed above have done for some.
