Actors who played a positive and negative role in the same film

Bollywood has seen many unconventional movie plots and roles over the years. Some very talented actors have pulled off some very memorable characters that have been etched in the minds of the public. However, there have been very few exceptional names who not only aced double roles but actually faced off against themselves in the same movie. So here is a look at few such stars who played both, a positive and a negative role in the same film…

Although Shah Rukh Khan mainly established himself as the romantic lead, he also proved that he can ace negative characters with ease. While his 2016 film 'Fan' is still fresh in everyone’s minds, it was his 1998 film ‘Duplicate’ that explored the other side of the quintessential hero. In the film he played dual roles of Bablu and Manu, the former being a naive aspiring chef while the latter being a ruthless criminal who is out for blood. Eventually, in the movie, Manu tries to kill Bablu and take his place leading the actor to essentially confront himself in the movie making for a super interesting premise.

Rajinikanth is known as a style icon all across the country, however, there is much more to the Superstar than meets the eye. He showed his amazing acting skills in Shankar’s magnum opus ‘Robot’, where he essentially played both the hero and villain. Rajini played the brilliant scientist Dr Vasi who creates the most advanced humanoid robot in the world- Chitti, which was also played by him. During the course of the film, his invention turns evil and develops its own army leading to a major confrontation between the two. Needless to say, ‘Robot’was a great reminder to many about Rajinikanth’s early days when he often used to play villainous roles.

Kamal Haasan has always been an artist ahead of his time and the best film to prove it is the 2001 fantasy thriller ‘Abhay’. The actor played the dual role of Vijay a cop and Abhay, his paranoid schizophrenic brother who stays in an asylum. Abhay, in spite of his psychopathic tendencies, cares for his brother and firmly believes that Vijay’s fiancée is evil. He then plots to kill her, eventually pitting the two brothers against one another. The film, which in many ways introduced the concepts of mental illnesses in Indian cinema, was praised for its unique concept and Kamal’s brilliant performance, especially as the titular character Abhay. Even though it bombed at the box office at the time of release, ‘Abhay’ went on to achieve a cult status in later years.

Govinda is a master when it comes to comedy. The actor can also ace some seriously negative roles which became apparent in ‘Shikari’, and the perfect combination of these two aspects is the 2006 film ‘Sandwich’. Govinda plays the role of Shekhar, who ends up committing bigamy due to tricky circumstances. Even as he is walking on eggshells and managing two families, another man Shekhar, also played by Govinda enters the scene making things more complicated. Turns out this doppelganger is not only evil, he is also hell-bent on destroying Shekhar’s life. Overall, seeing two Govindas on screen was definitely a treat for his fans.

Paresh Rawal has proved his versatility as an actor time and again and the best example of his acting prowess is his dual role in ‘Andaz Apna Apna’. He played the dual role of Ram Gopal Bajaj and his evil twin Teja. Teja kidnaps his brother in order to get his riches and bamboozles everyone throughout the movie as everyone is confused who is Ram and who is Teja. Not only did Paresh ace the dual role, he also managed to make the situation really hilarious and was one of the best aspects of this cult film.