Bad guys strike back

Kollywood has new poster boys. And these handsome hunks are, hold your breath, the bad boys on screen.
Conventional villains have come a long way ��������������������������� from sporting a ruffian look to appearing smart and trendy today. They are now sweating it out hard in gyms to look their best and are posing quite a challenge to heroes in the fashion arena.
Kollywood has always had handsome villains (like M N Nambiar and Raghuvaran) who have managed to make a mark in the industry, thanks to their suave looks.But barring a few, most guys who played the role of the villain were made to appear evil so that they gel with the perceived stereotype.
Moviemakers did not dare cast villains who were more handsome than the heroes. But today, things are changing. In fact, villains even get a chance to shake a leg with hot babes.
Today���������������������������s prominent bad boys ��������������������������� Sampath, Prakash Raj and Riyaz Khan ��������������������������� all have that killer look. So, has the mindset of the people changed?
���������������������������Films have always had great looking baddies. Raghuvaran made a style statement although he portrayed negative characters. It all depends on the script. Earlier, the good looking villains were made to look bad to suit the character. It was also because the script demanded it,��������������������������� says Sampath, who got his ticket to stardom through Saroja.
���������������������������In Saroja, the director wanted the villain to be the most handsome guy in the film. He wanted to bring out the fact that even a baddie has a heart and that fact was aptly shown in the climax,��������������������������� he says.
Jeevan, who won praises for his portrayal of the character Pandya in Kaakha Kaakha, agrees. ���������������������������The audience is waking up to reality. People who do bad things in life need not look bad. And at the end of the day, it is the script that decides the looks. In Kaakha Kaakha, I had to play a stylish goonda and hence, I sported that look.���������������������������
Most of the good-looking top heroes ��������������������������� Superstar Rajinikanth, Satyaraj and Sarath Kumar ��������������������������� started their careers as baddies. So, is this a stepping stone to heroism? ���������������������������Yes,��������������������������� says Riyaz Khan whose recent Malayalam flick Perumal, in which he plays the hero has just hit the screens.
���������������������������It���������������������������s sad that once a good-looking guy has portrayed a negative role, he is typecast. Things in Bollywood are better. I did one film with Aamir and now I am acting with Shah Rukh Khan. But here, even though I played the elder brother to Vijay in Badri and a cop with Surya in Ghajini, I am stereotyped as a bad guy, which hurts. We never get an opportunity to break out of the mould and do other stuff. But now, things are changing and I hope they are for the better,��������������������������� he opines.
Jeevan chips in. ���������������������������When I started my career in films, I had no idea how things were going to turn out. I am lucky that I have established myself as a hero now,��������������������������� says Jeevan.
Sampath however says that he has never thought of becoming a hero. ���������������������������The conventional role of a hero has never fascinated me,��������������������������� he says. And do these villains make an effort to ensure that they do not outdo the heroes, when it comes to looks?
���������������������������Not really. I go by whatever the script demands. But yes, I will never kick a pregnant woman or rape a minor girl in my films. I won���������������������������t do anything that hurts the sentiments of people,��������������������������� says Sampath.
So, with the right looks and acting skills, these bad guys are ready to take the industry by storm.