Hindi cinema has given us prolific characters through ages and has aged like fine wine. From larger than life heroes of the 70s and 80s, popcorn flicks of the 90s to maturing into a more nuanced, poignant style of storytelling of creating characters that resonate with the masses.
Characters that have left an indelible impact on me mirror who I am, the kind of people I would surround myself with or the ones I already know. The actors change their hairstyle, lose or gain weight, and spend many hours with makeup artists to transform into these characters. The magic of such transformations is that they look so convincing in their roles that we forget that these people don’t exist in real life. Sometimes this transformation is not all in the demeanour, it is how they ape these characters internally and this is when the lines start to blur. Such are the following 5 characters I go back to more often than not – for life lessons, for comfort and sometimes for mere fun :
1. Ved from Tamasha
I first watched Tamasha in 2017, on a lazy afternoon all by myself. I remember these details so vividly because of the lingering feeling the movie had left me with. This was way before netizens classified it as a cult classic. And since then I have atleast watched it thrice. Ved (Ranbir Kapoor) who is trapped in the race of climbing the corporate ladder, slowly starts losing himself in the process. His art camouflages in the monotonous routine which he is subject to follow. In one of the interactions with an auto-rickshaw driver, the driver says “ Andar se kuch aur hi hain hum aur bahar se majboor”. Ved in this brief moment self-introspects and this is beautifully expressed by Ranbir. Nothing speaks volumes about today’s youth and their myriad of internal conflicts than this dialogue. We all can find a little bit of ourselves in Ved.
2. Aisha from Wake Up Sid
As an aspiring writer myself who wants to move out from her sheltered upbringing to the city of dreams, Aisha (Konkana Sen Sharma) was an inspiration. The new girl in the city paves her way seamlessly and realises all her dreams. She is mature, calm, unassuming and persevering. She leaves no stone unturned when she wants to get her work published because she knows what she deserves. Not only is she self-sufficient and ambitious but also equal parts endearing. When she falls in love, she gives no qualms to societal pressure. Many would say that she helped in Sid’s transformation journey in the film, but for me the movie belonged to Aisha as much as it belonged to Sid. The icing on cake was obviously, Konkona playing the character with absolute finesse.
3. Vanraj from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam
I remember watching the movie as a teenager, smitten by the palpable chemistry between Sameer and Nandini amidst the soulful music and vibrant sets. As a grown up, I realise how people like Vanraj (Ajay Devgn) are the ones we should chase. Vanraj is a selfless and compassionate husband who sacrifices his happiness to reunite his wife Nandini with her former lover Sameer. It can be argued that this type of loyalty and selflessness is impractical, but I think that’s the beauty of it. Ajay’s painful yet poetic eyes in the title track and throughout the movie makes Vanraj even more convincing. Despite his possessiveness, Vanraj’s character remains sympathetic. He is torn between his love for Nandini and his sense of duty towards his marriage. He tries to be understanding and forgiving towards Nandini’s mistakes, but also struggles with his own jealousy, insecurity and wrath. A complex character like this makes the movie an iconic watch.
4. Jehangir Khan aka Jug from Dear Zindagi
Jug (Shah Rukh Khan), while helping Kaira(Alia Bhatt) cope with her childhood trauma and internal struggles, teaches the viewers invaluable lessons on life, relationships and everything in between. He is an empathetic therapist who uses unconventional methods to help his clients. He teaches her to confront her fears and encourages her to live her wildest dreams without any judgements. Another reason why he is my favourite is we see therapists as perfect individuals, the-know-it-alls but Jug is not afraid to show that he too has his own struggles and weaknesses. Jug’s most impactful dialogue goes like this- “Kabhi kabhi hum mushkil rasta sirf is liye chunte hai, kyun ki humein lagta hai, important cheezein paane ke liye humein mushkil rasta apnana chahiye. Apne aap ko punish karna bahut zaroori samajhte hai. But why? Aasaan rasta kyun nahi chun sakte? Kya burai hai us mein? Khaas karke jab ussi se aapko goal mil sakta hai.” He emphasises that not always the road less travelled is the road for you and it’s completely normal to find joy in simpler things of life. A charming and sensitive therapist like him can honestly fix all of us.
5. Vicky from Manmarziyan
With Mohawk blue hair, tattoos and a carefree attitude, there is no way you can not like him. He is reckless, irresponsible and commitment phobic. Vicky (Vicky Kaushal)’s storyline in the movie touches upon several themes that are relevant to young people today. His struggles with commitment, his fear of vulnerability, and his inability to express his emotions are all issues that many young people can relate to. His character arc in the movie is a journey of self-discovery and growth. He learns from his mistakes and tries to make amends for the harm he has caused. The criminally underrated song Dhyaanchand encapsulates Vicky’s quirky and feisty nature. Frankly, I fell in love with him.
With the magnitude of stories these days and so many being absolutely phenomenal, it becomes difficult to create characters that are evergreen and influence us long after the credits are rolled. These are the five that did the job for me and I would love to borrow some traits of their personality into my own.