Love them, hate them

Don makes bad look really good," said Priyanka Chopra of Shah Rukh Khan, who plays a deadly criminal opposite her cop in their latest offering Don 2. Directed by Farhan Akhtar, the gun-toting villain is mean to his last bone.

"He's a bad boy — he has no repressed childhood issues and we don't go into ‘he's a bad guy because…' He's unapologetic about being bad," said Khan.

As Bollywood fans gear up to welcome Khan in his bad guy avatar, tabloid! takes a look at some of the characters whom we love to loathe.

Prashant Narayan in Murder 2

Terrorists and conmen are staples in Bollywood flicks but the same cannot be said for serial killers. The oft-neglected personality type comes alive in Murder 2 in the form of cross-dressing sex addict Dheeraj Pandey (Narayan). Don't kill yourself if the actor's name doesn't ring a bell. A fixture in off-beat films, this is Narayan's breakthrough. The tale of missing prostitutes wouldn't have been the same without him. He plays a psychopath with panache and even manages to overshadow Emraan Hashmi, the virtuous-but-tortured hero.

Abhishek Bachchan in Yuva

Lallan Singh (Bachchan) belonged to the streets of Kolkata and is no stranger to extreme emotions. His act as the volatile henchman is beautifully captured in this political thriller. The tag "angry young man" — a label attached to his father Amitabh Bachchan — was bestowed on him after this film. Though Bachchan didn't top up his villain account with similar roles, it made for a fascinating watch. Despite the sizzling chemistry between his wife Sasi (Rani Mukherjee) and him, there were no happy endings in this one. This critic-friendly film, helmed by legendary director Mani Ratnam, is considered Bachchan's best work so far. Watch out for the scene where he breaks down after he guns down his brother.

Saif Ali Khan in Omkara

When it comes to nailing sophisticated and suave lover boy roles, Khan had it all figured out. With Salaam Namaste, Kal Ho Na Ho and Hum Tum under his belt, it was easy to picture him as a smooth-talking Casanova. But Omkara — billed as Bollywood's answer to Othello — set in lawless, rural Uttar Pradesh, placed Khan outside his comfort zone. In his role as the crafty Langda Tyagi who hatches a plot to destroy his boss' marriage, Khan was in top form. His stained teeth, limping gait and rustic lingo delivered with impressive precision made him an actor to reckon with.

Priyanka Chopra in Aitraaz

The former beauty queen opened her Bollywood account in 2003 with syrupy roles, but it was her ambitious, morally corrupt role in Aitraaz that won her the nod from critics and fans. Loosely based on Disclosure, Chopra played the conniving Sonia Roy to perfection. For the first time, a mainstream heroine wore her sexuality on her sleeve and made no qualms about pawing a married man (Akshay Kumar). Barring the cheesy song that showcased her as a feline predator, the Don 2 star proved that she can easily overshadow seasoned actors such as Kareena Kapoor and Kumar, who had pivotal roles in the film.

Shah Rukh Khan in Baazigar

It's not often that you come out of the cinema hall rooting for a murderer. But we did just that in Khan's revenge drama Baazigar. We agree that pushing your girlfriend off a high-rise building may not be an ideal solution, but when Khan did it, it seemed like a fitting answer to avenge his family's deaths. Watch this flick to get acquainted with Khan's earlier works (before he was that big superstar). No studied histrionics or larger-than-life dialogues, just earnest acting here.

Emraan Hashmi in Gangster

When Hashmi takes a breather from all the kissing, he's in cracking form. A departure from Bollywood's old school villains with their evil laugh and boisterous dialogues, Hashmi is spot on as a sly undercover detective who woos a gangster's moll (Kangna Ranaut). Plus, the deception is carried out in the most non-threatening manner. Don't expect brandishing of guns or knives — just some slick pace and serious dialogues.

Akshaye Khanna in Humraaz

Khanna did what no other protective Bollywood lover normally does. He urges his girlfriend (Amisha Patel) to marry a rich tycoon (Bobby Deol) so that they can con him out of his fortune. Sounds like a perfect plan. But what he didn't count on was his ambitious, gold-digging girlfriend developing scruples overnight.

Arjun Rampal in Om Shanti Om

When it's a Shah Rukh Khan-starrer, the probability of his supporting cast being eclipsed is rather high. But Rampal pulled off his role as Mukesh Mehra — the slimy and scheming film producer — with aplomb. It may have taken him six years to be taken seriously in Bollywood, but he arrived in showbiz with this one as critics hailed him as the surprise of this blockbuster. The scene where he sets his girlfriend on fire — also the mother of his unborn child — is chilling.

Nana Patekar in AgniSakshi

Call it imperfect timing or lack of imagination, but 1996 saw three Bollywood films that were loosely based on Julia Robert's Sleeping With The Enemy. But among the three imitations, including Juhi Chawla-starrer Daraar and Madhuri Dixit-starrer Yaarana, it was only Agnisakhi that had takers. And a huge chunk of the credit should go to Patekar, who played an abusive husband to perfection. As he cracked the whip on his wife, the viewers flinched too.

Kajol In Gupt

Say hello to an actress who has never been employed as visual relief in films. Right from the start, Kajol has always overshadowed her male counterparts with her impressive acting skills. Murder mystery Gupt was no different as she played a violent, mentally unstable woman. Her transformation from a love-struck girlfriend to a nervous wreck is beautifully captured in this flick. The adage ‘she'll kill for love' gained new meaning after Gupt.