God men of Bollywood

    • deebashree.mohanty@timesgroup.com
    • Publish Date: Apr 14 2016 1:15PM
    • |
    • Updated Date: Apr 14 2016 1:15PM
God men of Bollywood
Mithun Chakraborty as Leeladhar

Babas in Bollywood have always made merry. We take you down memory lane when ‘gurujis’ ruled the roost

Mithun Chakraborty as Leeladhar Swamy in OMG – Oh My God (2012)

From the moment Mithun Chakraborty signed up for the role of a godman in ‘Oh My God’, he knew he had struck gold. The actor says the role was tailor made for him, and director Umesh Shukla, who laughed his way to the bank, couldn’t have agreed more. The film received several awards and Chakraborty as a baba suddenly became a rage. Since then, the iconic actor says he landed three films in which he plays godmen! Although it was a dream role, Chakraborty admits that he had to go through umpteen costume rehearsals and make-up sittings before getting the look right. He also had to practise ‘the walk’ of the baba for months. 

Abhimanyu Singh as a ‘Godman’ in Global Baba (2015)
Global Baba, played by actor Abhimanyu Singh — last seen in Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela — is based on the lives of self-proclaimed godmen who cash in on the blind faith of the gullible masses to amass wealth. The young actor, who is known for his comic flair, says this role required him to step out of his comfort zone for the first time. He had to live the life of a hermit for six months to get into the skin of the character!

Hemant Pandey in Chal Guru Ho Ja Shuru (2015)
Versatile actor Hemant Pandey is back at what he does best — excel in satirical comedies. His latest offing ‘Chal Guru Ho Ja Shuru’ was exempted from tax by the Uttarakhand government, ahead of its release. Directed by Manoj Sharma, the film is a comical satire on fraud holy men. Hemant Pandey of TV serial "Office Office" fame plays the central role in the movie. According to Pandey, he had to lose around 15 kg to look the part he was playing.  

Amrish Puri as Mahaprabhu Jagatsagar Chintamani in Jaadugar (1989)
‘Jaadugar’ was a cult movie, far removed from the kitsch that Bollywood was churning out at that time. Amrish Puri and Amitabh Bachchan participated in the perfect cat and mouse chase in this film where melodrama was the king. The story is about deception under the name of god, and turning religion into business. Puri listed this movie as one of his all-time favourites as it was high on drama, pathos and adventure! It was for the first time that he was playing the role of a devious baba who feeds on the naivety of his disciples. The movie couldn’t draw big crowds, but Puri’s charisma as the godman made him a popular choice for negative roles with other directors.
 
Paresh Rawal As Swami In Zulm Ki Hukumat (1992)
Paresh Rawal is at his vicious best in film that revolves around the vendetta theme. He plays Swami, an underworld don, disguised as a godman. Rawal was so carried away by this role that would still respond to his screen name long after the movie was released.  

Saurabh Shukla as Tapasvi Maharaj in PK (2014)
Veteran actor Saurabh Shukla’s phone didn’t stop long after he portrayed the role of godman 'Tapasvi Maharaj' in ‘PK’. The man of the moment, however, doesn’t want to bask in the glory, although he admits that this was the toughest role he has portrayed so far in his career. For someone who has never put his foot inside an ashram, it was a difficult part to play, but Shukla took it up as a challenge and lived the life of a baba for three months prior to the shooting of the film. An actor with an impeccable sense of comic timing, Shukla rues the dearth of satirical movies in Bollywood, but anticipates much scope for new-age directors who are willing to experiment with this genre. Shukla fancies himself as a die-hard villain, but if the script is a good one, he is even willing to play a corpse!

Gurmeet Ram Rahim Singh as Guruji in MSG – The Messenger (2015)
It is about a godman who is intent on playing Superman — he claims to be a humble ‘’do-gooder super-human being”. ‘Pitaji’ as he is called fondly, was involved in each and every facet of filmmaking including its script, music, choreography, action and even the screenplay! Although the film’s final box office collections remain a mystery till date (some claiming that it pipped Akshay Kumar’s film ‘Baby’), Rahim’s effort was lauded by critics. He likes to play over-the-top roles and will not hesitate to come up with sequels!  

My Lord
These superstars played God with a contemporary tweak!

Akshay Kumar: ‘Khiladi’ Kumar played the role of a contemporary Krishna, who tries to help an atheist fight corrupt godmen and emerge a winner. Kumar wore ordinary clothes and rode the bike, even attempting life-threatening stunts. However, when he imparted knowledge and wisdom, he ‘became’ the Krishna of Mahabharata. 
Amitabh Bachchan: Dressed to the nines in a bespoke white suit, Bachchan looked very different from the traditional avatar of Indian gods. However, he carried off the look with panache. His deep baritone was perfect for the character of a god who is supposed to command his followers. He won the Best Supporting Actor Award for his performance in ‘God Tussi Great Ho’! 
Sanjay Dutt: Brought in a swag to his character of the modern-day ‘god’ in Vaah! Life Ho Toh Aisi’! Dutt looked suave as Yamraaj, dressed in designer clothes and driving a vintage car. His character was different from any of the earlier gods played in Bollywood. While Yamraaj is associated with all things sombre, Dutt played a light-hearted god of death who even danced with the hero.  
 
 
 

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