For a long time, renowned actor Gulshan Grover has been known as Bollywood’s ‘Bad Man,’ a moniker he earned in the industry for flawlessly portraying the adversary.
The renowned villains of Bollywood in the 1990s flicks are extremely unique, and Gulshan is right up there with the finest.
To be honest, it’s only because of his ability to delve inside the mind of a horrible guy that he was able to play it so well on the big screen.
Gulshan has now worked on a number of films with some of the industry’s greatest names. Gulshan has worked with everyone, including Bollywood superstars Shah Rukh Khan and Akshay Kumar, and has able to hold his own, as evidenced by the manner he performed their parts.
When it comes to major names, Gulshan once collaborated with Sridevi on the film Sadma (1983).
According to Gulshan, the movie was where he learned the most important lesson of his life.
There was a r*pe scene in the film involving Gulshan and Sridevi, which Gulshan detailed in his autobiography Bad Man. He read aloud from the book, which stated:
“As soon as Balu yelled, ‘Lights, Camera, Action!’ it was all over.” I made a beeline for Sridevi. She shoved me away so violently that I collapsed in a heap on the floor several feet away, completely in character. With a hurried ‘Cut,’ Balu dashed towards me, accompanied by a roar of laughing from Kamal and Romu. ‘What is this?’ he asked, his face straight, as he sat there stupefied. The all-powerful villain has been defeated!
“I quickly regained my balance and was up and about.” Thanks to Sridevi, the second take went off without a hitch, and we were able to wrap out the scene fast. She made me realise how vital it was to enact a r*pe scene without jeopardising the dignity of my female co-star without expressing it in so many words. A strange man caressing a woman is something that every actor resents and despises. I don’t recall her exact words, but the gist of what Sridevi advised me that day was that I had to be careful not to make the object of my lust uncomfortable with my unwanted attention while conveying a specific emotion. I had to make sure that I stayed in line at all times.
“That was the most important lesson I learned on the set of Sadma, and it’s one I’ve continued to practise throughout my career.” Given that I would make their lives hell onscreen, several heroines, including Rekha-ji, Anita Raj, Kimi Katkar, Dimple Kapadia, Manisha Koirala, Raveena Tandon, Tabu, Karisma Kapoor, and Mahima Chaudhry, often pushed their producers to sign me because I never bothered them in scenes that required physical proximity.”
