Bang bang, he shot us down

Today's villain is less a character than a stepping stone for the hero's glory. Gabbar, in contrast, is a charismatic force of nature

- Raja Sen

Who is the hero of Sholay? This is a valid question. Thakur, played by Sanjeev Kumar, gets the revenge. Veeru, played by Dharmendra, gets the girl. Jai, played by Amitabh Bachchan, gets the heroic sacrifice at the close of the film. Which of them is the hero? You may as well toss a coin to decide.

There is no question about the man on the other side. Gabbar Singh has no peer, no equal. He is a villain beyond comparison. As played by Amjad Khan—a breakthrough performer in an all-star sea—Gabbar is theatre and terror, a villain who feels less taken from cinematic archetypes than conjured from folklore and nightmare.

Gabbar Singh. He arrives on screen through dust and sweat. He's wrapped in sun-bleached olive green fatigues, hanging on him like the regalia of an absconding general. Part pirate, part Sergio Leone villain, grimy and ruthless and bearded, a man made for Ennio Morricone music. The way the bandolier falls across his swarthy chest, the way bullets hang from him like he is ready to take on an army by himself. A battered service revolver droops from his hip, casual as a house-key. His shirt is open wide at the neck, flaunting an amulet, a taabeez that may well stop a bullet. His boots, those heavy cavalry-style steely boots, announce him to us before the camera does, every crunch on Ramgarh's rocks working like the number on a countdown.

Khan's face looks ravaged by wars internal and external. His curls are sweaty, beard scraggly and unpredictable, eyes baggy with exhaustion... yet, also, a-twinkle with mischief. The mischief of the man who doesn't sleep and who doesn't let the world sleep. He grins a wonky grin and his teeth flash, irregularly. Unforgettably.