There are things that always look good when paired up. From Tom and Jerry, Fries and ketchup, Left and Right, to Bread and Butter, Cup and Saucer, pairings are inevitable. You’ll find these things inseparable, no matter how hard you try!!
Fevicol ka jod hai; tootega kaise? Ab agar fevicol ka jod ho aur Bollywood ki Jodi na ho toh kaise chalega re baba?
Though Bollywood has many other things to pair up, but there’s one such thing common to most of the Bollywood movies – drinking scenes and alcohol. in Not the hypothetical situations!
Gone are the times when we watched sanskari movies like Ghar ek mandir, Ghar Ghar ki Kahani, etc. where the hero and heroines were expected to be orthodox, obedient and traditional.
But now, the pattern of movies made in Hindi cinema has changed. Now films are being produced showing alcoholism to a great extent. There are plenty of movies in which alcoholic characters are main leads or intoxicated characters have a strong message to convey.
Shahid Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Shah Rukh Khan, Aditya Roy Kapoor, and various other stars have essayed the role of alcoholics in sharabi on the big screen. So let’s just dive into the treasure chest of Hindi movies and find out all the best alcoholic, intoxicated characters, who have earned name and fame for their drunken roles.
Here is the list of all the sharabi talli style roles that have been a part of Hindi movies:
14. Anthony acted by Amitabh Bachchan in Amar Akbar Anthony
"Main kitni baar bola tereko daaru nahi peeneka, daaru bahut kharab cheez hai", is a famous sharabi dialogue from Amar Akbar Anthony. Played on screen by Amitabh Bachchan, the role shows the silly activities done by an alcoholic and regretted on the following day. The kind of drunken role is fun and brings nostalgia in our minds.
13. Devdas acted by Shah Rukh Khan in Devdas
When Shahrukh aka Dev said “Kaun kambhakt bardaasht karne ko peeta hai ... hum toh peete hai ki yahan par baith sake, tumhe dekh sake, tumhe bardaasht kar sake”, we can feel his pain.
He loved Paro, but could never be with her, starting to drink alcohol until it proved to be fatal. It was one of the very first drunk sharabi roles that appeared in Hindi movies and received a lot of appreciation.
12. Dev acted by Abhay Deol in Dev-D
Abhay Deol played the character of Dev, a mere classic alcoholic who got heartbroken by his childhood love, Paro. He can be termed of like a modern version of Devdas.
11. Mahi Arora acted by Kareena Kapoor Khan in Heroine
Kareena Kapoor played the role of an actress who finds escape into drugs and alcohol as a result of ruining her career. She also faced dejection by her married boyfriend and starts losing a grip on her control.
Turning an alcoholic, she rushes into a downfall. This drunk role or character showed that alcohol consumption cannot help in forgetting things – it is a weapon for massive destruction.
10. Silk played by Vidya Balan in Dirty Picture
Not many Bollywood heroines play alcoholic roles on screen and Vidya Balan was certainly not expected to do a sharabi role. However, to ease her heartbreak and the rejection from her family, Silk in played by Vidya Balan turns to alcohol and chain smoking; thus strongly portraying alcoholism and its effects.
9. Shonali Gujral played by Kangana Ranaut in Fashion
Kangana Ranaut plays the role of an alcoholic and drug abuser, Shonali Gujral, who is a successful model. Her increased drug addiction forces her to seek shelter in a rehabilitation clinic, where she later dies due to a drug overdose.
8. Rahul Jaykar played by Aditya Roy Kapoor in Aashiqui 2
Well, Aditya Roy Kapoor has a strong connection with alcoholic roles. He has played an alcoholic in nearly all his movies. Is that inscribed in his hand?
In Aashiqui 2, his debut movie, he plays the role of Rahul Jaykar, a successful musician and singer, who starts having a waning career because of his alcohol addiction. His love interest helps him in rehabilitation, but he commits suicide by jumping off the bridge, unable to overcome his addiction.
7. Veronica played by Deepika Padukone in Cocktail
Just like Uncle Scrooge, this Bollywood movie talli role had the rich-kid swimming in a pool of liquor. Veronica, played by Deepika Padukone, is obsessed with drinking and doesn’t really need an excuse to get drunk.
She is always looking forward to getting laid, which is okay. she is also the kind you’ll find peacefully sleeping on a street after a mad night of ultra-drunkenness. Veronica is another sharabi character worth mentioning in the list.
6. Tommy Singh played by Shahid Kapoor in Udta Punjab
Tommy Singh is a popular celebrity figure in Punjab, who is not just a tip to toe alcoholic but also a promoter of the same. He is addicted to a cool lifestyle and many of his fans follow him blindly.
The followers are so blind that they don't discriminate between good or bad habits and begin consuming alcohol and drugs like him. Thus the alcoholic character gives birth to a huge crisis in Punjab, with even children being addicted to alcohol.
Udta Punjab is one of the many alcoholic movies that leave a lesson.
5. Inder Parihaar played by Harsh Vardhan Rane in Sanam Teri Kasam
In Sanam Teri Kasam, Inder is a tattooed, silent criminal with a murky past. He spends a chunk of his time working out, feeding a stray cat (the only good thing he does in the film) and consuming copious amounts of alcohol. Right from the first scene to the last scene.
He drinks alcohol like water but when his love, Saru dies before his eyes, he swears not to drink again.
4. Avi played by Aditya Roy Kapoor in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani
Usually a friends' role in Hindi movies is to help out the hero, but in YJHD, the tables turned as the friend had to play a drunkard role. Aditya Roy Kapoor, robed in all all-time talli Avi, pulled off the character really well.
The walk and the talk of a sharabi bevda have not been delivered as good as him by any other actor. And he knows this too!
3. Babita Kumari played by Katrina Kaif in Zero
Essaying the role of the National heartthrob Babita, Katrina Kaif was a bold and beautiful actress in Zero. She was addicted to alcohol and never did a shoot without being drunk. Although her role was not much highlighted, but she was a drink and sleep heroine character in the movie.
2. Sanjay Dutt played by Ranbir Kapoor in Sanju
Sanju is the most loved biopic that covers the whole gamut of Sanjay Dutt's life including all tragedies and sufferings. A major part of the movie describes Sanju's alcohol and drug-addicted life, which Ranbir Kapoor played on screen.
Being drunk, Sanju sang songs, wandered on roads and even had many affairs. Later, he went to rehab to recover and be back to normal. The cute alcoholic character thus became everyone's favorite.
1. Kabir Singh played by Shahid Kapoor in Kabir Singh
The latest addition to the list of sharabi roles in Bollywood movies is of Kabir Singh. Played by Shahid Kapoor, Kabir Singh is a university topper and a house surgeon, who goes on a self-destructive path after being partitioned from his love.
He dives into every type of drug, be it cocaine, weed, alcohol or anything – hoping to forget the memories of her love. Interestingly, for being an alcoholic on screen, of a relatively younger age, Shahid also had to shed over 14 kilos.
These were a few drunken Hindi movie characters that are worth watching on the screen. However, depicting high characters on screen doesn’t mean that Bollywood movies promote alcoholism. We are all mature adults for such ‘A’ certified films and we are smart enough not to imbibe such negativity from the movies.
We understand that it’s just a character!