Has any one else in Indian cinema done so many versatile roles as Kamal Haasan did?

 Perhaps him. If not more he was as versatile as any great actor can be

He has played all genres to perfection be it

Drama

Comedy

Romance

Historical

Costume Dramas

Even Action

He has played the

Lover/Husband

Father

Father in law

Even grandfather to his heroines

10 of his films won National awards, he won 2 of them. One of his films went as entry to Oscars.

He played 10 characters in one film.

He had no qualms playing old characters

He could overshadow the likes of Dilip Kumar and Amitabh Bachchan

He played deaf and dumb character to perfection

He played a mentally challenged character brilliantly

He overshadowed everyone in a female centric film

He worked in art films brilliantly

He was the mainstay of middle road cinema of Hrishikesh Mukherjee and Gulzar

And he was equally effective in commercial masala films

And even after all this he is not as celebrated as he should be

The “Evil in a Wheelchair” Trope: A Look at Cinema’s Long-Standing Archetype

 The first look of Kumbha drew both curiosity and silence. It was noticed, but it failed to surprise. Knowing Rajamouli, this is his strategy. He believes hype should rise, not erupt. He prefers anticipation that grows slows. That is why Mahesh Babu’s first look remains unseen. He wants to avoid the noise of early buzz and prefers to raise temperature towards the end.

Now that Kumbha has entered the frame, it feels apt to trace the long history of cinema’s wheelchair-bound villains, characters who embody weakness but command fear, who appear confined yet control everything around them.

This isn’t an exhaustive list. Cinema’s history is vast and moral interpretations differ, but here’s a chronological look at some notable portrayals up to November 2025, focusing on live-action films where the wheelchair is the character’s primary mode of mobility and they’re portrayed as antagonists or morally compromised figures.

Classic Era (1920s–1950s)

• Blizzard (The Penalty, 1920, Lon Chaney): A double amputee crime lord plotting revenge against the surgeon who ruined his life.

• Clayton (The Man Who Changed His Mind, 1936): A bitter invalid assisting in body-swapping experiments to escape his condition.

• Mr. Potter (It’s a Wonderful Life, 1946): The cold-hearted banker who weaponizes greed and control from his throne-like wheelchair.

• The Professor (Batman and Robin serial, 1949): A misanthropic scientist using a wheelchair while orchestrating crimes through invention.

• Ivan Igor / Henry Jarrod (Mystery of the Wax Museum, 1933 / House of Wax, 1953): The disfigured sculptor who kills victims to rebuild his wax exhibits — one of the earliest horror archetypes combining disability with madness.

Mad Science & Espionage (1960s–1980s)

• Dr. Strangelove (Dr. Strangelove, 1964, Peter Sellers): The ex-Nazi scientist whose wheelchair-bound gestures embody postwar paranoia and absurdity.

• Dr. Durea (Dracula vs. Frankenstein, 1971): A paralyzed scientist performing blood experiments in pursuit of immortality.

• Marcus Valorium (Once Upon a Spy, 1980): A missile-chair-equipped villain scheming for global power.

• David Lo Pan (Big Trouble in Little China, 1986): The ancient sorcerer appearing in an aged, wheelchair-bound form, fusing disability imagery with mysticism.

The Psychological and Grotesque (1990s–2000s)

• Jeffrey Lebowski (The Big Lebowski, 1998): A fraudulent millionaire faking his disability for manipulation and money.

• Dr. Arliss Loveless (Wild Wild West, 1999): The flamboyant Confederate scientist on a mechanized wheelchair plotting to rebuild America — literally.

• Mason Verger (Hannibal, 2001, Gary Oldman): A paralyzed sadist driven by vengeance, commanding others through wealth and cruelty.

• Ong-Bak Crime Boss (Ong-Bak, 2003): A throat-voiced, wheelchair-using crime lord trafficking sacred artifacts.

Modern Depictions (2000s–2020s)

• Obesandjo (District 9, 2009): A Nigerian crime boss exploiting aliens for profit.

• Kaal (Krrish 3, 2013, Vivek Oberoi): A telekinetic mastermind confined to a futuristic chair, blending sci-fi and mythic villainy.

• Athreya (24, 2016, Suriya): A time-manipulating genius’s evil brother whose wheelchair symbolizes his broken obsession with control.

• Howard Clifford (Detective Pikachu, 2019, Bill Nighy): A visionary tech mogul seeking to merge human and Pokémon minds for domination.

These portrayals reflect how cinema historically externalized evil (visible difference as inner corruption). Yet, modern interpretations occasionally subvert this, using the wheelchair as a metaphor for restraint, intellect, or irony rather than wickedness itself.

Which is the first CinemaScope movie of Hindi and also Indian cinema?

 It’s none other than Guru Dutt’s melancolic masterpiece Kaagaz Ke Phool which released in 1959.

The film which is considered a cult classic marked a technical revolution in Indian cinematography. Along with cameraman V.K. Moorthy, Guru Dutt was able to showcase stunning visuals. through the cinemascope format.

The artistic use of light and shadow generated a great film through the cinemascope format which produces a widescreen picture using an anamorphic lens.

Guru Dutt had promised full creative liberty to VK Murthy regardless of the time it consumed. Anamorphic lenses were brought from abroad for this ambitious project.

The film was a commercial failure but gained popularity with time. As Raj Kapoor had rightly commented to Guru Dutt, “You have produced the picture 15 years too early.”

Image(s) Courtesy: Google

How did Divya Bharti manage to star in over a dozen hit films in just one year, setting an unbroken record in Hindi cinema?

 Not true actually. Divya Bharti acted in a dozen Hindi films in just the year 1992–93 including 10 hindi films in 1992 (In Bollywood the record is hold by Reena Roy who had 13 releases in 1982).

Out of those 10 hindi films in 1992

Deewana Superhit

Shola aur Shabnam Superhit

Vishwatma Above Average

Balwan Above Average

Dil hi Dil me Disaster

Dil ka Kya kasoor Disaster

Dil Aashna hai Flop

Dushman Zamana Disaster

Geet Flop

Jaan se Pyara Average

So she had 4 hits out of 10 in 1992. She also had 2 releases in South making her total films in 1992 to 12.

In 1993 she had 3 more releases before her unfortunate d**th. She could have done many more films but couldn't and those roles were passed on to others like Mohra, Laadla, Vijay path etc. Her 1993 releases include

Kshatriya Below Average

Shatranj Flop

Rang Superhit

In total she delievered 5 successful films in Hindi cinema out of 13 total films. This is not really a record as Reena Roy had 8 successes inn1982 and Hema Malini had an unbroken streak of 9 hits. But Divya Bharti was an exceptional talent which was cut short.

What made "Jhansi ki Rani" such a big flop despite being the first technicolor film in Hindi cinema?

 Jhansi Ki Rani ( Queen of Jhansi) was a very expensive film at that time and was made with the budget of 6 million or 60 lakh at that time. The film was released in 1953. Shorab Modi had directed and produced the film. It was the first technicolor film made in India. But the film emerged as a big disaster film due to some reasons.

The first and the main reason for the biggest failure for the film was that Shorab Modi had casted his wife Mehtab for the titular role of Lakshmibai. She had looked too old at the age of 35 years to portray the young queen Lakshmibai who was half of her age.

Though the film got highly praised for its direction, expensive sets and war scenes, first technicolor film and to spend liberally for technicians but they blamed Sohrab for casting his wife for Lakshmibai's role. Sohrab Modi himself appeared in the prominent role of Rajguru besides Mehtab.

The second reason for the failure was its high budget. Its very high budget couldn't make it a hit film.

Shorab Modi had brought Hollywood technicians for technical aspects, he did the film accurately with the historical details. The main cinemotographer who assisted the film was the Oscar winner Ernest Haller. Russell Lloyd from England was the editor.

Jhansi Ki Rani was also released in the US with the title The Tiger and The Flame in 1956. The English version had no songs.

The 3rd reason was that it was not like a typical Hindi cinema of that time. The audience got disappointed due to its lack of melodramatic moments that is lack in emotional and sentimental moments that the Indian audience typically expect.

The 4th reason was, there were no impressive songs which play a very prominent role in the success of any film and the songs didn't get popularity among the audience.

The 5th reason was that the historical context of the film was not fully appreciated by the westren audience in the English dubbed version.

The big failure of the film made Shorab Modi to face big financial crisis.