The year 2022 was a year of some fabulous hits and some box-office duds. But, amidst all, what stood out were awesome performances. And, it was the villains who ruled the roost. These are not your regular ‘I am the murderer’ villains, they are pros at mind games and stay with you even after the movies have ended. At times anti-heroes and at times downright villainous, these male actors went all out with their negative acts and kept the audience hooked.

Hrithik Roshan — Vikram Vedha

The actor as Veda Betal would make you question what is right and wrong in the system. The movie is a remake of the Tamil movie of the same name, where Vijay Sethupathi set the bar high. And, in this Hindi remake, Hrithik managed to add his nuances to the Character. The actor’s de-glammed look added to the gangster aura perfectly. 

John Abraham — Ek Villain Returns

A psycho cabbie who kills girls for dumping their boyfriends... If the bad cabbie was as good-looking as John Abraham, then how would one hate him? And, he nailed the role of a person with mental illness. This is not the first time the actor has played a negative character, but this is one of the first ones to start the trend.

Kartik Aaryan — Freddy

Kartik plays the introverted Freddy, who goes all the way out for love. Mostly known for playing playful, funny and flirty roles, the actor out-shined himself in this movie. Seen in a different avatar, Kartik showed his versatility as an actor in Freddy.

Aparshakti Khurana — Dhokha: Round D Corner

A loving brother in Dangal or a funny friend in Stree, we have seen Aparshakti in characters with a feel-good element. However, in this movie, he shifted gears and played a terrorist. The actor received rave reviews for his performance in the movie.

Sikandar Kher — Monica O My Darling

Sikandar Kher managed to shine in this layered crime drama. Playing the character of Nishikant Adhikari, Sikandar looked dapper in the movie. Having already tried his hand at playing a grey character in the two seasons of the web series Aarya, the actor tried a different version of playing a negative character. His performance was loved by the critics and the audience.

Vijay Varma — Darlings 

You might have Hamza in Darlings, but we would not have imagined what Badru’s life would be like without him. All credit goes to Vijay, one of the finest actors in the industry, for putting a face to Hamza. That actor didn’t just make Hamza immortal as a character but also impressed everyone with his performance.