Villains in Indian cinema are an age old concept. Ever since the advent of Indian cinema and popularization of Bollywood, characters were structured as protagonists and antagonists or precisely as the hero and the villain. The main aim of such a concept is indeed to portray the victory of good over evil. In Indian movies, therefore, villains gradually stood apart as the "evil" characters in the plot. Whether a historical narrative or a work of fiction, these characters were instrumental in bringing that desired twist in the story.

In the heydays of Indian cinema, films were either mythological or historical. Mainly the epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata were the trusted sources of Indian cinema. Quite ideally, therefore, the heroes in those films were some deities while the villains were the demons or other evil characters that varied from Kamsa, Ravana, Duryodhana, as per the concept of the film.

This idea of villain gradually changed with the varying pattern of cinema. Soon the demons and other mythological evil characters were largely replaced by the cruel Zamindars, brute landlords or moneylenders. This changed concept of Indian movie villains ushered in a new era whilst making it rather realistic. Gone are the days of perfumed palaces and extravagant court scene. Indian cinema became lot more realistic to befit the requirement of the emerging demand of the 70s socio political and economical scenario. The villains in Indian cinema also changed their style of acting in accord to the requirement. The 90's in Indian cinema saw the emergence of novel concept and organized crime came into picture. This was the time when underworld became the place where villains flourished. The underworld activities, the sheer intricacies of hi tech weaponry with the awesome performance of the villains contoured the Indian cinema to match the demand of the changing pattern. Another curious change came in Indian cinema with the ideation of a new theme which introduced the concept of anti hero as the villains. Today the villains are more anti-heroes than villains in Indian cinema. The anti hero is typically a person who is forced by circumstances to embrace his dark side. None understands him barring a few; therefore he is condemned to a life of misanthropy.

Indian cinema since time immemorial has gifted great actors who have so very ideally crafted out the concept of villains. Be it the charisma of the Bollywood movie villains or the awe-inspiring performances of the South Indian movie villains, they have always attracted attention whilst offering the storyline a whole new dimension. The Indian Movie Villains have made the plots of silver screen even more interesting and crispy. The monotonous storyline is often changed by the straining dialogues and tricks played by these Indian movie villains. They are honoured for their credible and interesting acting on the Indian silver screen.