10 Best Films of Danny Denzongpa

Remember Sunny Deol crying out loud the name ‘Katya’ and the famous dialogue. Surely, you
remember. Small children even in remote villages of India know this name. This character is much
famous that people in small-town refer to this actor as the hero who played ‘Katya’. So the actor
who put his character in the league of Mogambo & Gabbar, the greatest villains of Bollywood ever
is Danny Denzongpa. Recipient of Padma Shree award, Danny has acted in about 190 Hindi films
across 4 decades. So choosing 10 greatest films a tough one but here is the list-:

1. GHATAK: LETHAL (1996)

What makes a hero great? The answer is a great villain. And this line suits well on Danny’s
portrayal of Katya, the ruthless landowner Katya who is perfect and even sometimes the greater
than the hero ‘Kashi’ played by Sunny Deol. It is his performance as ‘Katya’ that Sunny gets his
shine. The performance is so good that small children in remote villages remember Katya and his
dialogues.
Danny always said that in playing negative roles he sees them as the hero of their own story. And
this proves well in this case where he shows his emotional side also when his brother is killed by
Kashi and then the followup story. Katya is surely among the greatest villains of Bollywood films
and it is due to the performance of Danny. He was nominated for Filmfare Best Villain Award for
Ghatak.

2. AGNEEPTH (1990)
Before appearing in Ghatak as Katya, his friend and admirer Mukul Anand gave him chance to
shine in his action-drama film Agneepath. And Danny didn’t miss the opportunity. Danny played
underworld don Kancha Cheena, one of the best villains of Bollywood opposite Vijay Deenanath
Chauhan played by the great Amitabh Bachchan.
The ruthlessness and the dark undertone of the film take it from the performance of Danny. His
cunning and ferocious portrayal just makes the film memorable. The film became a cult as well
as Danny became a name among the film industry by this film.

3. SANAF BEWAFA (1991)

Just after appearing as the villain in Agneepath, next year Danny appeared as Sher Khan in
Sanam Bewafa opposite Pran. The film was a love story and portrayed Sher Khan as a good-
natured man who promises his son to marry him to his enemy’s daughter but later due to insult
turns against her. The film solely runs on the performance of Pran & Danny.
People remember it today for his performance. And Danny won the Filmfare Best Supporting
Actor award for this role.
4. SEVEN YEARS IN TIBET (1997)
Danny is one of the few Bollywood actors who got the chance to showcase their acting abilities
to world cinema through the lens of Hollywood. Seven Years in Tibet is one of the several foreign
movies of Danny where he played the role of Monk titled Regent alongside Brad Pitt. The movie
showcases the era of the second world war in pre-independent India.
It’s a pleasure to watch Danny in there due to his Buddhism dependency.

5. BIOSCOPEWALA (2018)
After 2003, Danny appeared in selective films due to his inclination to the more realistic cinema.
Bioscopewala is an adaptation of Rabindranath Tagore’s short story Kabuliwala. It is one of the
best and honest performances in his career. Playing a character who is an immigrant from Kabul
and tells stories to children through Bioscope steals your heart.
The film was praised by critics. Saibal Chatterjee of NDTV reviewed "Danny Denzongpa's
Performance Is First-Rate In This Well-Crafted Sparkling Little Gem."

6. PHIR WAHI RAAT (1980)

Considered among the top five best horror suspense films of Hindi Cinema Phir Wahi Raat was
the one and only film directed by Danny. Starring Rajesh Khanna film is a tale of twists and turns
where Ashok played by Danny is the cousin of Asha (Kim) female lead. There are various murders
and search for the killer which is later revealed through a plot thick of suspense.
It’s a good performance for Danny along with a good direction.

7. KHUDA GAWAH (1992)

Filmfare Best Supporting Actor award again found his way to Danny due to his excellent
performance as Khuda Baksh, guardian of Benazir (Sri Devi) who later travels to India in search
of Badshah Khan (Amitabh Bachchan). An epic tale of love and drama this film was the highest
grosser of 1992.
Praised for his performance it remains a must-watch film of his career.

8. HUM (1992)
And then comes Danny as Bakhtawar, the Mumbai dock’s workers masters for whom all workers
are slaves. The arc through which this character goes and the portrayal is just mesmerizing. And
the scene where Bakhtawar is in the house of Tiger’s home and playing with his niece and sister-
in-law and then the sheer change in his expression was an eyecatcher.
Danny was thoroughly praised for his performance.

9. BARSAAT (1995)
Bobby Deol starrer Barsaat once again awarded him a nomination for Filmfare Best Villain Award.
The corrupt assistant commissioner of police, Negi is Danny’s one of the best performances as
an actor. Negi takes Badal (Bobby Deol) in his custody on false charges and then takes a bribe
to kill him. Alongside such star cast, Danny shines like a star.
It is his sheer acting as a cunning, corrupt, cruel policeman than won hearts of millions.

10. CHINA GATE (1998)

With an ensemble cast of Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri, Kulbhushan Kharbanda, Amrish Puri, Tinu
Anand; Danny makes his own mark in the role of Major Ranjit Singh Gurung. To act among these
biggies and then making your own mark is a big challenge and Danny is perfectly able to do so
through his talent and skill as an actor.
His performance along with the movie is still praised.a