He has a smile on his face and seduction in his heart. Even though the heroine is level-headed and otherwise very wise, he manages to get under her skin and very often she is swayed by his sweet nothings. The usually stern daddyji and mummyji are also fooled by his sincere words. He leads a charmed life. This is the quintessential rake of the Hindi movies. Very obviously, if he has charmed everyone, there has to be something interesting about him.
Remember Shammi Kapoor in his many roles as Dil Deke Dekho and Tumsa Nahi Dekha? That young man dressed in his Sunday best is simply trying to get to the heroine's millions by hook or by crook. He just wants to woo her for her worldly goods. Shammi Kapoor's curly locks of hair are used wonderfully when he sings and dances with his jerky head movements (tareef karoon kya uski jisne tumhe banaya!). It doesn't matter that he genuinely falls in love with the heroine in the latter half of the movie, but his original intent is either the damsel or her dollars.
Feroze Khan was dressed for dinner
and the look in his eyes was enough to tell that he wanted to have the
girl as the main course! He style was all macho. He would prefer to take
the girl for wild rides on his motorbike. Dressed as the urban cowboy
(tight shirts with sleeves rolled up, even tighter jeans, scarves, cowboy boots),
he would ride the bike so fast, it would compel the heroine to cling to
him. He always sported long hair like Rock Stars, which made him look
wild and carefree to the usually sane heroines. Then he would show up
riding and taming horses! Even the roles which he played in the movies
were those of a rake. He has played a safe-breaker, a mercenary and the
like.
Vinod Khanna and Sanjay Dutt have
attempted to play up their rakish rock star looks with but they showed
up as the charmer in a movie or two each. In each case, they work
because the heroines make an attempt to change them: they persuade our
rakes to let go of the tight shirts and tuxedos to wear kurta and
churidaars.
Saif Ali Khan played a rake in Yeh Dillagi, where he wishes to seduce Kajol just because he has charmed her with his dance moves and by showing off his wealth. Akshay Kumar adapted the vampire look when he opted for high collared trench coats and shirts with extra high and extra pointy collars in Bewafa. His songs and dance moves were created to seduce a married Kareena. Akshaye Khanna wears designer togs to seduce the heroine in Race. In Jism John Abraham wears his body so beautifully he is the perfect rake. He meets the girl at the club where he's turned out to the teeth, and he single-mindedly persues her. He not only seduces the girl but the audience is charmed by the sheer black shirts that he wears, his cocky walk in blue jeans. He gets his just desserts in the end, but we come away with visual cues about him that will stay with us for years...
And last but not the least, there is
one man who has made a million fans out there because he essays the
role of a rake so well, the very mention of his name suggests seduction.
He too rides the motorbike in the movies, seduces the married and saree
clad Mallika Sherawat and wears a lop sided smile as easily as he wears
his casual clothes. Yes, it is none other than Emran Hashmi. His
classic thumbs in the pocket stance (whether the thumbs are in his
waistcoat pocket, the loops of his trousers, or in his jeans) is matched
only by his rakish walk (head cocked slightly to a side and a sliding
walk as though he's riding a wave).
Among the contenders today, Saif Ali Khan stands tall, with the naughty gleam in his eyes when he's wooing the babes. But it's hard to overlook the waistcoats he wears in Race and gleaming patent leather boots. The hair is never out of place even when he wears it long. The rustic 'bahubali' look in Omkara has undertones of menace that women fall for. And here, he wears his hair cropped real close to the scalp. The buzz cut draws attention to the powerful neck and torso. All the better to seduce you with...
Look at the possibilities in Prateik... we think he has the potential to seduce by his looks. His casual attire may not say great gatsby, but it sure has young women wanting to join his friend list on social networking sites. And the smirk is his best accessory. All he needs to do now is seduce them all on silver screen.
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