Vinod Khanna has an enigmatic element to him that makes him difficult to characterize. This enigmatic quality is heightened by his incredible amount of charisma and his wonderful acting. His facial expressions are so subtle, yet so expressive, that he can barely move a muscle and emote radically different moods.
My first Vinod Khanna movie was one of my first Bollywood 1970s movies, Amar Akbar Anthony, and I love him in that kind of role. On the other hand, I adored his portrayal of a light-hearted simpleton in Jail Yatra, and I have really liked everything else he's been in, too (except The Burning Train--that one was kind of a wreck). His total believability in all of his roles is impressive.
I have trouble describing exactly what it is about him that makes him so magnetic and appealing, (as I said, he's enigmatic), so I've compiled a list of a few of the things other people have said about him. I am pretty much in agreement with all of them.
Beth's comment: The Khanna men, I swear, they have some sort of freaky pull on me. I'll watch any of them do anything.
Pessimisissimo's comment: As for my favorite 70s hero, I have a fondness for Vinod Khanna: a lover and a fighter who somehow never seems to get the girl.
Todd's comment: Also, I think that Vinod definitely deserves to be in the top tier of 70's men, though he's a little harder to stereotype than the others, as he comprises equal parts AYM, badass, and sensitive Shashi-type.
bollyviewer's comment: And nobody has the kind of sex-appeal that a Vinod Khanna or a Feroze Khan or a Kabir Bedi had back then.
Vinod Khanna fan site: The most handsome actor of the Hindi film Industry with an enviable physique and dimpled face.
veracious: The man is tall and handsome and intense and yeah, guh. . . . Not sure who coined the term "thinking angry young man" to describe his work in the 70's but I like it a lot.
Bollywood501: There is a kind of beautiful sadness connected with a Vinod Khanna performance. Khanna exudes an existential melancholy that one could mistake for quiet resignation if not for the very evident fire smoldering behind his smoky eyes. Introspection is a true part of his characters, the searching gaze, the million questions behind the face that barely conceals the pathos within.
Anonymous comment: For me, no one (Amitab Bachan et al.) could touch Vinod's capacity for pathos as an actor (to say nothing of looks!). Shashi is cute as a button, but that may also be what makes it difficult for him to communicate suffering to an audience or to elicit such strong feelings of sympathy for his character. Vinod is strong, vulnerable, and good looking. What more could one want?
Daddy's Girl: I like to call him sexy Vinod. Because that’s what he is! To be honest, when I watch his 70s films, the young Vinod Khanna doesn’t actually have to say or do anything to make me happy. Just looking at him – from those dark, intense, heavy-lidded, beautifully-framed, brown eyes, to the dimple in his chin, to his beautiful physique – that’s enough for me. When he doesn’t smile, he’s scorching hot. When he smiles, everything in his face lights up. He’s a gorgeous man, and as you can probably tell, I could talk about how hot he is for ages, but I’ll spare you… partly because I’ve probably embarrassed myself enough already, and partly because he’s a lot more than a pretty face. He was a really good actor too in his heyday – from the learned and anguished friend of ‘Muqaddar ka Sikandar’; to the serious policeman of ‘Amar Akbar Anthony'; to the intensely, evil-but-hot bandit of ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh’; to the stylish young stud of ‘Mere Tulsi Aangan Ki’, he just… gave all his roles that special touch… you know what, I give up - the truth is, I obviously can’t talk about this guy ‘seriously’. He just makes me melt. Sadly, I don't have many screencaps of sexy Vinod, and the pictures I've come across on the net don't do him justice.
My first Vinod Khanna movie was one of my first Bollywood 1970s movies, Amar Akbar Anthony, and I love him in that kind of role. On the other hand, I adored his portrayal of a light-hearted simpleton in Jail Yatra, and I have really liked everything else he's been in, too (except The Burning Train--that one was kind of a wreck). His total believability in all of his roles is impressive.
I have trouble describing exactly what it is about him that makes him so magnetic and appealing, (as I said, he's enigmatic), so I've compiled a list of a few of the things other people have said about him. I am pretty much in agreement with all of them.
Beth's comment: The Khanna men, I swear, they have some sort of freaky pull on me. I'll watch any of them do anything.
Pessimisissimo's comment: As for my favorite 70s hero, I have a fondness for Vinod Khanna: a lover and a fighter who somehow never seems to get the girl.
Todd's comment: Also, I think that Vinod definitely deserves to be in the top tier of 70's men, though he's a little harder to stereotype than the others, as he comprises equal parts AYM, badass, and sensitive Shashi-type.
bollyviewer's comment: And nobody has the kind of sex-appeal that a Vinod Khanna or a Feroze Khan or a Kabir Bedi had back then.
Vinod Khanna fan site: The most handsome actor of the Hindi film Industry with an enviable physique and dimpled face.
veracious: The man is tall and handsome and intense and yeah, guh. . . . Not sure who coined the term "thinking angry young man" to describe his work in the 70's but I like it a lot.
Bollywood501: There is a kind of beautiful sadness connected with a Vinod Khanna performance. Khanna exudes an existential melancholy that one could mistake for quiet resignation if not for the very evident fire smoldering behind his smoky eyes. Introspection is a true part of his characters, the searching gaze, the million questions behind the face that barely conceals the pathos within.
Anonymous comment: For me, no one (Amitab Bachan et al.) could touch Vinod's capacity for pathos as an actor (to say nothing of looks!). Shashi is cute as a button, but that may also be what makes it difficult for him to communicate suffering to an audience or to elicit such strong feelings of sympathy for his character. Vinod is strong, vulnerable, and good looking. What more could one want?
Daddy's Girl: I like to call him sexy Vinod. Because that’s what he is! To be honest, when I watch his 70s films, the young Vinod Khanna doesn’t actually have to say or do anything to make me happy. Just looking at him – from those dark, intense, heavy-lidded, beautifully-framed, brown eyes, to the dimple in his chin, to his beautiful physique – that’s enough for me. When he doesn’t smile, he’s scorching hot. When he smiles, everything in his face lights up. He’s a gorgeous man, and as you can probably tell, I could talk about how hot he is for ages, but I’ll spare you… partly because I’ve probably embarrassed myself enough already, and partly because he’s a lot more than a pretty face. He was a really good actor too in his heyday – from the learned and anguished friend of ‘Muqaddar ka Sikandar’; to the serious policeman of ‘Amar Akbar Anthony'; to the intensely, evil-but-hot bandit of ‘Mera Gaon Mera Desh’; to the stylish young stud of ‘Mere Tulsi Aangan Ki’, he just… gave all his roles that special touch… you know what, I give up - the truth is, I obviously can’t talk about this guy ‘seriously’. He just makes me melt. Sadly, I don't have many screencaps of sexy Vinod, and the pictures I've come across on the net don't do him justice.
His sizzle factor is so high that anything else kind of gets lost! I am so glad experts have spent time analyzing other aspects of his performance. Now I know what they are, and can concentrate on his visual appeal without being distracted by the finer nuances of his acting (like I ever was!). ;-)
ReplyDeleteThanks for quoting me! I love what you've said about Vinod's charisma and his enigmatic quality. He could be very subtle in his acting, and was equally adept at good ol' masala scenery-chewing. Plus, just so gorgeous and simply HOT! Sigh. They just don't make 'em like Vinod Khanna anymore. Thanks for this post, and all the great pictures!
ReplyDeleteAw, thanks guys! I'm glad you liked it. If there's someone I really like, I can listen to people praise them all day long. And I really like Vinod, obviously. Thanks for commenting!
ReplyDeleteYou can get some of the best screen caps of handsome Vinod Khanna fromt he movie "Kudrat" especially the scenes with Hema Malini. They make a very striking couple.
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