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The two-faced stars of Bollywood
Bollywood's full of impostors, of people hiding behind assumed identities, and here's a look at ten very different, memorable types:
Akshay Kumar in Tees Maar Khan
We haven't seen this one yet, but Kumar is apparently masquerading as a filmmaker -- something that can probably be said of many of our real so-called directors -- in order to pull off a big heist.
Sanjay Dutt in Munnabhai MBBS
Like the title says, MBBS. Munna is a gangster with a heart of gold. But in order to impress his parents, he puts on quite a show -- turning his den into a full-blown hospital look-a-like, complete with patients -- as he pretends to be Murli Prasad Sharma, MBBS.
Madhuri Dixit in Khel
Ah, if only all conwomen were this gorgeous.
In this ripoff of Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Dixit teams up with Anupam Kher and decides to swindle Anil Kapoor -- who only turns out to be another conman.
Rajesh Khanna in Bawarchi
Hrishikesh Mukherjee films featured several impostors, but they were all good at heart.
In Bawarchi, Rajesh Khanna travelled from household to household as a cook, but essentially to fix up the house's problems. Heartwarming stuff.
Dharmendra in Chupke Chupke
In this Mukherjee masterpiece, Dharmendra, fed up of his wife's barbs about her super-smart brother-in-law, decided to dress as a chauffeur to fool him. Lying led to more lying in this wonderfully elaborate plot, and much hilarity ensued.
Anil Kapoor in Jhoot Bole Kauwa Kaate
It was only fitting that Mukherjee's last film would feature yet another friendly impostor, and this one had Anil Kapoor wear his hair geekily to try and win his way into the heart of prospective father in law Amrish Puri. A warm, sweet film.
Amitabh Bachchan, Shashi Kapoor in Do Aur Do Paanch
In this fantastic comedy, Bachchan and Kapoor played crooks masquerading as schoolteachers in order to kidnap a wealthy kid from a boarding school. Kapoor was the music teacher, Bachchan taught PT, and their oneupmanship provided the stuff of legend.
Aamir Khan in Fanaa
He might have played the lovable tourguide before in Raja Hindustani, but in Fanaa this was all just an act as Aamir played a deadly terrorist taking advantage of a blind Kajol. All we learnt was never to watch films with him as a guide.
Hema Malini in Dream Girl
Playing the stunning Sapna, Hema Malini flits from alias to alias in this film till she finds herself a beau and decides to don the identity of a princess -- even though it is ultimately dramatically revealed that she is a prostitute.
Amitabh Bachchan in Don
And we saved the best for last. In the 1978 classic, Amitabh plays a dual role, both of the ice-cool Don and of the bumpkin Vijay, forced to impersonate Don. It is a terrific performance, Bachchan managing both parts