Villains of 2025: Akshaye Khanna in Dhurandhar to Randeep Hooda in Jaat, meet the Bad Guys of B-town

Villains of 2025: One of the unforgettable antagonists this year is Akshaye Khanna’s Rehman Dakait from Dhurandhar, whose popularity rose instantly for his stunning performance.

VILLAINS OF 2025

Villains, or the bad guys, are the soul of a film, as they form a central part of the story. While last year we had Arjun Kapoor in Singham Again and R. Madhavan in Shaitaan, this year we had many iconic villains. One of the game changers is Akshaye Khanna’s Rehman Dakait from Dhurandhar, whose popularity rose instantly after his stunning performance. From Dhurandhar to Jaat and Thamma, take a look at some of the popular villains of 2025, whose magnificent personalities not only made their roles unforgettable but also their dramatic transitions.

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Meet the deadly villains of 2025

The year is almost set for a final goodbye as we inch closer to a new year. Ahead of 026, let’s take a look back at the deadly villains.

Akshaye Khanna - Dhurandhar

The year 2025 has been a total game changer for Akshaye Khanna, as he proved his mettle in acting with two solid villain avatars. Akshaye first played a villain in Vicky Kaushal’s Chhaava, where he played the Mughal ruler, Aurangzeb, at the start of this year. Recently, Akshaye Khanna stole the spotlight in Dhurandhar as he nailed the role of Pakistani gangster Rehman Dakait. From his engaging entry in the FA9LA viral song to the dialogues and thrilling role, Akshaye Khanna is the OG villain of 2025 now.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui - Thamma

Nawazuddin Siddiqui has previously aced the villain roles in Raman Raghav and other films. This year he appeared as the main villain in Ayushmann Khurrana’s supernatural horror film Thamma. In the movie, Nawazuddin played the role of Yakshasan, the evil antagonist whose unsettling personality and twisted character add depth to the central narrative of this horror comedy film.

Randeep Hooda - Jaat

Randeep Hooda’s evil role as Ranatunga is not easy to forget, as the actor transitioned from his charismatic hero personality to playing a wicked criminal and the central bad guy in the story. Randeep Hooda played the role of a corrupt criminal named Ranatunga, who spreads terror in the coastal village and among its folks. Sunny Deol plays the titular role of a saviour, who vows to fight the evil.

Arjun Rampal - Dhurandhar

While everyone is going crazy about Akshaye Khanna’s Rehman Dakait character, there is another impressive villain in Dhurandhar. It is none other than Arjun Rampal. Previously marking his territory in the antagonistic roles in Om Shanti Om and Ra.One, Arjun was introduced as the Angel of Death in Dhurandhar. He played ISI Major Iqbal. His shabby look with a thick beard and a golden tooth is enough to send waves of shivers among viewers.

Riteish Deshmukh - Raid 2

Riteish Deshmukh has served villain goals in Ajay Devgn’s Raid 2 with his stunning craft, breaking out of typecasting. He played the role of Manohar Dhankar, alias Dada Manohar Bhai, a menacing politician who uses his manipulation and immoral tactics to rise the ranks. Riteish plays a central part in the story as a corrupt political figure against Ajay Devgn’s officer role. However, this is not the first time Riteish Deshmukh has nailed a negative character. Apart from popular comedy films, Riteish earned praise for his evil role in the movie Ek Villain.

Dhurandhar FAQs

Who plays the OG villain in Dhurandhar?

Akshaye Khanna plays the deadly villain in Dhurandhar. His role as Rehman Dakait is inspired from Lyari's crime lord.

Q: When to watch Dhurandhar on OTT?

A: Dhurandhar will be released on Netflix after its theatrical run, and the tentative OTT release date is January 30, 2026.

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