India, April 30 -- Films like the Dhurandhar franchise and Animal (2023) have reinforced the growing trend of dark, morally complex protagonists becoming Bollywood's new formula for success, with audiences clearly embracing it. Filmmaker Karan Johar has also recently noted the industry's "obsession" with hyper-masculine alpha heroes. Actor Vijay Varma, who recently played a grey character in the show, Matka King, reflects on the shift, saying, "Hamesha se hi 'hero' types hero bahut kam the Bollywood mein. If you even watch Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995) today, it's not all white, it's never been." The 40-year-old adds, "This is a completely common misconception, especially when it comes to discourse on films. We've always had morally ambiguous protagonists. Maybe, except for a few performances by the great Rajesh Khanna, probably in films like Bawarchi (1972), the heroes are usually characters suffering from some kind of insecurities, personal pursuit, or several obstacles; the story doesn't work otherwise." Vijay, who has been the anti-hero in projects like Darlings (2022), asserts that he relates to such grey-shaded characters more. "We've always had great antagonists from literature to art and cinema. Mr (Amitabh) Bachchan from Deewaar (1975) is a great example of that. I resonate more with such antagonists and anti-heroes than pure protagonists because I haven't seen those much in our cinema in the past," he says. While Vijay acknowledges cinema's influence on society, he says dark stories don't necessarily amount to glorification. Referring to Matka King, which follows a man involved in betting, he stresses that the aim is to spark conversation, not endorse the act. "Actually, we invite a conversation because I am very certain. Nagaraj (Manjule, director) sir and Abhay Koranne (creator) are really capable and have such a keen focus on what they say. Their films are very socially alive, and they carry a responsibility," he says....