Superstar Rajinikanth's latest film "Kabali" opened to a magnificent response on Friday, July 22, in several parts of India. The Tamil film directed by Pa Ranjith and produced by Kalaippuli S Thanu, features Rajinikanth as don Kabali, while Radhika Apte plays the role of his wife.

While Rajinikanth's film has created fan frenzy all over the world and people are flocking to theatres to watch the action-thriller, we recap a few epic characters of gangsters created in Bollywood movies: 

Amitabh Bachchan in "Don:" This is the very first name that comes to a Hindi film lover's mind when the role of a criminal mastermind is talked about. The veteran actor, who is known to get into the skin of the character, perfectly essayed the role of a gangster in the 1978 blockbuster.

Shah Rukh Khan in "Don," "Don 2:" Directed by Farhan Akhtar, "Don" (2006) featured Shah Rukh Khan as a boss of the underworld. It was the remake of the Amitabh Bachchan-starrer "Don." Later, Shah Rukh starred in "Don 2" as well, which was the second instalment of Farhan's "Don" franchise.

Ajay Devgn in "Company," "Once Upon A Time in Mumbai," "Omkara:" Ajay played the role of mafia boss Malik in "Company," which was loosely based on the life of underworld don Dawood Ibrahim. Later, the actor played a gangster in "Omkara." He also made a mark as don Sultan Mirza in "Once Upon A Time in Mumbai."

Sanjay Dutt in "Vaastav" and "Khalnayak:" Sanjay essayed the role of gangster Ballu in "Khalnayak," which revolved around Ballu's escape from the police custody. The actor also received accolades for his portrayal of don Raghu in "Vaastav." The film showcased the harsh realities of the Mumbai underworld.

Manoj Bajpayee in "Gangs of Wasseypur:" The talented actor played the role of gangster Sardar Khan in the critically-acclaimed movie.

John Abraham in "Shootout at Wadala:" John played the role of a handsome yet powerful don Manya Surve, who is in the most-wanted list of the Mumbai police. The film was the second instalment of the "Shootout" film series and had received lukewarm response from critics.