Anmol Ahuja
10. Sharman Joshi
Not to disagree, seeing him as a full blown lover romancing the leading lady isn’t the best role we’d like him to do on screen (courtesy of some of his recent movies) but have we forgotten this actor’s work in films like ‘Rang De Basanti’, ‘Golmaal’ and ‘3 Idiots’? It goes without saying how the actor has managed to fetch a huge amount of appreciation for his performances, not just for the comic part of it, but also as a strong binder for these multi-starrer movies. However, there’s no denying the fact that a lot more is left for him to do, for the audience to see and films to utilise, as long as the stick is held from the right end. Here’s hoping to see a lot more of this adorable actor in future films that mark a much needed return to form for him!
9. Piyush Mishra
An actor, a music director, a lyricist, a singer, a scriptwriter, this man has done it all. He has been in the industry for so long and given so many incredible performances that it’s almost a sham his name is on this list. Having graduated from NSD in 1986, he was being considered for the lead role in ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ but he chose theatre over movies and debuted in Bollywood only in 1998, with a small supporting role in ‘Dil Se’, further testament to his dedication to the art. He has given memorable, path breaking performances in movies like Maqbool, Gulaal, Rockstar, Gangs of Wasseypur, Tamasha and most recently Pink, and each time he has been appreciated for his immense talent and bringing in a trademark quirk associated with every character he plays. Here’s hoping these praises also bring along the much delayed recognition owed to him and meatier roles that do justice to an artist of his calibre.
8. Richa Chadda
Hailing from a theatre background, she made her Bollywood debut with a small role in ‘Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye’ and was instantly termed a ‘revelation’. Following it up with small scale movies and some other regional outings for a few years, it was her portrayal of Nagma Khatoon, the foul mouthed wife of a gangster, in Gangs of Wasseypur, that brought her universal acclaim and recognition. She went on to give stellar performances in movies like Fukrey & Ram-Leela, where even with smaller roles, she owned the scene from the word go, every time she made an appearance on screen.
With the lead role in the globally acclaimed ‘Masaan’, she garnered some more deserved appreciation, but even with these path breaking performances, it’s only smaller roles that came her way. Regardless, the actress has never failed to deliver. Her upcoming projects include Sudhir Mishra’s ‘Aur Devdas’, an adaptation of the Devdas saga, Pooja Bhatt’s ‘Cabaret’ and ‘Fukrey 2’, and we are beyond excited to see what this incredibly talented artist has in store for us.
7. Radhika Apte
After 12 years and nearly 40 multilingual films in formats as diverse as television series, feature films and short films, she is still one of the most underrated actresses with her unconventional movie choices. Her Bollywood breakthrough came in 2011 with ‘Shor: In the City’, following acclaimed performances in the thriller ‘Badlapur’, the comedy ‘Hunterrr’, ‘Manjhi- The Mountain Man’ and the psychological thriller ‘Phobia’. She later went on to star in two blockbuster films, the Marathi thriller ‘Lai Bhaari’ and the Tamil blockbuster ‘Kabali’ opposite Rajnikanth. Her portrayal of ‘Lajjo’ in the 2015 release ‘Parched’ brought her universal acclaim through many film festivals, for playing a socially relevant character with poise.
However, despite such a wide spectrum of works and proving her worth as an actor time and again,she is often typecast as an art-film actress, and as not fitting the ‘mould’ for Bollywood actresses. Bollywood’s current fetish for pretty looking, nicely dressed up actresses who can barely act, and disregard for talents such as her should give us all pause, if we think about it.
6. Vijay Raaz
Being an active part of plays hosted by NSD from the early days of his career, he was discovered as an actor capable of so much more in Mira Nair’s Monsoon Wedding (2001). After the film’s success and a lot of deserved appreciation coming his way, he was seen in movies like ‘Company’, ‘Shakti- The Power’, and ‘Road’; though he truly carved a niche for himself following his memorable act in the movie ‘Run’, an act which became highly popular with the masses and the critics. His first mainstream film as leading actor was the Rajat Kapoor directed ‘Raghu Romeo’ in 2004, where Raaz depicted the life of a confused lower-class Indian fellow. The film won critical acclaim, but ended up being a commercial failure.
He went on to give hilarious, understated performances in movies like Dedh Ishqiya, Welcome, Dhamaal and Delhi Belly, where he puts his acting chops on display in outrageous, sometimes over the top scenes. True, he is regarded as one of the most popular comics in the Hindi film industry, but his credibility as a wholesome actor is often undermined and overlooked.
