Anmol Ahuja
5. Jimmy Shergill
Ways to reward Jimmy Shergill’s performance in a movie: 1. Offer him better, well-crafted roles in future films. 2. Kill his character off every time, or let the ‘hero’ have the girl in the film instead of him.
Unfortunately, Bollywood is guilty of treading the second path far too often in this immensely talented actor’s case. While he is by no means an unrecognisable face in the industry, his roles seldom do his acting prowess justice, by reducing him to either a quasi-antagonist or a supporting player in most films. There is no dearth of excellent performances in his filmography either, and a plethora of them, including his debut feature ‘Maachis’, followed by ‘Mohabbatein’, ‘Yahaan’, ‘Haasil’, ‘Munnabhai MBBS’, ‘Yahaan’, ‘A Wednesday’, ‘Tanu Weds Manu’, ‘Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster’ and ‘Special 26’. Stellar performances in all these films, but only ‘Haasil’ and ‘Yahaan’ can be claimed to be films that actually tap into this actor’s vast potential, the rest of them merely using him as a character actor. Let him have the day for once, Bollywood!
4. Swara Bhaskar
Following an unspectacular debut in 2009, she finally made an impact among the movie going audience, playing the supporting role of the quintessentially quirky ‘best friend’ with perfection in films like Tanu Weds Manu (and its sequel) and Raanjhanaa. Following a series of ineptly crafted roles, she bagged leading parts in the terrific ‘Nil Battey Sannata’ and ‘Anaarkali of Aarah’, breaking any stereotypes associated with female led films.
Along with Richa Chaddha, I believe Swara Bhaskar is the perfect embodiment of the definition of the new age woman in Cinema; the face of the girl next door, yet independent and highly opinionated in her acts. With a magnetic screen presence and impressive acting chops, she can be an apt replacement for most of the leading ladies of Bollywood, but for an industry plagued by nepotistic influences and connections, she hasn’t yet landed a fully etched out role that does justice to her true potential as an actor.
3. Pavan Malhotra
It’s a pity that he may not be known to many by his name, but that didn’t mean his performances failed to garner attention, with even the most casual of cinegoers noticing his acts of flare. A National Award winning actor, he started his acting career with a number of small roles, but set his grounds as an actor with his powerful performance in a TV show called ‘Nukkad’ in 1986. With lead roles in Buddhadeb Dasgupta’s ‘Bagh Bahadur’ and Saeed Mirza’s ‘Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro’, both films enjoying cult status now, he confirmed his arrival in Hindi parallel cinema.
Today, best known for his roles in acclaimed and successful films like ‘Jab We Met’, ‘Delhi 6’, ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’ and ‘Rustom’, his filmography speaks volumes of his versatility, and the commitment he brings to each one of his parts. His performance as Tiger Memon in ‘Black Friday’ in particular was cold and uncompromisingly dark, yet layered in the character’s vulnerability as the film progresses.
2. Deepak Dobriyal
It’s only been a few years since he has become a recognizable face in Hindi cinema and is affably remembered as the eccentric ‘Pappi’ from the ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ films. It’s safe to say he is one of the most versatile stage actors around, having started his career back in 1994 with several acclaimed plays and theatre productions. Like many others from this list hailing from the stage, he is aware of the nuances of acting and has always surprised his audience with his effortless emoting in front of the camera, in comic and serious roles alike. With many critically acclaimed films like ‘Gulaal’, ‘Omkara’, ‘Maqbool’, ‘Delhi-6’ as well as commercial hits including ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ and ‘Hindi Medium’ in his kitty, he has played a range of characters onscreen but is still typecast as the hero’s friend, or a sidekick. He is everything that a typical Bollywood hero isn’t, but he has got everything that Bollywood needs to add depth to their characters and movies. For his upcoming projects, we are excited to see what he brings to the table with his character Victor Chattopadhyay, Farhan Akhtar’s partner in crime in the soon to release ‘Lucknow Central’.
1. Abhay Deol
There are movie ‘stars’ and then there are understated actors like him, bagging a mix of experimental roles for themselves and portraying characters without mainstreaming the craft, that sadly, often goes beyond cognisance. Debuting with Imitiaz Ali’s ‘Socha Na Tha’, and following it up with his acclaimed role in ‘Manorama Six Feet Under’, the actor has given consistently praiseworthy performances in movies like ‘Oye lucky! Lucky Oye!’, the cult movie ‘Dev D’ (2009), political thriller Shanghai (2012), and needless to mention, ‘Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara’ (2011) where he stood his own against a star actor like Mr. Roshan. He has somewhat managed to create an impression on his audience but it’s hard to say if it’s going to last long, since Mr. Deol is known to be very selective with his roles, gracing the silver screen only once in two years maybe.
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