So many movies this year provided entertainment with online releases and cinema outings when cinemas eventually opened in October. With the ongoing pandemic, the way we consumed films became mainly through the small screen and this was no different most of 2020, despite many thinking this year would present different outcomes.
BizAsiaLive.com looks back and five of the best male performances in a film – cinema and online releases.
Ranveer Singh – ’83’
With the actor getting rave reviews from industry folk and audiences alike, Ranveer Singh has given a sixer of a performance in cricket film ’83’ which, coincidentally, is the last release in cinemas of the year. He enacted real life sporting hero Kapil Dev and completely changed his look to fit into the character. Directed by Kabir Khan, the film was a film depiction of India’s cricket world cup win of 1983.
Sidharth Malhotra – ‘Shershaah’
Captain Vikram Batra’s life was extraordinary to say the very least so Sidharth Malhotra stepping into the role was always full of promise. The film, ‘Shershaah’, which released on Amazon Prime earlier this year, saw Malhotra give a career-best performance and praises from pretty much all round.
Vicky Kaushal – ‘Sardar Udham’
Yet another biopic which, this time, was helmed by Shoojit Sircar, was ‘Sardar Udham’ with Vicky Kaushal in he protagonist’s role. His rendition of a man who took revenge following the Jallianwala Bagh massacre was both harrowing and applauseworthy. He has done some fantastic movies so far but ‘Sardar Udham’ was a class apart from anything he’s done before.
Arjun Kapoor – ‘Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar’
With Dibakar Banerjee as director, ‘Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar’ was always going to be something different and it was absolutely that. Arjun Kapoor, in his role as “Pinky”, was something else altogether and his performance was appreciated more when the film premiered online. His rugged look and serious demeanour made Pinky mysterious and also quite exquisitely depicted by Kapoor.
Farhan Akhtar – ‘Toofaan’
Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra is a filmmaker who put a popular and much-acclaimed sports film on to our screens this year with ‘Toofaan’. The film was about a national level boxer, played incredibly well by Farhan Akhtar. Akhtar changed his outward appearance a number of times for the film and it paid off because he won many accolades for the performance.
A few special mentions who gave some great performances but didn’t quite make our list…
Abhishek Bachchan – ‘The Big Bull’, ‘Bob Biswas’
Abhishek Bachchan has had a decent few films this year, winning him some great compliments and praise. In both ‘The Big Bull’ and ‘Bob Biswas’, many thought Bachchan played the respective characters well, changing his look both times – the former compared to the look his had in ‘Guru’ in 2007.
Dhanush – ‘Atrangi Re’
There a few interviews in which ‘Atrangi Re’ was touted as a Dhanush film. And this was not far from the truth in all the reviews which came once the film released on Hotstar. Although some thought this Aanand L Rai film was a little weird on its take on love, there was no doubt that Dhanush’s performance was one of the best this year in terms of male performances.
Jaideep Ahlawat – ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’
In the anthology film ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’, the short film ‘Majnu’ saw a stellar performance by Jaideep Ahlawat. He’s pretty much lauded in every character he plays but, as Babloo, he deserves a pat on the back for sure. Along with Fatima Sana Shaikh and Armaan Ralhan, the story of ‘Majnu’ was something quite different on screen and Babloo was the character that stood out, due to Ahlawat’s performance.
Here’s to more applauseworthy performances in 2022 from the actors we love the most.
