2024
in
Hindi
cinema
wasn’t
as
much
about
superstardom
or
showboating
as
actors
shining
in
astutely
written
roles
or
rising
from
the
sidelines
to
leave
a
lasting
impact.
Good,
bad,
evil,
we
saw
a
gamut
of
emotions
on
display
in
their
most
stirring
form
as
actors
reiterated
their
worth.
Sukanya
Verma
lists
the
Top
Male
Performances
of
2024,
in
no
particular
order.
Abhishek
Bachchan
I
Want
To
Talk
Career
best
performances
have
a
tendency
of
scene
stealing.
But
Abhishek
Bachchan
loses
himself
wholeheartedly
to
embrace
the
survivor,
sufferer
and
smarts
of
Arjun
Sen’s
true
life
experiences
as
marketing
virtuoso-turned-motivational
speaker
undergoing
multiple
surgeries
following
a
terminal
diagnosis
in
I
Want
To
Talk.
He
adds
to
the
storytelling
without
taking
away
anything
from
it.
Bachchan
is
not
a
high
point
of
I
Want
to
Talk.
He
is
its
core.
Rajkummar
Rao
Srikanth,
Stree
2,
Mr
and
Mrs
Mahi,
Vicky
Aur
Vidya
Ka
Woh
Wala
Video
Just
the
ease
and
skill
with
which
Rajkummar
Rao
gets
inside
the
skin
of
all
sorts
of
men
and
moods
without
slipping
into
monotony
makes
him
a
comforting
presence
on
the
silver
screen.
Whether
he’s
capturing
the
struggle
and
success
of
blind
industrialist
Srikanth
Bola
in
a
eponymous
biopic
or
playing
a
monster
slayer,
insecure
half
or
fool
on
a
mending
spree
in
a
spate
of
hits
released
within
a
short
gap
of
each
other,
Rao
brings
a
fullness
to
his
performances
without
compromising
on
their
quality.
Diljit
Dosanjh
Amar
Singh
Chamkila
Punjab
and
singing
are
in
Diljit
Dosanjh’s
blood
and
being
but
his
abandon
and
disquiet
in
Imtiaz
Ali’s
biopic
of
Amar
Singh
Chamkila
is
a
carefully
thought
out
performance.
While
portraying
a
1980s
folk
star
gaining
fans
and
flak
for
his
innuendo
packed
music,
Dosanjh
delicately
brings
out
the
essence
of
Chamkila’s
ingenuity
and
innocence
through
his
unshowy
yet
deeply
internalised
artistry.
Raghav
Juyal
Kill
A
memorable
action
film
is
only
good
as
its
antagonist.
And
the
ruthlessly,
relentlessly
violent
Kill
finds
its
deadly
devil
in
Raghav
Juyal’s
creepy,
demented
freak
dealing
with
his
own
daddy
issues
and
repressions
while
wreaking
havoc
on
a
train
full
of
unsuspecting
passengers.
Not
only
does
he
make
a
meal
of
the
best
lines
in
the
movie
but
infuses
its
breakneck
bloodshed
with
humour
at
its
leanest
and
meanest.
Vikrant
Massey
Sector
36
Sector
36
is
the
very
definition
of
feel-bad
watch.
Based
on
the
Nithari
killings
of
2006,
this
fictionalised
take
of
a
true-crime
premise
relies
on
its
central
protagonist
to
inhabit
a
human
being
at
his
most
perverse
and
corroded.
Kudos
to
Vikrant
Massey
for
giving
it
his
all.
His
unsettling
portrait
of
a
sicko
is
nauseating
to
sit
through.
And
therein
lies
his
greatest
triumph
as
an
actor.
Deepak
Dobriyal
Sector
36
Offsetting
Massey’s
cruelty
with
a
belated
change
of
heart
and
awakening
in
conscience
is
Deepak
Dobriyal’s
low-ranking
cop.
Dedicated
to
the
cause
of
justice
following
a
series
of
kidnapping
of
kids
in
his
jurisdiction,
Dobriyal’s
growing
mortification
hits
hard
as
he
goes
from
shame
to
shock
in
a
system
rotting
in
classism
and
depravity.
Mostly
though,
it’s
heartening
to
see
the
man’s
calibre
shine
outside
comedy
stereotypes.
Vijay
Sethupati
Merry
Christmas
Vijay
Sethupati
retains
a
lot
of
mystery
as
an
actor.
Even
when
he’s
opening
up,
he
has
this
curious
ability
to
hold
it
all
in.
I
like
the
inscrutable
impressions
in
his
manner
of
communication.
Is
it
a
part
of
some
greater
deceit
or
vulnerability
on
its
way
to
explode?
As
an
audience
you’re
either
figuring
him
out
or
fully
fascinated.
Whatever
the
outcome,
the
approach
fits
just
right
into
the
mood
of
Merry
Christmas,
a
unexpected
romance
in
the
guise
of
a
gentle
thriller.
Aparshakti
Khurana
Berlin
Aparshakti
comfortably
breaks
from
the
shackles
of
the
hero’s
bumbling
bestie
to
play
a
man
resisting
turning
a
puppet
for
the
powerful
in
Atul
Sabharwal’s
muted
espionage
drama.
Not
only
is
Aparshakti’s
sign
language
interpreter
a
convincing
figure
but
even
his
restraint
and
plainness
heightens
the
significance
of
the
efforts
he’s
making
by
meddling
in
a
murkily
confidential
territory.
Ishwak
Singh
Berlin
Both
Rahul
Bose
and
Aparshakti
Khurana
do
well
as
men
locking
horns
when
one’s
authority
and
another’s
freedom
is
undermined
to
suit
their
own
agendas
against
Berlin‘s
moody
politics.
But
it
is
Ishwak
Singh’s
guessing
game,
as
a
deaf
and
mute
suspect
oscillating
between
sly
and
sweet
that
makes
him
crucial
to
the
setup.
Unreliable
narrators
can
be
a
gimmicky
space
but
Ishwak’s
sentimentalised
take
reveals
a
softie,
a
tragic
figure
and
an
enigma
we
never
really
know
but
fully
sympathise
with.
Manoj
Pahwa
Jigra
Manoj
Pahwa
is
a
PRO
in
fuzzy
feeling
fathers
and
fatherly
figures.
In
Jigra
though,
he
is
unconsciously
winning
over
a
sceptic
young
woman
and
making
her
realise
he’s
worthy
of
her
trust
over
the
course
of
them
dealing
with
their
loved
one’s
release
in
wrongly
attributed
convictions
by
foreign
laws.
It’s
an
unlikely
friendship
that
warms
the
cockles
of
the
heart
and
Pahwa’s
endless
reserve
of
humour
and
humanity
has
a
lot
to
do
with
it.
Amitabh
Bachchan
Kalki
2898
AD
From
Amar
Singh
Chamkila
to
Alia
Bhatt
in
Jigra,
Amitabh
Bachchan’s
influences
loom
large
irrespective
of
generation,
gender
or
genre.
At
82,
the
face
of
anger
is
still
going
strong
as
proved
by
his
whistle
worthy
turn
in
a
supporting
but
spectacular
contribution
to
Kalki
2898
AD‘s
action
fantasy
where
his
deep
knowledge
of
cinematic
grammar
are
in
perfect
tandem
with
his
gravitas
and
aura.
As
Ashwatthama,
a
centuries
cursed
warrior
determined
to
undo
the
destruction
caused
by
him,
he
is
a
force
to
reckon
with.
Pratik
Gandhi
Do
Aur
Do
Pyaar,
Madgaon
Express,
Agni
You
want
versatility.
Two
words.
Pratik
Gandhi.
The
‘risk
hai
toh
ishq
hai‘
star
continues
his
impressive
track
in
another
solidly
turned
out
year.
2024
saw
him
characters
as
diverse
as
the
Bengali
entrepreneur
confused
between
his
affections
for
his
wife
and
girlfriend
in
Do
Aur
Do
Pyaar,
a
Gujarati
NRI
mamma’s
boy
on
a
stoner
trip
with
his
pals
in
Madgaon
Express
and
a
unsung
Maharashtrian
firefighter
craving
acknowledgment
from
his
family
in
Agni
to
such
nimble
perfection,
it’s
like
a
superpower.
Akshay
Kumar
Khel
Khel
Mein
Nothing
about
Akshay
Kumar’s
chest-thumping
antics
in
formulaic
nationalistic
fare
has
struck
a
chord
for
a
while
now.
Giving
us
a
much
welcome
break
from
the
monotony,
the
Khiladi
drops
a
surprise
in
his
most
puckish
avatars
in
a
long,
long
time.
Fibber,
phony,
rake
or
rascal,
as
the
silver
fox
plastic
surgeon
taking
vicarious
pleasure
in
his
circle’s
secrets
and
scandals,
Akshay’s
rollicking
return
to
mischief
is
duly
appreciated.
Not
to
mention
that
bizarre
cameo
in
Stree
2.
