Actors
get
enviably
good
roles
in
series
and
films
on
streaming
platforms.
Many
of
them
get
a
fan
following
without
even
doing
a
feature
film.
That
is
the
reason
why
movie
stars
are
gravitating
towards
OTT.
Picking
10
excellent
performances
has
been
difficult
but
the
attempt
is
to
acknowledge
the
work
of
actors,
who
are
often
overlooked
in
favour
of
stars.
The
talent
of
actors
like
Manoj
Bajpayee,
Vikrant
Massey,
Vijay
Varma,
Pankaj
Tripathi
and
Ali
Fazal
have
already
been
celebrated
and
awarded.
Deepa
Gahlot
looks
at
the
10
Best
Male
Performances
of
2024,
in
order
of
release.
Jaideep
Ahlawat,
Maharaj
The
mousy
mathematician
in
last
year’s
Jaane
Jaan
transforms
into
a
terrifying
villain
in
Maharaj.
Jadunath
Maharaj,
a
godman
with
a
regal
bearing
and
reptilian
manner,
is
convinced
that
he
is
next
to
God.
He
treats
his
band
of
devoted
followers
as
he
pleases.
He
sexually
exploits
the
women,
and
will
stop
at
nothing
to
prevent
a
journalist
(Junaid
Khan)
from
exposing
his
misdeeds.
A
chill
runs
up
the
viewer’s
spine
when
he
appears
on
screen.
Kay
Kay
Menon,
Shekhar
Home
Kay
Kay
is
known
for
his
intense
roles.
But
in
this
Sherlock
Holmes-inspired
mini
series,
created
by
Aniriddha
Guha
and
directed
by
Srijit
Mukherji,
he
plays
an
eccentric
detective
with
an
endearing
sense
of
mischief.
He
could
also
be
picked
for
his
sombre
turn
as
a
gangster
in
Murshid
or
the
devious
spy
in
Citadel:
Honey
Bunny,
but
those
were
not
particularly
challenging
roles
for
him.
Vivek
Gomber,
Lootere
Vivek
Gombre
has
not
been
seen
much
on
screen,
so
there
was
an
element
of
unpredictability
to
his
character
of
Vikrant
Gandhi,
an
unscrupulous
businessman,
based
in
the
port
town
of
Mogadishu
in
Somalia,
in
Jay
Mehta’s
Lootere.
He
uses
the
company
inherited
from
his
father-in-law
to
run
his
own
dockside
rackets
and
gets
into
deep
trouble
when
a
ship
containing
his
contraband
is
hijacked
by
pirates.
He
has
to
find
a
way
to
solve
the
problem
but
he
is
not
a
hero.
He
is
a
crook
with
a
glib
manner.
Still,
his
desperation
makes
him
somewhat
sympathetic.
Diljit
Dosanjh,
Amar
Singh
Chamkila
Diljit
Dosanjh
is
a
bona
fide
music
star
and
he
brings
his
natural
charisma
to
the
part
of
legendary
Punjabi
singer,
Chamkila,
who
was
gunned
down
in
his
prime.
In
Imtiaz
Ali’s
film,
Dosanjh
brings
a
rustic
innocence
to
the
role,
along
with
the
pride
that
comes
with
fame.
When
pushed
against
the
wall
of
hate
campaigns
and
death
threats
for
singing
vulgar
songs,
he
is
also
fearless.
The
actor
portrayed
the
many
shades
of
Chamkila
with
confidence.
Pavan
Malhotra,
Pill
Pavan
Malhotra
has
a
chameleon-like
quality
that
allows
him
to
become
the
characters
he
plays,
and
he
should
be
appreciated
much
more
than
he
is.
In
Raj
Kumar
Gupta’s
series
on
medical
malpractices,
he
plays
the
smooth-talking
boss
of
a
pharma
company,
who
is
always
smiling
and
pleasant,
with
his
scheming
mind
visible
in
his
eyes.
He
is
ambitious
to
the
point
of
ruthlessness
but
can
pull
out
his
soft
side
for
his
family,
which,
somehow,
humanises
the
despicable
character.
Ishwak
Singh,
Berlin
In
this
Atul
Sabharwal
film,
Ishwak
Singh
(Paatal
Lok,
Rocket
Boys)
plays
Ashok,
a
deaf-mute
waiter
in
a
café
called
Berlin.
He
is
arrested
for
being
a
spy
and
has
to
undergo
interrogation
in
the
claustrophobic
environs
of
a
government
spy
agency.
What
makes
the
character
and
the
actor
stand
out
is
that
Ashok
is
not
a
helpless,
handicapped
orphan.
He
is
sharp
and
makes
up
for
his
hearing
disability
with
a
power
of
observation
that
shames
real
spooks
in
the
spy
business.
Aparshakti
Khurana,
Berlin
Aparshakti,
who
was
getting
typecast
in
comic
roles,
broke
the
mould
with
last
year’s
Jubilee.
In
Atul
Sabharwal’s
spy
drama,
he
is
caught
in
a
web
of
intrigue
when,
using
his
expertise
with
sign
language,
he
is
forced
to
interpret
for
a
deaf-mute
suspect
(Ishwak
Singh).
His
simple
life
gets
complicated,
as
he
is
forced
to
put
up
with
threats
on
the
phone,
and
is
chased
down
streets
by
sinister
cars.
His
survival
instinct
kicks
in
and
he
gets
the
courage
to
turn
the
tables
on
his
tormentors.
The
actor
made
the
worm-turns
trope
nail-bitingly
watchable.
Tahir
Raj
Bhasin,
Yeh
Kaali
Kaali
Aankhen
2
Tahir
plays
a
character
who
would,
by
any
normal
yardstick,
would
be
considered
a
horrible
person.
He
is
too
weak
to
resist
when
he
is
forced
to
ditch
his
girlfriend
and
marry
a
rich
girl
who
fancies
him.
Then
he
tries
to
get
her
killed
and
when
she
is
abducted,
he
pretends
to
try
to
find
her,
putting
on
teary
looks
to
prove
his
suffering.
He
chops
up
a
body
without
any
qualms
and
keeps
a
neutral
expression
while
carrying
a
human
head
in
his
bag.
He
is
so
bad
that
his
flailing
to
keep
his
head
above
water
makes
his
Vikrant
quite
fascinating.
Pratik
Gandhi,
Agni
Any
role
he
does,
Pratik
has
not
yet
gone
wrong;
he
simply
transforms
himself
into
the
man
he
is
playing
on
screen.
In
Rajat
Dholakia’s
Agni,
he
is
a
fireman
who
is
not
appreciated
by
his
own
family.
Despite
the
bitterness
at
the
success
of
his
police
officer
brother-in-law
(Divyendu
Sharma),
he
does
not
let
his
frustration
come
in
the
way
of
duty.
His
Vitthal
Surve
is
heroic,
a
bit
tragic
and
quite
unforgettable.
His
performance
in
the
underrated
Dedh
Bigha
Zameen
was
also
noteworthy.
Manav
Vij,
Tanaav
2
In
Sudhir
Mishra’s
Indian
version
of
Fauda,
Manav
Vij
combines
his
gruff
appearance
and
muscular
physicality
with
haunted
eyes.
His
character
Kabir
can
kill
anyone
who
stands
in
the
way
of
his
war
with
terrorism
but
he
also
has
a
soft
side
when
it
comes
to
his
family,
and
the
woman
he
loves.
He
is
not
the
action
robot
like
so
many
actors
playing
soldiers
with
suppressed
emotions.
Rajat
Kapoor,
Tanaav
2
Playing
a
spymaster
in
the
series
set
in
Kashmir,
Rajat
Kapoor’s
character,
Mallik
does
what
it
takes
to
eliminate
militants
—
charm
when
that
is
required,
cruelty
when
the
need
arises.
He
lives
in
a
tinder-box
situation
that
could
flare
up
any
time
but
maintains
a
calm
manner
and
hangs
on
to
a
basic
decency,
when,
in
the
shadow
of
bombs
and
bullets,
it
is
barely
possible
to
retain
one’s
sanity.
He
was
also
excellent
as
a
ship’s
captain
under
siege
in
Lootere.
