11 Breakout Stars From 2020 Who Stole The Show With Their Brilliant Performances
Niharika has a passion for all things art, music, and travel and has over 4 years of experience in writing for social media. During her spare time, she likes experimenting in the kitchen, playing vide... read full bio
2020 has been a pretty incredible year for indie filmmakers and non-mainstream talent. This year has produced a marvelous number of films and web series with compelling storytelling, eye-grabbing plot twists and humorous tales. We’ve gotten to witness some incredibly talented actors and actresses steal the show with their spectacular performances. Although some of these individuals played supporting roles, they held their ground on-screen and helped draw us into the content. Truly some of the talent featured on this list kept our eyes glued to our screens wanting to know more. Here’s a list of eleven incredible actors and actresses whose performances blew our minds:
1. Ishwak Singh
Although Ishwak Singh has been around the block in a few blink or miss appearances, his performance as Imran Ansari on the show Paatal Lok truly left us speechless. With his innocent charm, bashful smile, and kind demeanor it is not surprising to see why the audience are drawn in. His heartfelt and brutally honest performance as a cop caught in between religious bigotry and office politics is absolutely brilliant. We hope to see more of him on our screens soon.
2. Pratik Gandhi
Pratik is no stranger to the entertainment industry. Although he had made a name for himself in Gujarati cinema with a National Award winning film— Wrong Side Raju in 2016, it was his role in the web series Scam 1992 that got people hooked onto him. Pratik plays the larger than life personality that is Harshad Mehta and nails the role with his performance.
3. Rohit Saraf
Rohit is a total chocolate boy and has lately been the talk of the town for his incredible looks, heart melting smile and thoughtful eyes. Rohit has officially become B-Town’s latest crush after his performances in the movie Ludo and web series Mismatched. Although he was first seen in The Sky Is Pink, his true talents were showcased in Ludo and Mismatched. To think he communicated in expressions and signs for most of Ludo (Played a mute character)! Truly a talent!
4. Yashaswini Dayama
Yashaswani Dayama has been around the online circuit for quite a while now and had even starred in a short film called Devi early 2020. Her performances in shows Made In Heaven and Delhi Crime won her praise and got her noticed by a wider audience. In 2019, Yashaswini even starred alongside Abhay Deol in the series What Are The Odds? You may also know her from the Alia Bhatt starrer Dear Zindagi.
5. Anud Singh Dhaka
Although the Netflix backed Hindi show Taj Mahal 1989 did not do too well and had poor writing, the characters in the show were pretty awesome. Anud Singh Dhaka plays the character of popular go-to guy Angad and steals the show with his overconfidence and strange sense of vulnerability that is rarely found in traditionally “macho” characters.
6. Pavail Gulati
Truly it takes a lot of guts to play a villain on screen. And in the case of Pavail Gulati, he had to play the character of Vikram Sabharwal who slaps his wife at a party and had to face the consequences of his actions. Throughout the film Thappad, we see the tension between the couple boiling to a head and notice Vikram for the reality he is, a chauvinistic and unapologetic shallow human being.
7. Geetika Vidya Ohlan
Although Taapsee stole the show in the film Thappad, we have to give a shout out to Geetika Vidya Ohlan who plays a maid who is a victim of domestic abuse. Her portrayal of what a victim of domestic abuse goes through is pretty intense. As the character of Sunita, she offers a rare insight that shows that domestic violence has nothing to do with class or economic strata but with patriarchy.
8. Isha Talwar
Mirzapur 2 introduced with it some brilliant and well-written characters. Enter Isha Talwar as Madhuri Yadav, a beguiling and interesting character who seems like she has heavy stakes in the game. Her sly confidence is what will keep viewers hooked to her character arc.
9. Manjiri Pupala
Although Betaal failed to keep audiences hooked and did not do much for the genre of Indian horror, we cannot deny that Manjiri Pupala stole the limelight with her powerful performance. She held her ground on-screen and helped carry the storyline forward and her acting shone thought like a bright light in a sea of dullness.
10. Paoli Dam
Bulbbul would have been incomplete without the performances of two of the strongest female characters. Paoli Dam plays the uber cunning sister-in-law of Tripti Dimri’s Bulbbul. As Binodini, she is dealt with the short end of the stick and married off to the mentally challenged brother of Bulbbul’s husband. Although we want to hate her character terribly, we are reminded that she is merely a victim of her circumstances and becomes an unwitting participant of a patriarchal society.
11. Priyanshu Painyulli
Although Priyanshu has been experimenting with various roles for around four years, it was his performance in Mirzapur season 2 that got him appreciation and much notice from audiences. His performance as the character of Robin caught people’s attention and was pretty incredible. His role is equally adorable as it is cunning and we’ve gotta say, he got us hooked onto the show!
Although this was truly a low year for many of us, it’s good to know that the industry is rewarding genuine talent and people are acknowledging and appreciating newcomers and non-industry members. Do let us know which of these breakout roles were your favorite in the comment section below!
