Dev D To Shor In The City: Breakthrough Movies Of Some Of The Most Talented Actors Of Our Generation
niharika nayakBA (Media & Communication) Experience: 4 yearsNiharika 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... more
Image: Instagram
Whether you’re an occasional Bollywood fan or a die-hard film buff, there is no denying that the film industry has showcased some of the most incredible performances for generations. Although there has been a lot of hue and cry about nepotism with many famous self-made celebrities like Kangana Ranaut calling out Bollywood’s inner circle for displaying it. Critics of director Karan Johar are quick to call him ‘the father of nepotism’ for his bid to launch the careers of multiple star kids. Thankfully, this is not the case for all of Bollywood and many directors like Anurag Kashyap and Dibakar Bannerjee. Only because these directors choose to dig out talents and give them an opportunity in their movies, we have one of the best actors of our age on the big screen today. Let’s take a look at some of these movies that launched our favorite actors.
1. Dev D: Kalki Koechlin
In Dev D, French-Indian actress Kalki Koechlin made her debut as Chanda (Leni). The film is a modern take of Sarat Chandra Chattopadhyay’s classic novel Devdas. It showcases the perils of living a luxurious and cushy life, talks about the seedy side of drug abuse and deals with an issue based on the Delhi MMS scandal. Kalki plays a young Anglo-Indian girl, Leni, whose much older boyfriend leaks a video of her in a compromising position and ruins her reputation. The teenager later runs away from her family and enrolls in night school while working as a high-end escort. This is how her path crashes into that of Dev’s and their friendship blossoms.
Thankfully, unlike the original storyline, this movie does not hold a tragic end for our hero. The actress won a Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actress for her outstanding performance and has gone to star in many Indie and mainstream films. Her most notable performances being that of Laila, a woman who has cerebral palsy in Margarita With A Straw and bubbly tomboy Aditi Dixit in Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani.
2. Shor In The City: Radhika Apte
2. @radhikaofficial
Before the actress bagged her role as the feisty Sapna in Shor In The City, she played small roles in a few Hindi and Bengali films. While her debut went quiet, it did make her face recognizable, and she later bagged critically acclaimed films like Hunterr and Badlapur. The actress has also showcased her love for theatre and short films. In 2016, she starred in Ahalya, a short film by Sujoy Ghosh and for many of her fans, seemed like a breath of fresh air. Her versatility as an actress knows no bounds. She’s even acted in Netflix shows like Ghoul, Sacred Games, and Lust Stories. Many have joked that Netflix is obsessed with the actress and very often, the streaming company also tweets jokes about it.
3. English Vinglish: Adil Hussain
2. Not found
Those of us who watched English Vinglish will find it hard to forget the often hard-headed and traditional character that is Satish Godbole. Actor Adil Hussain reels people in with his outstanding performance as a disgruntled husband who often mocks his wife for her inability to speak English. While the characters love each other and share a happy family, it’s not surprising for many Indian women to place themselves in Shashi’s (the protagonist) shoes. Eventually, as the storyline progresses, Satish and his wife make amends, and she receives the respect she deserves. The actor received critical praise for his role and has gone on to star in blockbuster films like Life Of Pi and more.
4. 3 Idiots: Ali Fazal
2. @alifazal9
This devilishly handsome actor stole the hearts of many and became the resounding cry of a generation of frustrated engineers when he starred in 3 Idiots. The actor plays a young musician, Joy Lobo, who is pursuing engineering despite not wanting to. His heart-wrenching performance of Give me some sunshine is beautiful and truly brings out our inner teenager. The actor later received commercial success after starring opposite Vidya Balan in comedy-drama Bobby Jasoos. He has shared screen space with Dame Judi Dench in British-American film, Victoria & Abdul.
5. Love, S*x Aur Dhokha: Rajkummar Rao
The Trapped actor made his debut with the rather unlikeable role of Adarsh, a supermarket employee who preys on a woman’s vulnerable state of mind and captures her in compromising positions with him. The actor won praise for his role and bagged another super hit film Kai Po Che. The actor has played a variety of characters and has starred in both mainstream and indie movies.
6. Dil Chahta Hai: Rajat Kapoor
This talented actor got his big break in the Farhan Akhtar-directed movie Dil Chahta Hai. He plays the role of much adored, Mahesh Uncle in the film. The actor gained mainstream success and starred in a movie called Corporate and has acted in remakes of foreign language films like Bheja Fry (original title: Le Dîner de Cons) and critically acclaimed Mira Nair film, Monsoon Wedding.
7. Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye!: Richa Chadda
The talented young actress broke out of the mold with her debut role in Dibakar Bannerjee’s film Oye Lucky, Lucky Oye! The talented starlet won the admiration of many with her powerful performance as the character of Dolly. She later went on to play the pivotal role of Najma Khatoon in the 2012 film, Gangs Of Wasseypur. The actress received two Filmfare awards for her performance and is now on everyone’s radar as an up and coming celebrity.
As proven in this list, nepotism isn’t the answer to Bollywood’s big question. While it does take longer for actors with no connection to the industry to make a big name for themselves, it’s not always the case. Who is your favorite actor on this list? Let us know in the comments below.
