best actors II

It’s time for the second list of best actors. These are genuine actors with hardly any star appeal to draw crowds. But all of them have the ability to keep the audience glued to their seats with their acting skills. I think they are comparable to the best in the world. Some of them like Naseerudin Shah and Om Puri have performed in Hollywood films. Here goes my list.


1. Naseeruddin Shah 2.Bharath Gopi 3. Om Puri 4. Nedumudi Venu 5. Paresh Rawal 6. Thilakan 7. Anupam Kher 8. Manoj Bajpai 9. Prakash Raj 10. Boman Irani .

It was a difficult one since our country is a veritable storehouse of talent. I had to leave out many others all of whom are worth another list. But I hope nobody will be disappointed with the list though one can argue with the rankings.

Who would have thought an ordinary looking, slender, bearded man would become one of the finest actors ever to have graced the Indian screen. After showing his versatility in a variety of roles, Naseeruddin Shah is still going strong. He was the darling of parallel cinema and directors like Shyam Benegal, Sai Paranjape, Govind Nihalani and Saeed Mirza groomed him and made him what he is today. If you want to know what acting is all about, just watch Shah as a parsi in the movie Pestonjee.. He shifted to villain roles in commercial films later in his career. He played a suave villain in Sarfarosh. Glimpses of his talent can be observed in the recent movies Monsoon Wedding, Iqbal and A Wednesday.

Bharat Gopi made baldness popular in Malayalam films. Perhaps it represented a welcome change when actors used to wear unsightly wigs. After his breakthrough film Kodiyettam, his talents were moulded by directors like George, Bharathan and Mohan. Who can forget the tabla player in Yavanika and the deaf and mute in Ormakkayi. Generally considered as the best actor in Malayalam films

Would anybody have given a chance to Om Puri in films looking at his pockmarked face ? But he is now as acceptable to the Indian households as any other actor. From a police officer with boiling rage inside to the comic characters in Priyadarshan films, his range is beyond compare. Over the years he has maintained a good presence in TV as well. The tele film Tamas brought out the best in him. His entry into comedy began with Kakkaji serial in the TV

Nedumudi Venu is another performer who has enriched Malayalam films with his acting. He made acting look so simple with his skills. He is an ideal choice for rustic characters as can be observed in movies like Thakara, Kolangal, Kallan Pavithran etc. Directors Mohan and Bharathan gave him some of his finest roles. His best performances have come in the eighties after which he mostly played elderly charcters.

These days you get to see Paresh Rawal mostly in Priyadarshan films. He seems a natural in doing comic characters. But same man enacted the role of Patel in Sardar and that of eunuch in Tamanna. He has a face which can portray a range of emotions.

Thilakan entered films in his forties and still made a name by playing strong characters. Though he learnt his skills by acting in theatre, he has adapted himself quite well in films. But as is the case with many other actors, theatre is his first love. I have often felt that like Nedumudi Venu, Thilakan inspired other actors to give their best. Imagine Kireedam and Spadikam without Thilakan.. He could have missed good roles as he is at loggerheads with Malayalam film industry now.

Like Gopi, Anupam Kher is another bald actor who has made baldness his strength. He never cared to hide his baldness which didn’t deny him roles. But I feel he got typecast as comic villain in many hindi films after his splendid performance in Saaransh. Only in the recent time he has got roles like corrupt politician in Rang De Basanti and as a cop in A Wednesday, where he can show his acting skills.

Manoj Bajpai exploded into filmdom with his role Bhiku Mhatre in Satya. Since then he has done several fine roles. He got a good role in Rajneeti. But I feel his talents are not exploited fully. His best is yet to come.

Prakash Raj has entered this list through his performances in Iruvar and Kancheevaram. Even when he plays villain he does it in his style like he did in Wanted. Again an actor who can go miles provided the industry gives him the good roles.

Boman Irani became a popular actor through his performances in Munnabhai MBBS and Three Idiots. But just watch him play the real estate shark in Khosla ka Ghosla. He had the right mannerisms. Another talented theatre actor, whose skills remain unexploited.

Raghuvir Yadav, Atul Kulkarni. Utpal Dutt, Robi Ghosh, Nasser, Irfan Khan, Pavan Malhotra, Jagathi Sreekumar Nana Ptekar.

The list of those who have missed out is long. Some of them like Atul Kulkarni stand a fair chance of delivering mind blowing performances.