2020 showed us how the most unlikely of leads can shine like a bright star in the night sky. Just think of Pankaj Tripathi! From playing a travel agent in Angrezi Medium to playing the drug lord and arms dealer in the blood-fest that is Mirzapur 2, he showed us his versatility as an actor. Tripathi also shined in his roles in Gunjan Saxena and Ludo. Pankaj Tripathi proved to be the most celebrated actor of 2020. Just like Tripathi, several other small screen actors stole our hearts in 2020. Jaideep Ahlawat grabbed our attention in Paatal Lok. It’s safe to say that Jaideep Ahlawat is on the path to becoming an acclaimed actor. 2020 was a great year for Jitendra Kumar who shined in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan and Panchayat. Even with such great performances by lead actors, it was the newcomers and relatively unknown faces that stole the show! 2020 was definitely the year of the Unsung Heroes. Who exactly are they? Let's take a look!
Jitendra Kumar (Abhishek Tripathi), Chandan Roy (Vikas) and Faisal Malik (Prahlad) in Panchayat (Amazon Prime)
Panchayat is the story of a city boy (Jitendra Kumar) who moves to a remote village for a job as a Panchayat Secretary. The heartwarming show captured the relationship between the urban gram sachiv (Jitendra Kumar) and his rural prashan pati (Raghubir Yadav) perfectly. Raghubir Yadav is a veteran artist who has received international accolades for his craft. Jitendra Kumar, a relative new-comer managed to draw in and hold the audiences’ attention while acting alongside veteran actor Raghubir Yadav. There is no doubt that both leads shined in their roles. However, one can not ignore the comic genius offered by actors Chandan Roy and Faisal Malik who play second fiddle to the lead actors. In fact, without Roy and Malik's comic genius, Panchayat would have lost out on some of the best punch lines and funniest scenes. But who are Chandan Roy and Faisal Malik? Exactly! We certainly hope to see more of them!
Hemant Kher (Ashwin) and Pratik Gandhi in Scam 1992 (SonyLIV)
Scam 1992 managed to make the otherwise boring world of finance exciting. Not only that, the series did justice to the real-life personalities that it portrayed. We saw BSE's controversial Big Bull Harshad Mehta (Prateek Gandhi) come to life on the screen alongside business reporter Sucheta Dalal (Shreya Dhanwanthary) and head-strong CBI officer Raghavan (Rajat Kapoor). Prateek Gandhi who has appeared in several Gujarati films and theatre productions has definitely made a big-splash debut with his portrayal of Harshad Mehta on the national scene. Gandhi was widely praised for his performance. The actor even mentioned in an interview that he was receiving more than 200 text messages a day! Another fresh-face shone in this popular series. It was the actor who played Harshad Mehta's brother Ashwin (Hemant Kher) who stole the show. Hemant Kher carried the role as though he was tailor-made for the role! For a second it looked like the real Ashwin Mehta was playing himself in the gritty financial thriller!
Dibyendu Bhattacharya (DSP Ghosh) in Undekhi (SonyLIV)
Undekhi was yet another crime thriller that got our adrenaline pumping! Hats off to the cast for making up for the script's incoherence with their brilliant performances. We saw brilliant performances by Harsh Chhaya, Ankur Rathee and Surya Sharna. DSP Barun Ghosh investigates one of the most gruesome murders ever seen on the small screen. With all its bloodshed, abuse of power by a criminal clan, it is the Bengali DSP (Dibyendu Bhattacharya) that grabs the audiences' attention!
Vikas Kumar (ACP Khan) and Ankur Bhatia (Sangram) in Aarya (Disney+HotStar)
Sushmita Sen made a fantastic come-back in Ram Madhavani's adaption of the Dutch series Penoza. Sikander Kher too shined alongside Sen. While most of us started watching the show to see Sushmita return to the screen, Vikas Kumar and Ankur Bhatia pushed us to click the next episode button! Vikas Kumar shined in the role of a vulnerable cop dealing with a rich brat (Ankur Bhatia). And Bhatia gave a character whom we love to hate with his brilliant performance!
Suhaas (Jaya Krishna) in Color Photo (Aha)
This made for OTT film received mixed reviews from audiences and critics. One of the main highlights of the film was Suhaas’ performance. Suhaas has appeared in a few films in supporting roles. It is a Color Photo, however, where we can see him truly shine. Color Photo is a simple love story that deals with issues such as colour discrimination. Suhaas managed to play the role with a tremendous amount of poise and grace. It is safe to say that we can expect great performance from him in the future.
Chaitanya Krishna (Vijya Varma) in Johaar (Aha)
Chaitanya Krishna shines in his role as a calculative political leader in Johaar. Vijay Varma (Chaitanya Krishna) plots to divert funds from the allocated budget to build a statue of his father, the former Chief Minister. Chaitanya Krishna’s portrayal of a calculative, corrupt and ruthless politician is just uncanny. While Chaitanya Krishna has appeared in a string of films in recent years, he’s potential as an actor is clearly seen in Johaar. We hope to see more of him!
Ishaan Khatter (Maan Kapoor) in A Suitable Boy (Netflix)
The casting in this adaption of Vikram Seth’s critically acclaimed novel was just fantastic. Ishaan Khatter, Tabu and Tanya Maniktala made up for all the flaws that the adaptation had. Ishaan has a great screen presence with his pitch-perfect acting. There is something about the actor’s performance - an air of charm that hits all the right notes! We hope to see Ishaan shine in hopefully many films to come.
KK Menon (Himmat Singh) in Special Ops (HotStar)
Hotstar's Special Ops is quite similar to Netflix’s Bard of Blood and Amazon Prime’s The Family Man. However, the series suffers in comparison to the two popular series. KK Menon who plays the lead role as RAW officer Himmat Singh carries the weight of the series on his shoulders. One should watch the series just watch KK Menon in action!
Kalidas Jayaram (Sathaar) in Paava Kadhaigal (Netflix)
Unlike several actors on this list, Kalidas Jayaram is a well-known actor. Kalidas began his career as a child actor and won a national award for his performance in the film Ente Veedu Appuvinteyum. Kalidas has appeared in several films since his debut as a lead actor in 2016. Why is he on this list? Let’s find out! Paava Kadhaigal is an anthology mini-series that showcases four wonderful stories. The anthology was put together by critically acclaimed directors such as Sudha Kongara, Vignesh Sivan, Gautham Vasudev Menon and Vetri Maaran. Kalidas Jayaram appears as Sathaar in the first episode titled Thangam directed by Sudha Kongara. The anthology’s cast includes several well-known actors such as Sai Pallavi, Kalki Koechlin, Gautham Vasudev Menon, Prakash Raj and Sai Pallavi. Kalidas Jayaram shines in his role as Sathaar, a trans woman navigating several forms of discrimination. Kalidas’ portrayal of Sathaar sticks with the audiences. Kalidas Jayaram has done justice to the character and the story. Even with all the big names involved in this project, Kalidas has managed to strike a chord with the audiences!
Siddu Jonnalagadda in Krishna & His Leela (Krishna) and Maa Vintha Gaadha Vinuma (Siddhu) (Aha)
Siddu Jonnalagaa has previously appeared in several films since his debut in 2009. It was Krishna & His Leela however, that shined the spotlight on him! Krishna & His Leela is definitely his best performance in recent years. Siddu plays a boy-next-door character in this romantic flick. Siddu shines in this role. It is a delight to watch him on screen. Siddu delivered yet another wonderful performance in the film Maa Vintha Gaadha Vinuma. All in all the film is an average flick. It is Siddu’s performance that carries the film. Siddu’s dialogue delivery is quite noteworthy. With two great performances, Siddu Jonnalagadda proves to be someone to watch out for!
Satyadev (Mahesh) in Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya (Netflix)
Uma Maheswara Ugra Roopasya is the Telugu remake of the critically acclaimed Malayalam film Maheshinte Prathikaram. Satyadev reprises Fahadh Faasil’s role from the original film. Fahadh Faasil’s performance in Maheshinte Prathikaram was widely celebrated by audiences and critics. All eyes were on Satyadev when the news of the remake broke out. Satyadev lived up to the bar set by the original film. The film follows the life of Mahesh, a photographer in a village. Mahesh is humiliated by a stranger in front of everyone. Following this, Mahesh vows not to wear slippers till he seeks his revenge. The film follows the twists and turns that follow. While all aspects of the film are just perfect, Satyadev’s portrayal of Mahesh stands out. Satyadev’s Mahesh will most certainly be one of the most memorable characters of 2020. Satyadev has certainly given his all to this character. It is quite difficult to take one's eyes off of Mahesh. With this stellar performance, Satyadev shows us that we can expect great performances by him soon.
