Biopics and true stories bring out the best in many actors, yet fictional portrayals of a cop, a criminal, and a firefighter leave a lasting impression.

By Mayur Lookhar

“The process of making a film is a collaboration, but the actor’s responsibility is to make the character live, to make the audience believe that the character is real, and that the world of the film is real,” said Academy Award-winning actor Daniel Day-Lewis.

These words hold true for any actor around the world. Our beloved Bollywood, while lacking consistency in the quality of films, has never been short of great actors. With filmmakers increasingly drawn to biopics or films based on true events, it has provided excellent opportunities for actors to showcase their talent. 2024 has seen quite a few biopics, and many have impressed us.

Star or face value is never a consideration for us; it’s purely talent and performance that count. Without further ado, we bring you the best performances by male artistes this year.

11 Vijay Sethupathi – Merry Christmas

Unlike legendary Southern artistes, language hasn’t been a barrier for Tamil superstar Vijay Sethupathi. On the contrary, he seems natural in Hindi. Sethupathi was mighty impressive in his Hindi debut Farzi (2022), a Prime Video series. Surprisingly, he was disappointing in his first Hindi theatrical release, Jawan (2023). However, Sethupathi proves his mettle in Sriram Raghavan’s thriller Merry Christmas (2024). 

Right from the first scene, one senses there is more to Albert (Sethupathi) than meets the eye. Life has been tough for Albert, yet the man you see in the film is hard to reconcile with his dark past. Sethupathi puts on a gentlemanly show throughout the film. When life deals Albert another cruel blow, the viewer respects both the character and the actor even more. 

Those who initially questioned Katrina Kaif’s pairing with Sethupathi were likely the first to applaud this jodi and the latter’s fine performance.

10 Pankaj Tripathi – Main Atal Hoon

If you eye a clone, you’ll never appreciate an act beyond its physicality. This obsession with appearance has often led to unfair critiques of actors in biopics. Pankaj Tripathi has long maintained that, more than the physicality, he aimed to capture the spirit of the late Bharat Ratna Atal Bihari Vajpayee. And what a spirited, humble, and inspiring performance we saw from the gifted actor. Political ideologies may clash, but Vajpayee was a rare leader who commanded respect even from his opponents. Tripathi’s effort was not just about portraying the great leader; he worked tirelessly to bring out the values Vajpayee stood for, which earned him respect from civilians, colleagues, and political adversaries alike. One would be dishonouring Vajpayee if we don’t honour this inspiring, humbling performance by Tripathi.

9 Rajkummar Rao – Srikanth

Before one judge Rajkummar Rao’s portrayal, it’s important to first understand Srikanth Bolla. He is a true warrior in life who didn’t let his loss of vision stand in the way of his dreams. Entrepreneur Srikanth Bolla is an inspiration not just for the blind, but for the world at large. His success isn’t due to his vision, but to the attitude that never saw his blindness as a handicap. Bolla’s biopic is a rare Bollywood film where neither the makers nor the subject shy away from revealing all aspects of his life. Bolla never sought sympathy, and in fact, there are moments in his biopic that may frustrate his friends, family, and viewers. It would be wrong to label this as arrogance; Bolla was simply being himself, not comfortable with the idea of many admirers bracketing his achievements with his loss of vision. Rajkummar was quick to sense that, and perhaps that helped him bring realism and authenticity to the portrayal.

8 Vikrant Massey – Sector 36 

From the defiant, hardworking, and honest career aspirant in 12th Fail (2023), Vicky Kaushal shocked us with his portrayal of a cannibalistic, cold-blooded child and women killer in Sector 36 (2024). Phew, that’s quite an extreme shift, but it’s the mark of a good actor to excel in such varied roles. Massey didn’t care about the opinions of others; he stunned us with his chilling, unabashed, and psychotic performance in this disturbing crime thriller, which is based on a shocking real-life case. Some felt Sector 36 underplayed the plight of the victim, choosing instead to tell the story from the suspected killer’s perspective. Morally, this choice may divide opinions, but there’s no denying the crazy yet brilliant act by Massey.

7 Shreyas Talpade – Chandu Champion

In all likelihood, many won’t even remember that Shreyas Talpade was part of this Kartik Aaryan-starrer sports film, a biopic of the unsung hero Murli Petkar. To this writer, Talpade has always been an underrated actor. Two years ago, he was our pick for Best Actor for his virtuoso performance as Pravin Tambe in the biopic Kaun Pravin Tambe? He wasn’t the lead in Chandu Champion (2024), but oh boy, we were amused by his pessimistic, dismissive, non-believing cop, Sachin Kamble.

The tragedy of Murli Petkar is that he remained unsung not just in his country, but even the local cop in his village hadn’t heard of him. That speaks volumes about the struggles of India’s second athlete to win a Paralympic gold. Very smartly, director Kabir Khan created this character to epitomize large-scale ignorance. From being dismissive, it was fascinating to see how Kamble grew curious and longed to hear more of the Chandu Champion story. He’s livid when his boss orders him to attend to an urgent matter concerning a VIP, but before leaving, like an enlightened child, Kamble tells Petkar, “Don’t go anywhere, I want to hear your complete story.”

Talpade revels in the ignorance and arrogance of his character, yet manages to draw the viewer to Kamble.

6 Deven Bhojani – Murder Mubarak

He’s been around for ages but never really got his due in the entertainment industry. The Deven Bhojanis don’t crave headlines; they simply go about their craft quietly. Though he has goofy looks, Bhojani’s comedy is never forced. He’s played many funny characters, but none like Bhatti in Murder Mubarak. The Royal Delhi Club, where Bhatti serves as GM, is akin to a Lutyens’ club—infamous for its snooty management and even snootier members. Bhatti is more concerned about losing his post than the murder at his club. Have you ever seen a cop pleading with a club manager to extend the investigation time? Bhatti reluctantly gives ACP Bhavani Singh (Pankaj Tripathi) just ten days. Of course, Singh is aware of Bhatti’s political connections. Arrogant to the core, Bhatti respects only wealth and status. His character is a bit over-the-top, but it’s fitting. Always communicating with his chin high, Bhatti’s constant runny nose doesn’t dampen his inflated ego. While such a snooty character might be hard to respect, it’s Deven Bhojani who makes Bhatti endlessly amusing to watch.

5 Randeep Hooda – Swatantra Veer Savarkar

Political films these days come with their own subtle agenda. It’s not the propaganda, but what often hurts these films is poor production values. Often, these subjects land in the hands of nondescript people who inevitably end up making a mockery of important events and subjects. The moment it emerged that Randeep Hooda would be playing Vinayak Damodar Savarkar, one was fairly assured that at least we were likely to get a sincere performance.

Much before the post-release scrutiny, Hooda faced agitation when director Mahesh Manjrekar left over creative differences. Hooda also took on the director’s reins. The history shown in this film will continue to divide opinions, but Hooda’s film stressed more on Savarkar’s ideological clash with Mahatma Gandhi. Ironically, the man who once believed in the bullet later inadvertently followed Gandhian principles after his long period of incarceration. Similarly, the man who believed in the bullet died while fasting, while the man who was a champion of non-violence died after taking three bullets.

Hooda is known for pushing his body to extremes, and once again, he reduced himself to the bare bones to portray Savarkar’s harrowing time in Kala Pani (Cellular Jail). You never want a clone. While physicality can often be overrated, reducing oneself to such extremes requires immense willpower. An actor must embody the values that the real-life character stood for, and Hooda paid a fitting tribute to Savarkar’s idea of freedom. It’s tough for a Haryanvi to sound like a Maharashtrian, yet Hooda, as always, remains sincere and dedicated to his craft, delivering another spine-chilling performance.

4 Diljit Dosanjh –  Chamkila

Actor, singer, and a superstar in Punjab, Diljit Dosanjh, though, hasn’t quite cracked the success mantra for Bollywood. After impressing in his maiden Bollywood flick, Udta Punjab (2016), Dosanjh has remained an enigma in Hindi cinema. Even Chamkila came with its share of drama. In his own words, Dosanjh had stated that he was planning a Punjabi film loosely based on the controversial Punjabi singer’s life. He feared director Imtiaz Ali had called to sue him as he didn’t have the rights. Instead, Ali offered him the chance to play Chamkila in his Hindi film on the Punjabi figure.

Opting for a straight-to-digital release for someone who was a man of the masses wasn’t ideal, but it’s fair to say that Chamkila was going to be a make-or-break Bollywood film for Dosanjh.

As fate would have it, Imtiaz Ali and Diljit Dosanjh paid a fitting farewell to Amar Singh Chamkila, something the singer never got in death. His music will continue to polarize, but the Chamkila story revealed how a man was caught between a rock and a hard place. This was a rare story where the star became a slave to his own audience. Dosanjh grabbed this opportunity with both hands and delivered a very fine performance, arguably the finest of his career.

3 Ravi Kishan – Laapataa Ladies

Comeback wouldn’t be an appropriate word because Ravi Kishan never did Hindi films by the dozen. Besides, this word would be disrespectful to the immense talent of Kishan. It’s fair to say that Bollywood seldom tapped into this potential. Laapataa Ladies (2024) would never have come his way had Kiran Rao not rejected her former husband and producer Aamir Khan’s strong desire to play Manohar. Thanks to Khan for not sulking, and thanks to Kiran for finding the perfect Manohar in Ravi Kishan.

A rural India story meant that its characters were firmly rooted in local culture. It’s not individuals, but corruption, is a systematic malaise, and cop Manohar is a seasoned pro. He simply exploits the system further. Though greedy, there is a sense that eventually, the man would do the right thing after discovering the truth about one of the Laapataa Ladies. The tone comes naturally to Kishan, who also embraces this opportunity by consuming around 200 paans. It’s the sheer quality of Kishan’s baritone and his stellar performance that made most cheer for Manohar. Though named Laapataa Ladies, decades later, it is Ravi Kishan and his daroga (cop) character Manohar that will be fondly remembered.

2 Raghav Juyal – Kill

Having lost touch with Indian television, we were not really aware of Raghav Juyal’s prowess, except that he is a discovery from a popular dance reality TV show. We were clueless about his early attempts at acting, where he was largely cast in supporting roles. In fact, the mere fact that he was part of the Salman Khan-starrer disaster Kisi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan (2023) seemed like an afterthought. He couldn’t be erased because Juyal, the actor, never really stuck in our memory in the first place. This writer didn’t recognize him in Kill (2024). Two hours later, he had us reading everything about him.

For an actor to shine, give him or her freedom. Here, producers Karan Johar and Guneet Monga literally gave him the license to kill. Phew, and Juyal totally killed it. Kill (2024) stayed true to its “India’s most violent film” tag, but more than the bloodshed, Juyal stunned us with his killer instinct, psychotic conduct, and a cruel sense of humor. The man who was previously known just for his dancing excelled as an actor and even surprised with his action moves. Juyal’s Fani was certainly a character from hell, and this brilliant portrayal from a relatively young actor was seldom seen before.

1 Pratik Gandhi – Agni

The advent of multiplexes seems to have distanced Bollywood from the working class. While style and physique might make someone popular on social media, the masses rarely connect with such superficial appeal. To be loved by them, an actor must look, speak, and resonate with their experiences. Pratik Gandhi has earned that admiration, starting with Hansal Mehta’s Scam 1992 (2020). Despite portraying a scamster, Gandhi’s powerful performance won hearts, particularly among the Gujarati community.

The odd grey character is acceptable, but a Harshad Mehta can never be idolised. Pratik Gandhi found a true hero in Rahul Dholakia’s Agni, a film that pays tribute to the unsung firemen. His character’s righteousness makes him an idol, but what truly endears him are his professional and personal struggles, especially the lack of respect on both fronts. At work, it’s the system that defeats Vitthal, but what intrigues us is his relationship with his son. The boy loves his father but can’t bear the stench when he returns home after tackling a fire. Gandhi beautifully embodied both the righteousness and the pain of a firefighter with depth and authenticity. Agni wasn’t just about playing a fireman; it was about telling their story, and Gandhi did so with great humility and a fire-in-the-belly attitude. In the age of the anti-hero, it is refreshing to have a righteous fireman, a common man, stand out. A Manohar or a Fani may evoke more thrill, but named after a God, it is Pratik Gandhi’s Vitthal to whom we bow. He is our pick for the Best Actor of the year.

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