Breakout Stars

PRATIK GANDHI, 31, Scam 1992

Gujarati cinema audiences fell in love with him with the 2016 film, Wrong Side Raju. Pratik Gandhi had taken 20 days leave for the film which won Best Gujarati Film at the National Awards, but the movie’s success convinced him he could give up his day job as consultant engineer in Mumbai. It took national audiences another four years to discover Gandhi which they did with Hansal Mehta’s extraordinary recreation of stockbroker Harshad Mehta’s rise and fall in Sony LIV’s Scam 1992. Gandhi captures Mehta’s indomitable spirit with swagger. He channels his angst at the class divide in the financial markets but he also portrays his undoing by greed. Gandhi has done a considerable amount of experimental theatre in Gujarati since 2005 and that long internship will stand him in good stead as his star rises.

RASIKA DUGAL, 32, Mirzapur II

The graduate of Lady Shri Ram College for Women and Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) was never the cookie-cutter pretty young thing in Bollywood. She always stood out for her grace and gravitas, whether it was as Safia, Saadat Hasan Manto’s wife in Manto (2018), or the young IPS probationer in Delhi Crime (2019). But 2020 was Dugal’s breakout year with a brilliant return as the simmering Beena Tripathi in Mirzapur II, a nuanced performance as Lata’s elder sister Savita in Mira Nair’s addictive A Suitable Boy, as well as much needed comic relief in Lootcase and the short film, Banana Bread. With many memes as Beena Tripathi (including her love for Chinese food and sex), it was clear that Rasika Dugal
had arrived.

DIVYENDU, 37, Mirzapur II

Mirzapur was written for Kaleen Bhaiya and Guddu Bhaiya so it is quite extraordinary that Divyendu’s character, Munna, caught everyone’s imagination. Somewhat of a local hero in Varanasi where the series was shot, the wannabe king of Mirzapur enjoyed another successful run in Alt Balaji’s Bicchoo Ka Khel this year. It is not always easy to transition from the hero’s best friend, a role the graduate of Kirori Mal College and FTII has played in numerous films such as Pyaar Ka Punchnama (2011), Toilet: Ek Prem Katha (2017) and Batti Gul Meter Chalu (2018). Now much in demand, the actor symbolises the democratisation of talent spurred by streaming services.

JAIDEEP AHLAWAT, 40, Paatal Lok

Jaideep Ahlawat got noticed as Alia Bhat’s mentor-spymaster in Meghana Gulzar’s Raazi in 2018. But as the loser police officer Hathi Ram Chaudhary, he slumped his shoulders, crunched his face, and copied his father’s hesitant walk in Amazon Prime’s ugly-beautiful Paatal Lok. The 40-year-old actor remains philosophical about his slow-burn success and advises newcomers to keep working on their craft. Ahlawat had initially wanted to join the Army but couldn’t make it. Their loss. Bollywood’s gain.

SANJAY KAPOOR, 55, The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives

The youngest brother of Boney and Anil Kapoor was once the oldest newcomer in Bollywood with a much talked about debut with Tabu in Prem (1995), one of the many Hindi movies abandoned by Shekhar Kapur. Unsuccessful as a lead actor, despite starring with Madhuri Dixit in the hit movie, Raja (1995), Sanjay Kapoor appeared on and off on TV and in movies until he got noticed for his portrayal of a cuckolded husband in Lust Stories (2018). But the 55-year-old was the best thing in Netflix’s The Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives as a homespun Punjabi husband who has to contend with his very Anglicised and glamorous wife and daughter. ‘A legend with an espresso obsession’ is how comedian Anuvab Pal describes him. He should know. He was the show’s script consultant for the husbands.

Best of 2020 EntertainmentDivyenduJaideep AhlawatPratik GandhiRasika DugalSanjay Kapoor