Best Actor [Male] in a Leading Role
Motion Picture Comedy/Musical/Romantic
If we are to asses
this year's nominees then one thing comes across fairly easily;
Unless you are a
regular staple of the romantic genre, the way it seems Ranbir Kapoor has made
it his own, then it isn't easy finding actors and roles that play perfectly to
what can be deemed the lighter genres especially if we are to look for absolute
quality performances.
Another thing is
that where once comedy was found in the puerile stereotyping of homosexuals,
today we've found a balance between our standard perceptions of the grouping as
well as individualistic complexities of the character whether gay or straight.
It's a neat step forward indeed when a character becomes flesh and blood
regardless of their sexual orientation. It thus allows humour to arrive from a
much more organic place.
Next on the list is
that we might not get purely musical movies with such poetic whimsy like La La
Land, but Imtiaz Ali's Rockstar has definitely opened the idea of the
exploration of romance in music and musicians.
In a way that
describes these five nominees, but what about the others, you know the ones
that just didn't cut it into the top five. Well there aren't many, but here
they are;
Manoj Bajpayee in
Saat Uchakey-Capping of one of his finest years, as the leading man in this
farcical comic caper; Bajpayee gets to go lighter and prove why he has just as
good comedic chops as he does dramatic ones.
Krrish Chhabria in
Dhanak-As the heart of the film to his sisters soul, Chhabria is such a sweet
child actor he doesn't need to do much even though he does with a fiery tongue
and sweet naivety while portraying the blind young Chotu with utmost conviction.
[PS: Please take tips from him on how to do it better for the next time; Yami
Gautam and Hrithik Roshan]
Manish Paul in Tere
Bin Laden 2-He might be overshadowed by the more quirky members of the cast,
but Paul proves that he has the ability to be a comedic leading force with his
screwball antics and expressions as well as his witty comic timing.
Pradhyuman Singh in
Tere Bin Laden 2-Donning the Bin Laden get up once more, Pradhyuman Singh is an
absolute delight as the comedically inept Padhi especially when put across from
and intimidated by Sughanda Gharg. His milk fascination is another thing altogether.
Now the nominees...
Arvind Swamy as Nitin
Swaminathan for Dear Dad
Ever since Thani
Oruvan, Arvind Swamy has become one hell of a cool cat. He brings this simple
yet charismatic charm to his turn as the burdened father Nitin with a secret to
tell his teenage son.
In Dear Dad, a light
hearted road trip comedy between father-son; Nitin is a homosexual man looking
to come out and Swamy plays him with utmost confidence. More importantly there
is no hang up of a stereotype in the way he portrays the characters detailed
quirks, if one can say that.
The relaxed natural
way that Swamy performs even in the most dramatic situations is a welcome sight
and an indication of an actor not only away of his strengths but also confident
in his abilities to utilize them with absolute perfection.
Nitin Swaminathan
and Dear Dad are a welcome character, film and most importantly performance
from a man that Hindi cinema had truly forgotten yet has been truly missed.
Welcome back with a bang, Arvind Swamy.
Ranbir Kapoor as Ayan
Senger for Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
Just like his
co-star Anushka Sharma, with Ayan Senger; Ranbir Kapoor is very much in is
element as the poetic and brutally heartbroken romantic lead. It's a role he
can sleepwalk through at this phase in his career, and from a box office
perspective this one comes with a welcome dose of success after some low years
[not performance wise of course].
It's always hard to
imagine the dashing Ranbir Kapoor as a rejected lover and merely the friend in
a one sided romantic equation, but kudos to him for convincing us of this
terrible pain of being second best with utmost conviction as he has always
done.
With Ayan however,
Kapoor gets to dial up the dramatics of the situation; balancing between his
own set of well worked histrionics and the tragic romantic leads of old with
which he builds the pathos in a film that narratively never has any.
More than anything
else, Ae Dil is a showcase for the unusual star quality of the Kapoor scion; a
soon to be and always remain bright burning superstar that will always make the
most unorthodox of choices. Even in what is definitely a glossy Karan Johar tragic
romance; Ranbir Kapoor proves without a shadow of a doubt about the above and
that is he is this generations finest.
Siddhant Behl as Mastana
for Jugni
Breakthrough doesn't
even begin to describe it.
As the name
suggests, Siddhant Behl's Mastana initially comes off as aloof, flirty with a
dose of naivety and sharp but not smart; the typical picture of a country
bumpkin, just as he should. Yet there's more to it then meets the eye.
There's a wounded
but beating romantic heart, an earnestness and sweetness as well as sense of
respect, an entitled jat and more importantly a passionate musician struggling
between the burdens of making money with commercial trash and singing from the
soul just as his mother does.
Behl embellishes
these characteristics with his own easy charm and an intuitive performance that
doesn't necessarily rely on conventional methods but a free flowing organic
presence that is so refreshing to witness on screen.
He has the ear for
music that lets him lip sync in a way that the music breathes to life from his
expressive face to his powerful eyes that echo so much in simple silences.
As the free bird
firefly Mastana, Siddhant Behl flies away with the film in a heart stopping way
that is applause worthy.
Vicky Kaushal as Dilsher
for Zubaan
For a film strecthed
between two archetypal plots of a young man rising to the occasion as an artist
and the other of a young innocent ambitious man falling into piece amidst a
corrupt world and embracing that very darkness; the line tethering them both providing
such viewing pleasure is none other than Kaushal as Dilsher.
In his second film
to date, Vicky Kaushal proves that he is a talent worth watching out for.
Despite starring in a film that crumbles under its own ambitions, Dilsher never
does and that is due in part to Kaushal's fine turn that is filled with a range
of emotions and myriad of conflicts that lets the actor test his mettle.
He oozes as Dilsher
with a renewed energy and vigour, the kind of performance you'd find in the
early anti-hero tracks of Al Pacino. The fact that he reminds one of Pacino in
his heyday is the ultimate compliment, and there's no other fitting note to add
to it.
Fawad Khan as
Rahul Kapoor for Kapoor and Sons
If Amitabh
Bachchan's career was to be summed up with one label it would most likely be
'Angry Young Man', the aptly titled character was a staple of his 70's persona
as a hard hitting socially conscious action star. Yet there were many more
facets to Bachchan, specifically his underrated and nuanced romantic
portrayals.
That sort of
smoldering, burdened brilliance is what Fawad Khan brings to Rahul in Kapoor
and Sons. However as the film is more Woody Allen then Yash Chopra, it is
devised in such a way that the lighter charm and the far more subtle dramatics
of the situations take charge.
Yet it's a good
reference to begin from, from where Fawad Khan takes up a role that would be
scary for most to take up. The first thing is it takes a special kind of hungry
performer to then thus deliver such goods.
Haunted by the label
of the perfect child and the hidden secrets that pain him with such, Fawad Khan
turns in a performance that is a master-class in nuance and characterization,
he is always carrying the weight of his secrets even in the most light moments
and harsh moments of conflict.
When Arjun's deep
seethed secret putting Rahul in a bad light is revealed to the audience, Fawad adds in an oblivious layer of
expression to the way he operates, such that the mystery tugs along.
It's such an aware
turn, that makes the film whole and half when the narrative fails to pay off. A
performance well above the film given and the film mind you is a best picture
nominee.
And the Winner is...
Fawad Khan as Rahul Kapoor for Kapoor and Sons!!!
Let's hope no so called patriots of India kill me for this one but with Rahul Kapoor [of course titled as Rahul, the very iconic name associated with Dharma] Khan and team prove that there are far better ways to write characters in the minority then what we have been shown before.
This begins the chapter of actors, he is number 8...who is lucky number 7
Up Next: A scared sister sharing a deep dark secret with her menacing brother, a barren woman looking to become whole, a concerned mother gathering strength like only a mother can, an energetic dancer with her own insecurities against a society out to ostracize her and a young woman discovering the resolve to fight for herself and her friends against an unfair system...these make up the supporting actors [female] in drama this year.
'Nuff Said,
Aneesh Raikundalia
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