If anything has been
proven this year, it is this;
Stars might
effectively be insecure about their positions, but Hindi cinemas leading man
are looking to use this so called fear for the good and prove with their acting
capabilities why they are at the top despite of what else people may say of
their abilities or capabilities.
This year alone we
have two big leading men of the past two decades on the nomination list, not to
mention one of them is a double nominee this year [in different categories of
course].
The five nominees
this year also are a mix bag of the proof of where Hindi cinema is headed
barring box office successes and failures.
So where is it
headed?
At least for the
leading men, it is headed in a position where actors experiment with genre
roles, the biopic becomes a place to deliver fine performances and thespians
are still very much in demand for in demand roles.
All in all, nobody
is eating into anybody's work and more importantly everyone shines. Though of
course some don't get to shine bright enough and so here they are as Honourable
mentions;
Amitabh Bachchan in
Te3n-Of the three Angry Old Man roles Bachchan sir has done this year in order
to reinvent his former Angry Young Man persona, this was the best. While he was
a bit gravely in Wazir and could be caught in the act in Pinkl, it was in Te3n
he proved what a masterclass performer he is with a turn that carries the
weight of time with him.
Sushant Singh Rajput
in MS. Dhoni-Though stifled by an absolutely horrendous film and some moments
of ill advised VFX work; Rajput does his best to prove why he is one of the
most versatile talents working today with a measured performance that sells us on
the MS. Dhoni which the film tries to project
Salman Khan in
Sultan-The one role where Salman Khan puts in effort to at least show if he
cannot handle the strength of heavy drama he can at least prove to try and do
so.
Randeep Hooda in
Sarabjit-Completely destroyed by an atrocious film, a film that overhypes
Aishwarya Rai's screechy performance as Sarabjit's sister; it is Hooda who
tries to save the film with a calculated melodramatic turn.
Akshay Kumar in
Airlift-In what is probably his finest performance [maybe], Akshay Kumar proves
once more that he is consistently able to reinvent himself and prove a
resilient performer in whatever genre is given.
Vicky Kaushal in Raman Raghav 2.0-He might fail to match up to his co-star but he comes oh so close with a performance that proves Kaushal is a performer with unbelievable talent and determination to prove versatility with a role. Providing the perfect mirror foil to Siddiqui.
Shahid Kapoor in Udta Punjab-Though as mentioned in the ensemble section, Kapoor goes a bit too bug eyed and he is acting like a druggie more than embodying one. In the smaller moments, the quieter of reflection, Kapoor is a revelation and showcases why he is a former Best Actor Drama winner.
And now for our
nominees, these five are top class performer and undoubtedly stars of their
genres and generations.
Of five of them;
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
has 5 nominations with 0 wins
Aamir Khan has 1
nomination with 0 wins
Naseeruddin Shah has
2 nominations with 0 wins
And the other two
[Shahrukh Khan and Manoj Bajpayee] have not been nominated ever in the past
three official Hindie Awards.
What that means that
one of these nominees will win their first best actor award in any category but
in this case in drama...