Monday, August 27, 2007

Bollywood: The 20 Greatest Performances

I'm on a bollywood spree these days..lol...just humor me:) The title says "Greatest" but let's just say these are 20 of my favourites, that leaves no room for arguments you see:)) Sometimes, they might not be the best 'acting' performances per se but the most definitive in their respective genres or the most pertinent to the kind of character portrayed, i.e. comic, tragic, romantic etc etc.


20) Shah Rukh Khan--Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa


Sunil is the definition of the loveable looser. "woh to hai albela, hazaron mein akela" clearly sums up the movie's ethos as well as the character of Sunil portrayed so beautifully by SRK.


19) Vinod Khanna--Dayawaan

Yes, I have seen Nayagan, and am quite aware of the Oscar nomination of Kamal Hasan. I still believe Vinod Khanna was better! When it comes to The Godfather-like performances, this one takes the cake in Indian cinema. Although everything he has done in this movie is par-excellence, but the scene where he breaks down after looking at his son's dead body gives me goose-bumps.


18) Shabana Aazmi--Arth

Oh yes, this is not a best actor-male Filmfare awards list. The definitive portrayal of a frustrated and angry wife. Shabana Aazmi is almost always perfect in anything she does, but this one is her greatest achievement in my opinion.


17) Nana Patekar--Parinda

Cold, crazy and so smooth. The 'hatke' bhai. Nana has never been able to better this.


16) Anupam Kher--Saaransh

It was his first film..he was only 29 years old at that time..and he played a late-age retired person. And he did it so beautifully!! A helpless father fighting for his son's dead body. Truly a heart wrenching performance this one.


15) Dilip Kumar--Shakti

With Dilip Kumar, you could take up any of the movies he has done and rave about the performance. This one, however, is something special. A policeman torn between honesty/integrity and fatherhood...and he has to shoot his own son ( a la Mother India), a historic performance.



14) Aamir Khan--Rangeela

This is where Aamir graduated from being a good actor to a great actor. The loveable tapori. You know all about it don't you?


13) Amitabh Bachhan--Amar Akbar Anthony

"apun ek maara, pan solid maara na". Big B's greatest comic achievement; the mirror sequence is a lesson in comic timing.


12) Shah Rukh Khan--Baazigarr

The definition of an anti-hero. This was not a landmark acting performance by any means, but it was the most shocking thing anybody had ever seen in Indian Cinema, and SRK did it very convincingly, and menacingly if I might add.


11) Aamir Khan--Rang De Basanti

No, it's not here coz its fresh in my memory. I truly believe this is Aamir's best performance to date. The scene where he breaks down in front of Sue is....well....perfect!!!..as Aamir always is.


10) Anil Kapoor--Eeshwar

Portrayal of a mentally challeneged person doesn't get any better than this..yeah...not even Dustin Hoffman's in Rain Man.


09) Raj Kapoor--Jaagte Raho


I have always thought of Raj Kapoor being a little overrated as an actor,but here he gives a mind blowing performance. Leaves you all sad and depressed...yeah...but that's what great performances are about. They actually make you feel!


08) Kamal Hasan--Sadma

What can I say? Let's just say that it's fortunate he didn't really make it big in Bollywood, or Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri would not have had the same kind of clout that they enjoy.


07) Amitabh Bachhan--Black

For the first half an hour he was more loud than he had ever been, and hammed very consistently...but!!....the rest of the movie is vintage Bachhan magic, a landmark performance. The greatest performance of this decade without doubt.


06) Nargis Dutt--Mother India

Such was the effect of this role that people rejected Nargis in every heroine role after that. I mean, what can be a bigger landmark than this?


05) Amitabh Bachhan--Deewaar

The angry young man!! 80% of Big B's most memorable dialogues are here. The dying sequence is the best ever....SRK's dying scene in Baazigarr is almost a copy!!


04) Amjad Khan--Sholay


Gabbar Singh..inarguably..the most memorable character in the history of Indian cinema. Some might not recall Jai or Veeru or Basanti or Thakur or Soorma Bhopali...but no one can forget Gabbar!! Not Aamir's QSQT, not Hritik's KNPH, not Rishi Kapoor's Bobby..it is Amjad Khan's Sholay which was home to the most sensational debut ever!!


03) Rajesh Khanna--Aanand


The loveable, exuberant, happy go lucky dying man. Although his Safar,Amar Prem and Kati Patang performances are great too, this one is simply out of this world and one of the most endearing performances in the history of Indian cinema.

02) Shah Rukh Khan--Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

The most entertaining performance ever! It's complete in every sense...the irresponsible/careless college boy, the romantic lover, the ethical man who respects the value of parents..comedy..emotions..and even a typical bolly-action stint in the climax. What more can you ask for?

01) Amitabh Bachhan--Agneepath

Some might say he copied Marlon Brando in a few scenes, and even if I agree, this has still got to be the best performance ever..by anyone in the history of Indian cinema. There can be no one like an angry Bachhan in form!


3 comments:

1conoclast said...

:-) I'm back.
Nice post. Inclined to agree with some points. Agree with the content of # 20 & # 11, though not necessarily with the order. SRK did well in KHKN & Aamir was superb in the breakdown scene in RDB. He was also superb in the breakdown scene (on the phone with his Dad) in DCH, by the way.
What I don't agree with is SRK in Baazigar & DDLJ. DDLJ is one of my favourite movies, yes. But to say that SRK's performance in DDLJ ranks only second to Amitabh's in Agneepath is a bit much. Wouldn't you say?

Unknown said...

Welcome back :)

If I thought it was a bit much, I would have ranked them differently in the first place..wouldn't you say? :)

Anyway, acting or rather the perception of acting is a subjective matter. I do not subscribe to the theory that only serious or meaningful roles/movies demand acting. What SRK did in DDLJ, or AB did in Amar Akbar Anthony or Dilip Kumar did in Ganga Jamuna or Kishore Kumar in Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi also demand good performances. As for you not agreeing, that's understrandable..since you don't even consider him a good actor to begin with. Maybe I am prejudiced, or maybe you are...or maybe both of us are. So, again...it's all very subjective you see. BTW, I remember reading a line in one of your posts which says Akshay Kumar is a better actor than SRK....gotta say..that seriously makes me doubt your talent gauging skills. Akshay Kumar and acting are like North and South pole IMO :)

Unknown said...

Hritik Roshan's Best ever acting in KOI MIL GAYA or LAKSHYA also can be included on the NO.1 spot.
How Hritik acted in these movie? no other actor can act for this roles. what do u think?