People say there are three things important for a good life – food, water, clothes. I beg to differ; there are five things that are needed for a good life – food, water, clothes, internet and movies. Good movies. Good movies by Good actors. It is a pity that Bollywood these days is deprived of both of them. But there have been few actors who have given us so many dreams by enacting the roles we dream of. The roles of a hunk, a police officer, a mafia don, a gangster, a genius, a loverboy (pun unintended!) and what not! This is a list of such actors who bring a bit of colour into our lives by giving us such dreams. So ladies and Gentleman please give a standing ovation to these gentlemen. (For the benefit of the non-Indian members of MS, I have given the Hollywood counterparts of the actors, so that you can imagine the level of these actors)
Amitabh Bachchan - What do you say about this man who is probably the most recognized Indian after Gandhi. When he is on the screen, it is sheer magic. Those intense eyes and the baritone just cast a spell on you. It has been a long journey since his first movie Anand to the crime thriller Aankhen. It has also been a long transformation from a lanky angry young man to the sophisticated and suave bank manager in Aankhen. He has been awarded the Actor of the Millenium award and has his wax image at Madame Tassuads. There is no one I see who can come anywhere near this man who is ever climbing the peaks of perfection.
Best Performances - Zanjeer, Amar Akbar Anthony, Sholay, Aks, Aankhen, Muqadar ka Sikandar (frankly there are too many too mention!)
Hollywood Counterparts - Al Pacino, Antony Hopkins, Marlon Brando (Brando is older though).
Sharukh Khan - This dude is a power plant. He is like that energizer bunny. He goes on and on and on. He started his affair with the camera with the small screen. The name of the serial was Circus. The film Bazigaar catapulted him into the league of stars. Since then he has not looked back and continued to climb up the ladders of stardom. He shares a great chemistry on-screen with Kajol and their movie Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge made both of them superstars and deservedly so. He has won the most number of Filmfare awards and was recently voted the sexiest Indian Male.
Best Performances - Darr, DDLJ, Asoka, Josh.
Hollywood Counterparts - Tom Cruise would be the best possible counterpart
Aamir Khan - My personal favorite after Amitabh Bachchan. Dedication and perfection personified – That is what this man is. His dedication and need for perfection is almost of a legend these days. Made his debut with the block buster Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak where he played a loverboy (again no pun intended!) and I have been a fan of his since I saw the movie. The most striking aspect of Aamir khan is that fact that he has played various and many different roles and he performed each of them very well. Be it the hep youngster in Dil Chahta Hai or the patriotic villager in the Oscar Nominee Lagaan or the street side tapori in Rangeela or the honest cop in Sarfarosh.
Best Performances - Rangeela, Sarfarosh, Lagaan, DCH, Andaz Apna Apna, Ghulam
Hollywood Counterparts - Robert De Niro (Aamir is younger though), Tom Hanks.
Govinda - The most under appreciated actor in the history of Indian Cinema. He is the “Virar ka Chokra” who used to catch the Virar local train in the morning with a banian (vest) and then used to get the shirt ironed or pressed when he reached the film city to act. He sure has come a long way since that time, hasn’t he? He is the hero of the masses and has a flair for rip roaring comedy which is guaranteed to give you some serious stomach cramps. He and director David Dhawan used to make a deadly combination and deliver some seriously funny comedy movies. It is a pity that Filmfare awards him the best comedian award which I think is a disgrace to him. But who cares, we all love him! Hats off to you Govinda!
Best Performances - Hero No 1, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan, Aankhen, Coolie No 1
Hollywood Counterpart - Who else but Jim Carrey, both are outrageously funny, great actors and under appreacited.
Paresh Rawal - The only side actor to appear on this list. Funny is the word to describe this actor. It’s like as if comedy is in his (funny) bones. I don’t know much about him as I have not seen his older movies but in his performance in recent movies like Aankhen and Hera Pheri were a huge hit with the fans. He delivered some really funny one liners in these movies and had the viewers in splits.
Best Performances - Aankhen, Nayak, Hera Pheri
Hollywood Counterpart - Steve Martin.
I have not included some of the older actors like Dilip Kumar and Co as I have not seen any of their movies and I am not much into Hindi classics. Other actors which deserve a mention are.
Manoj Bajpai for Satya
Ajay Devgan for the movie Company
Amol Palekar for the movie Golmaal
Nana Patekar for the movie Krantiveer.
Anil Kapoor for the movie Nayak.
So there are you are. Five of the best that Bollywood has to offer.