Rajkummar Rao, Ranveer Singh, Ayushmann Khurrana, Vicky Kaushal : Bollywood’s Men Of The Year

Actors, right from Amitabh Bachchan to his contemporaries, have hailed RK as a complete actor in B-Town. He proved everyone right when he took on the role of Sanjay Dutt in the biopic Sanju on the actor’s life. He not only got the physical aspects on point but also conveyed Dutt’s anger and pathos brilliantly. The box-office numbers are proof of this.

Ranveer comes across as an affable and approachable person. His turn as the evil Alauddin Khilji in Padmaavat came as a pleasant surprise. The actor admitted that he visited a dark place while prepping for the role. But the effort paid off when the film rocked the box office. He ended the year with another bang — Simmba, which saw him scaling new heights of stardom.

From his image as an action star, Akshay has shown immense growth during his rise to superstardom. 2018 began with Pad Man, which was based on the life of Arunachalam Muruganantham, who invented low-cost sanitary pads, while Gold was a fictionalised retelling of the first Olympic gold medal won by independent India in 1948. He also had the massive 2.0 to his credit. The actor, who has made a name for himself in the last few years by associating with content-driven films, had a great year once again.

There are extremely few performers, who can pull off intense roles the way Ajay does. Adding gravitas to the characters he plays comes naturally to the National Award-winning actor. He proved that once again when he played an honest IT official in his 2018-hit Raid. He also produced two films, Helicopter Eela and the Marathi flick Aapla Manus. After ending the year with a special appearance in Simmba, the actor has three films — Total Dhamaal, De De Pyaar De and Taanaji: The Unsung Warrior  — on his slate next year.

Varun’s name has always been associated with typical masala movies. This year, however, began with October where he impressed the critics with his sensitive portrayal as Dan who takes care of his friend who slips into coma after a freak accident. Though the film had a limited audience, it was critically acclaimed. Then came Sui Dhaaga: Made in India, which performed well commercially.

With Baaghi 2 opening to approximately Rs 25 crores, Tiger proved that he is no more a cub in B-Town. Having carried the film on his shoulders, he claimed a stake on the action genre. And there’s no doubting the fact that none of his contemporaries can beat him at it. No wonder, Baaghi 3 has already been planned with our desi action star.

It’s difficult to imagine that the same actor who played the innocent and naive Vicky in Stree, would make for a dreaded terrorist. But Rajkummar Rao showed everyone his mettle with his act as Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh in Omerta. There’s just no boxing this guy!

Vicky wasn’t the protagonist in Raazi or Sanju, but his stellar performances ensured that he was noticed by the critics and audience alike. He followed it up with Manmarziyaan and there was no stopping him. He also showed the courage to venture into the digital realm with Love Per Square Foot and Karan Johar’s film in Lust Stories, an anthology that explored contemporary relationships. Now, he gets to play the prodigal lead hero in Uri: The Surgical Strike and begins 2019 on an action-packed note.

While son Ranbir has proved himself to be among the best actors in B-Town, father Rishi, too, showed that age has got nothing to do with talent. His first release of the year, 102 Not Out, saw him playing a harrowed 76-year-old son to his mischievous 102-year-old father essayed by Amitabh Bachchan. It was his turn as the retired advocate Murad Ali Mohammed, who is asked to prove his loyalty towards his country in Mulk, that had the actor display his acting prowess. His performance was nuanced and poignant.

For the first six months of 2018, Ayushmann didn’t have a single release; in the second half, AndhaDhun and Badhaai Ho hit the theatres. Both the films garnered praise as well as moolah at the BO. Besides his performance, it’s his ability to pick the right script that industry folks doffed a hat to.