I am back with one more list of 2012 Bollywood, which I compiled, and this time it’s related with the Performances on-screen. We have seen many Bollywood movies, great ones, bad ones, but many moves stayed at top (maybe not at BO) because of that one single performance which stands out. The characterization was superb, the placement in the movie was good, but what matter most were the acting skills of that actor who played that role, so here I am presenting Top 10 Performances of 2012 – Bollywood. Again I want to clarify that I have included only those movies which I have seen, so no entry for Gangs of Wasseypur here.
1.Priyanka Chopra as Jhilmil Chatterjee in Barfi – She is an autistic girl, who just understand like a small child does, she can’t talk properly, and she always required aid to help her to do even simplest of the things in her daily life. Pryanka just played it beautifully, the voice she used is just amazing, full points to her for doing the justice to the character, that’s why she is at the top of my performance-list. And she continues her good performance right from ‘What’s Your Rashee’ and ‘7 Khoon Maaf’. Her other watchable 2012 movies were ‘Agneepath’ and ‘Teri Meri Kahaani’.
2.Anu Kapoor as Dr. Baldev Chaddha in Vicky Donor – this movie was based on sperm donation topic, and a doctor role is required for this comic movie, who can at a time able to do the comic performance and able to explain the importance of his subject too. Anu Kapoor should be given award for the perfect match for the role in this film as fertility specialist. We already knew him as a great character artist, here he just touches the sky, and his chemistry with the lead actor, a debutante Ayushmann was just fantastic. He was also seen in ‘Gali Gali Chor Hai’, and 2011’s ‘7 Khoon Maaf’.
3.Vidya Balan as Vidya Bagchi in Kahaani – A pregnant lady comes in an unknown town, the hustle-bustle town Kolkata to find her lost husband, and take on the life of this walking city by heart, and in the end shown her skills of combat prove the mettle of the roles ever been written, and Vidya is simply continuing her great acting skills from the last year’s super performance of ‘The Dirty Picture’.
4.Ranbir Kapoor as Murphy ‘Barfi’ in Barfi – He can’t speak, and he can’t listen, but he knows how to make someone happy. We have seen so many roles of deaf-mute person like in movies like ‘Koshish’ or ‘Khamoshi’, but this one is different, he just enjoys his life and live it to the fullest and not bother about his inability of becoming like a common man, and that’s why everybody loves him. Ranbir has given his best performance in this movie, he has definitely come of age giving great performances like in last year’s ‘Rockstar’.
5.Irrfan as Paan Singh Tomar in Paan Singh Tomar – irrfan needs no introduction, and he is one of the most talented artist of Indian cinema, which is already proven long back, he did Hollywood films too, and here he single-handedly took the film and shows his experience and class again. He can be classified with Naseeruddin Shah or Nana Patekar. Here he played the role of a real person who was an Indian Army personnel –cum-athlete-cum-dacoit, and he played this role beautifully. His latest movies include ‘Life of Pi’, ‘The Amazing Spider Man’, and ‘7 Khoon Maaf’.
6.Sanjay Dutt as Kancha Cheena in Agneepath – Well the movie was a remake, and everybody were skeptical whether it will do justice to the original one, as everytime a remake is made everybody use to compare it with originals. But Karan Johar did one thing simple, he copy the original but make it simple, and then he added a spice – the character of Kancha Cheena, well I can certainly select this character as the most villainous character of 2012, and what a power-packed performance by Sanjay Dutt, we all know him as cute and lovable goon Munnabhai and hurted and angry don Raghu, he always get good characters to play and he made them best. His other 2012 movies included Department and SOS.
7.Sridevi as Shashi Godbole in English Vinglish – She did a comeback, and this time she got the role of a housewife, who always becomes a topic of joke between husband and her daughter’s eyes, why, because she don’t know English, but then she goes to English classes nad prove that she also can learn and speak good English. Wonderful role and characterization, and she did it wonderfully, expressing everything required.
8.Emran Hashmi as Joginder Parmar in Shanghai – well he is stereotyped, serial kisser, chocolaty boy, lover but then he didn’t et any opportunity like Shanghai, and then he showed that he too has potential of doing different roles, he grows a paunch, his face looks like beaten-up and he pulled that street-smart guy’s role so perfectly that at first id dint believe that I am seeing Emran. He gave good performance in Jannat 2 also this year.
9.Paresh Rawal as Kanji Lalji Mehta in OMG Oh My God – he believes in himself, not on God, but the world works differently, and now since he lost all his income, property, he stands against God in court, wonderfully though and nicely played by one of the great artist of our time Paresh Rawal. He basically do comedian roles but this time he got lead role in the movie and he shows his caliber again. He also played the original Kanji’s role in the play on which this movie is based.
10.Arjun Kapoor – Parineeti Chopra as Parma-Zoya in Ishaqzaade – This duo introduced in the movie, though its 2nd movie of Parineeti, and the story demands rough charavters, from the backdrop of UP and Bihar, who falls in love, and then shows the world that they didn’t belive in casteism factor. Both the perfectly suited to their rles, looks like roles are tailor-made for them, showed their acting potential in this rough love story.
There are many other performances worth mentioning, which though I haven’t listed in the top 10 list but are equally good – Hrithis Roshan in Agneepath, Parambrata Chatterjee in Kahaani, Ayushmann Khurana in Vicky Donor, Abhay Deol and Farooque Sheikh in Shanghai, Sharman Joshi in Ferrari Ki Sawaari, Arjun Rampal and Kareena Kapoor in Heroine, Abhay Deol in Chakravyuh, Aamir Khan in Talaash, Sudeep in Makkhi, and many more, do watch them all, and check for yourself. These are all the best character and performances of 2012 in my eyes.
GRuchirG.
Jai Raam ji ki :)
