OTT's 10 Best Male Performances of 2024

Actors get enviably good roles in series and films on streaming platforms. Many of them get a fan following without even doing a feature film. That is the reason why movie stars are gravitating towards OTT.

Picking 10 excellent performances has been difficult but the attempt is to acknowledge the work of actors, who are often overlooked in favour of stars.

The talent of actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Vikrant Massey, Vijay Varma, Pankaj Tripathi and Ali Fazal have already been celebrated and awarded.

Deepa Gahlot looks at the 10 Best Male Performances of 2024, in order of release.

 

Jaideep Ahlawat, Maharaj

The mousy mathematician in last year's Jaane Jaan transforms into a terrifying villain in Maharaj.

Jadunath Maharaj, a godman with a regal bearing and reptilian manner, is convinced that he is next to God. He treats his band of devoted followers as he pleases.

He sexually exploits the women, and will stop at nothing to prevent a journalist (Junaid Khan) from exposing his misdeeds.

A chill runs up the viewer's spine when he appears on screen.

Kay Kay Menon, Shekhar Home

Kay Kay is known for his intense roles. But in this Sherlock Holmes-inspired mini series, created by Aniriddha Guha and directed by Srijit Mukherji, he plays an eccentric detective with an endearing sense of mischief.

He could also be picked for his sombre turn as a gangster in Murshid or the devious spy in Citadel: Honey Bunny, but those were not particularly challenging roles for him.

 

Vivek Gomber, Lootere

Vivek Gombre has not been seen much on screen, so there was an element of unpredictability to his character of Vikrant Gandhi, an unscrupulous businessman, based in the port town of Mogadishu in Somalia, in Jay Mehta's Lootere.

He uses the company inherited from his father-in-law to run his own dockside rackets and gets into deep trouble when a ship containing his contraband is hijacked by pirates.

He has to find a way to solve the problem but he is not a hero. He is a crook with a glib manner. Still, his desperation makes him somewhat sympathetic.

 

Diljit Dosanjh, Amar Singh Chamkila

Diljit Dosanjh is a bona fide music star and he brings his natural charisma to the part of legendary Punjabi singer, Chamkila, who was gunned down in his prime.

In Imtiaz Ali's film, Dosanjh brings a rustic innocence to the role, along with the pride that comes with fame.

When pushed against the wall of hate campaigns and death threats for singing vulgar songs, he is also fearless.

The actor portrayed the many shades of Chamkila with confidence.

 

Pavan Malhotra, Pill

Pavan Malhotra has a chameleon-like quality that allows him to become the characters he plays, and he should be appreciated much more than he is.

In Raj Kumar Gupta's series on medical malpractices, he plays the smooth-talking boss of a pharma company, who is always smiling and pleasant, with his scheming mind visible in his eyes.

He is ambitious to the point of ruthlessness but can pull out his soft side for his family, which, somehow, humanises the despicable character.

 

Ishwak Singh, Berlin

In this Atul Sabharwal film, Ishwak Singh (Paatal Lok, Rocket Boys) plays Ashok, a deaf-mute waiter in a café called Berlin.

He is arrested for being a spy and has to undergo interrogation in the claustrophobic environs of a government spy agency.

What makes the character and the actor stand out is that Ashok is not a helpless, handicapped orphan.

He is sharp and makes up for his hearing disability with a power of observation that shames real spooks in the spy business.

 

Aparshakti Khurana, Berlin

Aparshakti, who was getting typecast in comic roles, broke the mould with last year's Jubilee.

In Atul Sabharwal's spy drama, he is caught in a web of intrigue when, using his expertise with sign language, he is forced to interpret for a deaf-mute suspect (Ishwak Singh).

His simple life gets complicated, as he is forced to put up with threats on the phone, and is chased down streets by sinister cars.

His survival instinct kicks in and he gets the courage to turn the tables on his tormentors. The actor made the worm-turns trope nail-bitingly watchable.

 

Tahir Raj Bhasin, Yeh Kaali Kaali Aankhen 2

Tahir plays a character who would, by any normal yardstick, would be considered a horrible person.

He is too weak to resist when he is forced to ditch his girlfriend and marry a rich girl who fancies him.

Then he tries to get her killed and when she is abducted, he pretends to try to find her, putting on teary looks to prove his suffering.

He chops up a body without any qualms and keeps a neutral expression while carrying a human head in his bag.

He is so bad that his flailing to keep his head above water makes his Vikrant quite fascinating.

 

Pratik Gandhi, Agni

Any role he does, Pratik has not yet gone wrong; he simply transforms himself into the man he is playing on screen.

In Rajat Dholakia's Agni, he is a fireman who is not appreciated by his own family. Despite the bitterness at the success of his police officer brother-in-law (Divyendu Sharma), he does not let his frustration come in the way of duty.

His Vitthal Surve is heroic, a bit tragic and quite unforgettable.

His performance in the underrated Dedh Bigha Zameen was also noteworthy.

 

Manav Vij, Tanaav 2

In Sudhir Mishra's Indian version of Fauda, Manav Vij combines his gruff appearance and muscular physicality with haunted eyes.

His character Kabir can kill anyone who stands in the way of his war with terrorism but he also has a soft side when it comes to his family, and the woman he loves.

He is not the action robot like so many actors playing soldiers with suppressed emotions.

 

Rajat Kapoor, Tanaav 2

Playing a spymaster in the series set in Kashmir, Rajat Kapoor's character, Mallik does what it takes to eliminate militants -- charm when that is required, cruelty when the need arises.

He lives in a tinder-box situation that could flare up any time but maintains a calm manner and hangs on to a basic decency, when, in the shadow of bombs and bullets, it is barely possible to retain one's sanity.

He was also excellent as a ship's captain under siege in Lootere.