Familiar face unfamiliar turf
OTT platforms emerged as a viable medium for storytelling this year and many Bollywood actors made their digital debut in 2020. While many of these stars left a mark with their performance, a few failed to impress the viewers. Here’s a look:
Sen-sational comeback
Sushmita Sen in Aarya
Sushmita Sen gave a power-packed performance and did justice to the challenging role in her web debut Aarya on Disney+ Hotstar. The series revolved around the life of a woman who takes charge of the family responsibilities after her husband was shot dead. Sushmita made her comeback after a gap of 10 years with this series and the wait was worth it. The actress has even won an award for her performance in Aarya recently.
Split personality
Abhishek Bachchan in Breathe: Into The Shadows
Abhishek Bachchan made his digital debut with Amazon Prime Video’s web series Breathe: Into The Shadows and impressed everyone with his split- personality avatar. Junior Bachchan played the role of a loving father as well as kidnapper in the show and received great reviews.
Gone without a trace
Karisma Kapoor in Mentalhood
Karisma Kapoor ruled the silver screen in the 90s. The actress was on a long break and made a comeback this year with AltBalaji’s web series Mentalhood, which was a handbook of modern parenting. The show featured how Karisma multitasks and shares her experiences with a group of mothers who have similar problems. The actress looked gorgeous in the series but failed to leave an impression.
What a transformation
Arshad Warsi in Asur
Arshad Warsi was seen in a completely different avatar in his debut web series Asur on Voot Select. The actor, who has mostly played comedy roles in his career, left a mark in this series with his complex character. Arshad played Dhananjay Rajput, mentor to the character of Barun Sobti, in this crime thriller that is inspired by American series True Detective.
He nailed it
Bobby Deol in Aashram
Although the movie Class of 83 starring Bobby Deol had a digital release on Netflix, the actor made his web series debut with Aashram on MX Player. Interestingly, both the chapters of this Prakash Jha directorial released this year itself. In the series, Bobby plays Baba Nirala, a self-proclaimed godman who is a saint in his followers’ eyes, but a devil behind their backs. The actor totally nailed his part with his bold and impressive act.
Crime zone
Lara Dutta in Hundred
Lara Dutta made her digital debut with the action-comedy web series titled Hundred alongside Sairat-fame Rinku Rajguru on Disney+ Hotstar. Lara played the role of an ambitious cop who teams up with a girl named Netra, who only has 100 days to live, and trains her to become a badass undercover agent. The rest of the series focuses on how the duo goes about cracking cases, solving mysteries and catching criminals.
Making an impact
Aftab Shivdasani in Poison 2
Aftab Shivdasani began a new chapter in life this year with the stylish web series Poison 2 on Zee5. The thriller, revolving around the journey of a ruthless tycoon, gained a fair deal of attention with its production values and presentation. Aftab did receive appreciation for his performance in this one.
