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Supporting actors are increasingly gaining prominence and successfully carving a niche for themselves in the industry. Following are a list of actors who, we feel, have performed exceptionally well in some of the films released in 2016.
Here we nominate Best Supporting Actor of 2016. Quickly take a look and vote for your favorite:
Kumud Mishra – Airlift
A thespian, Kumud Mishra grabbed eyeballs with his acting in Airlift, which is based on possibly the largest civilian evacuation in history. Mishra plays Sanjeev Kohli, Joint Secretary, Ministry of External Affairs, who helps Ranjit Katyal (Akshay Kumar) evacuate thousands of Indians stranded in Kuwait during the Persian Gulf War (August 1990 – February 1991). Mishra is talented and gets into the skin of the character beautifully. His Bollywood journey has just begun with films like Rockstar, Raanjhanaa and Badlapur. He played Salman Khan’s wrestling coach in another 2016 film, Sultan.
Purab Kohli – Airlift
VJ turned actor Purab Kohli is extremely talented. The 37-year-old has mesmerized us with his acting skills earlier in My Brother…Nikhil (2005), Rock On!! (2008) and Jal (2013). In Airlift, Purab plays Ibrahim Durrani, a Muslim youth who loses his newly married wife. Purab impresses with his acting skills once again and deserves mention for his contribution to the film’s success.
Rishi Kapoor – Kapoor and Sons
Rishi Kapoor’s transformation from a 64-year-old actor to a 90-year-old grandfather with white hair and wrinkled face is commendable! Credit goes to Oscar-winning makeup artist, Greg Cannom (who also did Shah Rukh Khan’s makeup for Fan). Rishi Kapoor not only looks extremely cute and adorable but also makes the audience shed tears in some of the scenes. His performance was lauded and he even went on to receive the Stardust Award for Best Supporting Actor 2016 for the film.
Rajat Kapoor – Kapoor and Sons
Rajat Kapoor is undoubtedly one of Bollywood’s most favourite supporting actors and needs no introduction. In the film, which deals with a dysfunctional family, Rajat plays Rishi Kapoor’s middle-aged son who is in a marriage gone sour with Ratna Pathak Shah. Rajat and Ratna’s chemistry, their fights over trifling issues are so very relatable that it makes the viewer forget that the duo is not husband-wife for real but just co-stars.
Jimmy Sheirgill – Happy Bhag Jayegi
Jimmy Shergill is a good actor but his role in Happy Bhag Jayegi is a bit repetitive. He plays Daman Singh Bagga, an aspiring MLA from Amritsar, who is in love with Happy (Diana Penty). Bagga in Happy Bhag Jayegi reminds us of Tanu Weds Manu’s Raja Awasthi— a guy with some grey shades in his character, who is desperately after the heroine but finally does not get her. Jimmy’s performance is pretty impressive.
Piyush Mishra – Pink
Courtroom drama Pink witnesses a battle of wits between Amitabh Bachchan and Piyush Mishra, both of who play lawyers. Theatre veteran Piyush Mishra’s acting not only impressed the viewers but also received words of admiration from megastar Amitabh Bachchan, who described him as ‘an artiste of immense calibre’ and described his performance as ‘phenomenal’.
Shah Rukh Khan – Dear Zindagi
Would you not die to visit a therapist whose name is Shah Rukh Khan? The superstar plays Dr Jehangir Khan aka Jug, a therapist to Kyra (Alia Bhatt). Shah Rukh does look like the man whom you can trust completely and confide to with your eyes closed. He doles out advice, helping Kyra cope up with her life. Even though the film gets a little preachy at times, but Shah Rukh’s performance is extremely realistic. His chemistry with Alia is also pretty enjoyable.
Anupam Kher – M.S. Dhoni: The Untold Story
This veteran actor won accolades for essaying former Indian cricket team skipper Mahendra Singh Dhoni’s (Sushant Singh Rajput) father, Pan Singh Dhoni in his biopic. The national award winning actor once again shows his class with this film, which delves in the cricketer’s life, starting with his childhood. While Sushant Singh Rajput’s performance was appreciated, Anupam Kher too did a splendid job.
Pawan Malhotra – Rustom
Be it as Farhan Akhtar’s coach in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag (2013) or Kareena Kapoor’s hyper, Punjabi uncle in Jab We Met (2007) this super talented actor has proved his skills time and again and never fails to impress us. In Rustom, Pavan Malhotra plays Inspector Vincent Lobo, a police officer who investigates the murder case of Vikram Makhija (Arjan Bajwa) and puts up a good show.
