Vicky Kaushal to Gajraj Rao to Neena Gupta, actors who gave breakthrough performances in 2018

This year we got to see a plethora of meaningful films. From Omertà to Badhaai Ho, content was the king and character actors were the heroes. 2018 proved beneficial for many character actors as they got the chance to show their acting prowess on the big screen. After a rather dull 2017, 2018 opened the gates with a new zeal for the Hindi cinema, and viewers got some different cinematic experiences this year. Who is a Bollywood hero? Earlier, the notion was he should be someone who has got the conventional looks and should have that star aura. Well, with time, things have been changing and now viewers are welcoming talent with their arms wide open. We can say that 2018 has been a fulfilling year for the actors who have taken up some extraordinary roles. 

As we are all ready to say goodbye to 2018 and welcome 2019, Pinkvilla has clubbed these six character actors who have done exceptionally well this year. Who is a character actor? Basically, a character actor is an actor who specializes in playing unusual or eccentric people rather than leading roles. This year, Bollywood changed the whole meaning of character actors and we saw them playing lead roles and they were appreciated by both the critics and the audience.

Here are the top 6 character actors of 2018, according to Pinkvilla (in random order): 

Vicky Kaushal - Sanju

After Raazi, Vicky Kaushal once again impressed the audience with his performance in Sanju. He was one rising star of 2018. Vicky played the character of Kamlesh Kanhaiyalal Kapasi in Sanju. The character primarily is based on Sanjay Dutt’s close friend Paresh Ghelani who is based in the US. Vicky just fit the bill perfectly as he added the much-needed punk to the film. His Gujarati accent and his effortless performance earned him a position in the list of the top character actors of 2018. After people walked out of theatres, they mentioned being very impressed with his character portrayal. Not just in Sanju, Vicky stunned us with the portrayal of a guy-next-door in Manmarziyaan. 

Mrunal Thakur - Love Sonia

Mrunal Thakur plays the lead in Tabrez Noorani's Love Sonia. This debutante gets the bonus points for taking up such a sensitive topic of prostitution as her Bollywood debut. The film focuses on a young girl's journey to rescue her sister from the dangerous world of international sex trafficking. Mrunal gave a gut-wrenching performance and everyone was talking about how boldly she projected the scenes. Mrunal Thakur's compelling act took the film to the next level. She rarely missed the beat and was impressive as Sonia. 

Rajkummar Rao - Omertà and Stree 

This year, Rajkummar Rao managed to turn the whole game around. He was surely one of the top entertainers of 2018. Rao understood the essence of his character and portrayed it brilliantly on the big screen. Rajkummar Rao’s Omerta is based on the life of Omar Saeed Sheikh, a terrorist of Pakistani descent, responsible for the 1994 kidnapping of four foreign tourists in Delhi and the 2002 kidnapping and murder of journalist Daniel Pearl in Pakistan among others. Rao won the battle when he made the viewers hate him. The next game changer was Stree which released in August this year. The film proved all the box office predictions wrong and was one of the successful movies 2018 saw. Rao got the tag of the man of the hour. 

Nawazuddin Siddiqui - Manto

Nawazzudin Siddiqui gave life to the story of one of the most renowned Urdu writers Saadat Hasan Manto and portrayed his character with utmost brilliance on the big screen. Nawaz gave justice to the character of Manto. In the first half, we saw him as a fearless writer in the pre-partition era of India. In the second half, he was a broken man who was forced to leave India. Nawaz brings in a stark contrast between the two shades of his character. He was the life of Manto and his performance got all the cinematic buffs praising him for his calibre. 

Neena Gupta - Badhaai Ho 

Was it easy to play the character of a woman who gets pregnant in her 50s? Well, Neena Gupta took the challenge and nailed it perfectly. Neena’s performance in the film was consistently entertaining and we loved every bit of it. In one of the interviews, she had said female actors of their age don't get a chance to play such interesting characters. She said that the change is happening because of the youngsters who are writing such scripts. Well, we do agree! 

Gajraj Rao - Badhaai Ho

Gajraj Rao won all the brownie points for his role in Badhaai Ho. The character’s portrayal was smooth, and not even for a single moment, it looked forced or scripted. His acting was natural and added to the delightful experience of watching Badhaai Ho for the viewers. He woos his wife in the movie effortlessly. Well, we cannot stop praising his act. What about you? 

Who’s your favorite? Tell us in the comments section below!