Bollywood is a ruthless business and it spares no one. Barring a handful, no one gets to rule it like the Khans or recently even the Kapoors and Kumars. There are the actors who go unnoticed and aren’t credited for their brilliance. And then are those who disappear after making an impact on us. And we don’t see much of them for whatever reason. Some women choose to settle down after getting married, some actors run out of luck, while some get fed up of the trash coming their way.
Here’s a list of 14 actors who made an impact in their few films, and we wish we could see more of them:
1. Gayatri Joshi
Making a rock-solid debut in Ashutosh Gowariker’s Swades, Gayatri Joshi could have taken the usual route as a Bollywood heroine by fighting the tag of a serious actor and playing a showpiece in multi-starrers. However, Gayatri hung up her boots soon after her first film and chose to steer away from potential stardom. Fans of Swades surely miss her.
2. Gulshan Devaiah
Making his debut in Bejoy Nambiar’s Shaitan, Gulshan Devaiah played a mercurial brat. Being choosy in his projects after that he only went on to do Anurag Kashyap’s That Girl in Yellow Boots and Harshvardhan Kulkarni’s Hunterrr where he played a sex-addict. And after that he somehow disappeared from the scene, only to marginally reappear in the trailer of Konkona Sen Sharma’s directorial debut A Death in the Gunj. Here’s hoping we see more of him.
3. Shilpa Shukla
Playing the badass senior in Shimit Amin’s Chak De India, Shilpa Shukla went on to shun supporting characters and went on to play a lead character in BA Pass. The film was critically acclaimed and meant that she also played the lead in Anurag Kashyap’s miniseries for TV – Rajuben. The actor has disappeared after that, and someone might wonder if it is for the lack of good roles.
4. Chitrangada Singh
She made her debut in Sudhir Mishra’s Hazaaron Khwaahishen Aisi alongside Kay Kay Menon and Shiney Ahuja. She was quickly touted as the late Smita Patil’s successor in Art-house films. She went on to do another film by Sudhir Mishra and a mixed bag of Desi Boys and a few item numbers. She’s a solid actor and wish we could see more of her.
5. Bhoomi Pednekar
Starring in 2015’s sleeper-hit of the year Dum Lagaa Ke Haisha, the actor has not been seen. The actor starred as the overweight wife of Ayushmann Khurrana, after which she lost all of it, but didn’t find an interesting project in quite some time. She is expected to be seen in Toilet: Ek Prem Katha alongside Akshay Kumar in 2017, let’s hope we see more of her in the coming years.
6. Sendhil Ramamurthy
Making a stellar debut on American TV with Heroes, he went on to star in Shor in the city, directed by Raj Krishna and DK Nimodru. The film also starring Tushar Kapoor, Pitobash saw Sendhil play the role of an expat trying to start a local business in Mumbai. And how the local goons harass him. Hopefully a few more quality projects will help Sendhil shine on our screen.
7. Poorna Jagannathan
Making her debut in Abhinay Deo’s Delhi Belly, she even went on to do a bit role in Ayan Mukerji’s Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani where she played the role of a host for an international travel show. She was pretty good in few scenes she was in both films, and here’s hoping Bollywood finds more work for her.
8. Vidya Malvade
Starting out in commercials and on the small screen, she struck gold in Shimit Amin’s Chak De India. Vidya played the role of a captain of Indian Women’s hockey team in which Shah Rukh Khan played her coach, and their pursuit of World Cup glory. She became a star after this but the shine on it wore off rather quickly as she played mother to Minisha Lamba in her next film. Not cool.
9. Raima Sen
She played bit role in a lot of movies before giving up permanently on mainstream Bollywood. Daughter of yesteryear actor Moonmoon Sen, she starred in interesting films like Parineeta, Eklavya and Manorama Six Feet Under. It would be interesting to see her star in a character-driven drama.
10. Rahul Bhatt
Making a stellar debut in Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly got him the role in Abhishek Kapoor’s gigantic production Fitoor. However, in spite of acting well in both films he didn’t make an impact on the trade since both movies were commercial disappointments. But looking at both performances, one wonders if we want to see more of him.
11. Ayesha Takia
A mainstream Bollywood actor for some time, she did some interesting films like Socha Na Tha and Dor. And along with that drivel like Wanted. She quit acting after she got married, but we need to see more of Ayesha Takia since she was more than a competent actor.
12. Gracy Singh
She made a dream debut in Bollywood alongside Aamir Khan in Lagaan and then followed it up with the amazing Munnabhai MBBS. She isn’t a particularly bad actor which is why a lot of people were befuddled to see her in Deshdrohi. Gracy Singh deserves better. Let’s find better work for her.
13. Bhagyashree
She had the world at her feet after her first film opposite Salman Khan in Sooraj Barjataya’s Maine Pyaar Kiya. And then after which she got married and began putting strict clauses in her contracts. She made brief appearance in Akshay Kumar’s Humko Deewana Kar Gaye as his elder sister and then she disappeared. She’s not bad as an actor, hope we see her again on the big screen.
14. Pitobash Tripathy
Making an electric debut in Shor in the City alongside Tushar Kapoor and Nikhil Dwiwedi, he did a few films which made an impact on the viewer. He starred in Dibakar Banerjee’s Shanghai and international production Million Dollar Arm alongside Jon Hamm. And then sadly the actor was lost to circumstances. Wish we could see more of him.
Let’s find work for these deserving actors.