From Kareena In 'Dev' To Ranbir In 'Rocket Singh', 11 Underrated Performances By Famous Stars

“Rahul… naam toh suna hoga,” says Shah Rukh Khan on-screen and we almost believe that is his real name (at least I did, as a child, considering the number of times he played Rahul).

Celebrities are known for their roles. There are some roles played by our favourite celebrities that despite being brilliant are underrated for a number of reasons. Here are some brilliant yet underrated performances by some of our favorite celebrities.

1. Ranbir Kapoor started his career from Saawariya. He is widely known for his performance as Kabir in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, Barfi in Barfi!, Jordan in Rockstar. But some of his underrated performances have been as Samar Pratap in the political thriller Raajneeti, and as Harpreet Singh Bedi in Rocket Singh: Salesman of the Year.

2. Kareena Kapoor Khan has given us a lot of memorable characters. But what stands out the most is her role as the chirpy Geet from Jab We Met. However, Bebo’s role as Aaliya in Dev needs to be talked about more often.

3. Nawazuddin Siddiqui is known for his role as Faizal Khan (or more appropriately Faijal) in Gangs of Wasseypur and now as Ganesh Gaitonde in Sacred Games. Siddiqui has performed a variety of characters, but his role as Ramanna, a disturbed serial killer in Raman Raghav 2.0, and his role as Saadat Hasan Manto in Manto prove his calibre as a phenomenal actor.

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4. Jimmy Sheirgill is a widely known face in the Punjabi film industry. His role as the lost lover, Raja Awasthi, in the Tanu Weds Manu series earned him massive popularity. But it is his role as the local politician and Boxing Federation head, Bhagwan Das Mishra in Mukkabaaz that deserves far more appreciation than it has received. It’s rare to see the industry’s designated “chocolate boy” play the villain, but Sheirgill nailed the character and how.

5. Anushka Sharma’s performance in films like Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Band Baaja Baraat, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, PK, and many more have given her wide success as an actress. But a role of hers that is highly underrated is Rukhsana in the supernatural horror film, Pari, which was starkly different from all the roles she had performed previously.

6. Kalki Koechlin is known for playing a range of roles. Her roles in Dev D, Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani have rightly proved so. However, her portrayal of Laila, a young woman with cerebral palsy in Margarita With A Straw, is truly remarkable.

7. Riteish Deshmukh is known for his comic roles- Malamaal Weekly, Heyy Babyy, Housefull series, just to name a few. The actor took a different route when he played the role of Rakesh Mahadkar, a cold-blooded killer, in Ek Villain. That was his debut in an antagonistic role. And he excelled.

8. Varun Dhawan has ruled hearts through his memorable performances in Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania, Badrinath Ki Dulhaniya, ABCD 2. But his performance as Dan in Shoojit Sircar’s October should have topped the list. His performance was praised by the critics.

9. Saif Ali Khan hardly needs an introduction. Throughout his career which spans almost two decades, he has given us a lot of remarkable performances. Be it Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Na Ho, Omkara, or Sacred Games. It is utterly underrated how well he did in offbeat dark comedy Kaalakaandi as Rileen. Although the film didn’t profit at the box office, Saif upped his performance.

10. Vidya Balan started her career from the hit TV show Hum Paanch. From there, she has given us remarkable performances in Parineeta, The Dirty Picture, and Kahaani, to name a few. A less talked about performance of hers is Bobby Ahmed, a private detective from Hyderabad in Bobby Jasoos where she pulled off all the nuances as a Hyderabadi woman.

11. Abhishek Bachchan has performed a variety of characters. But his role as Beera Munda in Mani Ratnam’s Raavan was starkly different from every role he has played yet, and it definitely deserves more love and attention.