10 Best All Time Actors of India (a personal list)


To compile a list of 10 all-time best actors of India is by no means an easy task. But I decided to stick my neck out and see if I could do it. After much permutation and combination and ruthless analysis, I managed to come up with the following names. I was as neutral as I could be and therefore many of my favourite actors missed out. The selection was done based on sheer performance and not star value, otherwise many lesser actors would have forced themselves in. I also gave importance to consistency of performance and not one-off mind-blowing performance (otherwise Amjad Khan would be a walk-in).



Hereunder are my 10 best all-time actors of India:



1.      Motilal: He is known as Hindi cinema’s first natural actor. Compare his Chuunilal role that he enacted in Bimal Roy’s Devdas with that of Jackie Shroff’s in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Devdas and you will understand the difference between class and crass acting. Motilal in Jagte Raho and Mr. Sampat was equally brilliant. An actor of the calibre of Naseeruddin Shah rates him along with Balraj Sahni as two of the finest actors of Hindi cinema and that I think is the biggest compliment that any artist can receive.

2.      Balraj Sahni: Another natural actor, who looked so effortless on screen that it seemed as if something was happening in real. Do Bhigha Zameen, Kabuliwalla, & Garam Hawa are some classic movies in which he gave the greatest performances not only of his life but also ever to be played on the silver screen.

3.      Dilip Kumar: The original baadshah. The legend. An institution in his own right. After him, all the actors were his clones. Be it Manoj Kumar, Rajendra Kumar or Amitabh Bachchan and Shahrukh Khan, they all aped him and even acknowledged it. Whether it was comedy or tragedy, Yusuf saab, knew exactly how to portray it. Watch him in Kohinoor, Mughal-e-Azam, Leader, Ganga Jumna, Ram aur Shyaam, the list is endless, he was brilliant in all. And can anyone forget the scene in Mashaal where he calls out for a taxi? Eh bhai taxi roko…only a master could have done it so perfectly.

4.      Amitabh Bachchan: Hum jahan khade hote hai, line wahi se shuru hoti hai…Yes, Big B is right ahead of everyone. The eyes did the trick, the voice, the magic. Just watch his expression in Zanjeer when he tells Pran that it is a police station and not his father’s house, in Kaala Patthar when he stares at Shatrughan Sinha while climbing the truck, in Deewaar when he waits for Peter in the godown. Masterpieces.

5.      Kamal Hassan: Nayakan and the platform scene in Sadma is enough to find him a place in this prestigious list.

6.      Sanjeev Kumar: Haribhai had the knack of making the most difficult role look so easy. And there is no actor, past or present, having so much control over the voice; the way he modulated his voice was phenomenal.

7.      Mehmood: A complete actor. The court scene in Kunwara Baap gives you goosebumps. He could make you cry and laugh at will. Watch him describe a scene to Om Prakash in Pyaar Kiye Jaa; he takes comic timing to a different level.

8.      Pran: In 2010, on CNN, he was voted as one of the Top 25 Asian actors of all time (so to figure in this list was cakewalk from him). He was terrific in any role. 

9.      Naseeruddin Shah: An actor par excellence. I strongly recommend that those who haven’t seen Pestonjee should watch it at the first possible opportunity. To say that he is brilliant would be the understatement of the century. It is not to say that in any other movies of his, he is any less brilliant. 

10.  Aamir Khan: Mr. Perfectionist adds that extra zing to his roles. He is as good in 3 Idiots as he is in Lagaan or Rangeela or Taare Zameen Par, Rang de Basanti, Dil Chahta Hai or Ghajini and Talaash. Without this Khan, this list wouldn’t be complete. Aamir is consistently good and even though his film fails, it’s difficult to find fault with his performance.  

-NZ
13.10.2019
BN: 156

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