With Covid-19 pandemic playing a big role in determining the future of many industries including entertainment, the popularity and rise of OTT went a notch higher in the year gone by. Just like every year, we saw performance standards hitting touching new milestones and several actors going all guns blazing to prove their acting mettle once again resulted in a win-win situation for the audience. So, here’s taking a quick look at some of the most amazing and impactful performances by male stars on OTT.
Akshay Oberoi: Talent and performance has never been a thing to worry about for this actor. Despite a dream debut with Sooraj Barjatya in movies, Akshay’s movie career didn’t start on a good note at the box office. However, he kept believing in his abilities and soon, made the web world his own by starring in some lovely projects over the years. 2021 too proved to be phenomenal for the actor as two of his shows, Illegal 2 on Voot and Inside Edge 3 on Amazon Prime Video earned a lot of appreciation. Another great year for the ” ‘High’ on life ” actor.
Bhuvan Bam: Whenever we hear this name, the first thing that definitely hits our mind is his special series ‘BB Ki Vines’ that made him the star that he is today in the digital world. However, Bhuvan has never believed in limiting himself as a performing artiste. That’s why, after years of success as a YouTuber, Bhuvan made it count in 2021 with his debut digital show titled ‘Dhindora’ and such was the success that the audience at present can’t wait for Season 2. Please don’t keep us waiting for too long Bhuvan.
Jitendra Kumar: This man is one of the best examples of how good work time and again leads to good opportunities. He has truly made the web word his own with some fantastic projects and as a result, some wonderful opportunities for the 70mm big screen too started knocking his door over course of time. Jitendra aka our very own ‘Jeetu Bhaiya’ was once again phenomenal in Kota Factory Season 2 and it simply made us feel like that he carried the good work from where he left back in 2019 in the first season.
Kay Kay Menon: He is that one actor who has the ability to communicate and act just with his eyes and expressions and not just dialogues. Year 2021 saw Kay Kay Menon once again bring alive the character of Himmat Singh on-screen in Special Ops 1.5. What makes this an even more engaging watch for all his fans is unlike season 1, Special Ops 1.5 focuses greatly on the character of Himmat Singh and how he became the person that he is today. One of the finest performances of 2021 on the web certainly.
Manoj Bajpayee: This man needs no introduction. He is a pioneer when it comes to the art of acting and no wonder, people treat him as an institution who has got plenty to offer. He was seen in Amazon Prime Video’s ‘The Family Man 2’ and it is easily one of the best web series of 2021. He was fabulous once again as Shrikant Tiwari and seeing his good work, it simply looked like he continued from where he left in the first season.
Mohit Raina: He is one personality who has proven his mettle as an impactful actor across different formats. Be it TV, movies or web, he has made his presence felt everywhere and hence he deserves all the appreciation. The ‘Devon Ke Dev…Mahadev’ actor was seen in Mumbai Diaries 26/11, a web show which depicted another perspective of the situation of hospitals during the tragic 26/11 attacks. The series is regarded by many as one of the finest of 2021 and Mohit too was phenomenal.
Naveen Kasturia: TVF as a platform has always been known to create some fantastic content on the digital space and in 2021 as well, they met the expectations of the audience with Aspirants web series. The 5-episode web series tells us a lot about different aspirations and dreams that students have in their life and the one actor who impressed the most in this project was Naveen Kasturia. He did complete justice to his role of Abhilash Sharma and that certainly plays a big role in having him in this list.
R Madhavan: Last but certainly not the least, we have R. Madhavan who ended the year on a high for all fans of OTT with his Netflix special project titled ‘Decoupled’. His on-screen chemistry with Surveen Chawla was appreciated by one and all and such was their comic timing throughout the entire series that it proved to be a laughter marathon for the audience. Madhavan was truly ‘on point’ while playing the character of Arya Iyer and given the love the show got, we certainly won’t be surprised if season 2 happens soon. Agree folks?
Ronit Roy: He’s one of the finest actors with a rock-solid personality and charisma. He’s got this unique gift of making almost literally any character given to him as his own and that’s why, whenever you see him in a project even for a brief period of time, you always feel like craving for more. In 2021, Voot’s Candy was absolutely a delight to watch for all Ronit Roy fans and with the supernatural twist attached to the project, it made things even more interesting for fans.
Saif Ali Khan: When a medium has a wide audience and has managed to survive the test of time, it simply can’t be away from mainstream superstars for a long time. Saif Ali Khan’s nod for Tandav web series proves exactly the same. ‘Chhote Nawab’ of Bollywood has always been a role for being experimental when it comes to his roles and even in Tandav which also marks his digital debut, he was a delight to watch on screen. Here’s waiting for more OTT projects from Saif’s end in the near future.
Tanuj Virwani: The actor didn’t have the best of starts in the 70mm big screen space in the past. However, it’s never about how you start. It’s always about how you finish, right? Tanuj seems to have taken that very seriously and his work in popular web series projects in the last few years has made him one of the most bankable stars on OTT. He has so far done many projects on web. However, his highlight in 2021 has to be Inside Edge 3 where we got to see our favourite Vayu Raghavan come back with a bang.
Vivek Oberoi: He is perhaps the first mainstream Bollywood star to enter OTT as an actor since the time ‘Inside Edge’ Season 1 released in 2017, many people had their doubts over how successful this platform would prove to be. However, just like how his conviction brought him results in movies, here as well, it paved the way for a fantastic character called Vikrant Dhawan. Inside Edge is all about politics in cricket and in season 3 as well in 2021, Vivek was absolutely phenomenal and hence lauded by fans and critics.
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