You were probably looking at the central performer when these scene-stealers came along crept up on the plot and swept away the show right from under the main performer’s nose. Take a look.

1. Sharad Kelkar in Tanhaji: Of course Ajay Devgan and Saif Ali Khan were resoundingly good in the lead. But the real star of this pseudo-historical, the biggest moneyspinner of 2020, was Sharad Kelkar. As Chhatrpati Shivaji Maharaj, Sharad with that baritone voice and majestic walk, slew it.Someone should make a whole film with Sharad as the central character of Shivaji Maharaj.

2. Maanvi Gagroo in Shubh Mangal Zyada Saavdhan: In a film that made a mockery of the gay community,Maanvi Gagroo as a crazy bride on the run hit the ball out of the park. Unlike other comic acts by female actors this one was not about being overweight or oversexed. Maanvi played this crazy woman named Goggle Tripathi with a joy and stride in her comic timing that were definitely refreshing.

3. Akansha Ranjan Kapoor in Guilty: It’s not easy to play a character who is not afraid to address her sexuality and is unwilling to play the victim card after being sexually violated. Akansha brought in all the complexities of the role, the hysteria, helplessness and the hope for justice, creating a part that is at once kinetic and out of control. This was a tough one for a debutante. She sailed through it and stole the show right from under the leading lady Kiara Advani’s aquiline nose.

4. Inaayat Verma in Ludo: With a cast of stalwarts, ranging from the popular Rajkummar Rao and Pankaj Tripathi to the lesser-known Shalini Vatsa and Ishtiyak Khan, it was little 8-year old Inaayat Verma as a pint-sized firebrand who plans her own kidnapping, show stole the show.Her confident dialogue delivery and her supreme effortlessness made Inaayat a natural-born scene-stealer .Abhishek Bachchan says he has never been face to face with a more challenging co-star.With due apologies to father Amitabh and wife Aishwarya.

5. Sikander Kher in Aarya: No words,just a glance is enough to convey this quietly brilliant actor’s characters’ innerworld. Sikander in Aarya was the bandh mutthi. The focus, throughout was on Sushmita Sen and she was no doubt a powerhouse. But every time Sikander stood silently in the shadows I felt the danger and the doom lurking beneath the polished surface. Will someone please write a central role in a webseries for Sikander?