Year Ender 2024: Top 5 BEST PERFORMANCES (Male) in Bollywood

Top 5 Best Male Performances in 2024

2024 wasn't a great year for movies, but it was certainly better for "acting." With approximately 80-90 films released in 2024, it was easy for me to choose my top 5 picks, as only about 10 movies had "performance-driven" roles. The list does not include OTT movies; otherwise, Diljit Dosanjh and Vikrant Massey would have been included. Here's a look at the Top 5 BEST PERFORMANCES by male actors in Bollywood movies in 2024:

5) Kartik Aaryan in Chandu Champion:

As I mentioned earlier, this marks Kartik's introduction to character-driven roles. Although the beginning was flat, the second half of the film offers Kartik Aaryan substantial opportunities to excel as an actor, particularly in the emotional scenes. His physical transformation and dedication also enhance the portrayal of Muralikant Petkar, making it stand out compared to Aaryan's other roles.

4) Lakshya in Kill:

Undoubtedly, the best debut of the year! This action genre typically does not demand high acting skills, but Kill was not an ordinary action film from Bollywood. It features layers and unconventional elements that elevate it to a realistic and hard-hitting film. Lakshya plays an army guy who seems quite relaxed in the early hours, then evolves into an action-man, followed by emotional turmoil, ultimately unleashing a "beast." These variations make it worthy.

3) Randeep Hooda in Swatantrya Veer Savarkar:

Hooda's physical transformation and dedication to this character were remarkable. For one particular scene, he had to lose weight, but more than that, I appreciated the uncompromised portrayal of the character—something many Bollywood actors decline while reading the script. Randeep effectively worked on his body language and voice modulation, and I am quite satisfied with the results, if not in awe.

2) Rajkummar Rao in Srikanth:

This Srikanth Bolla's character demanded an actor like Rajkummar Rao, and I am very glad that he accepted this role. He did a favor to himself since he hasn't been doing well with his film choices recently, and Srikanth was the best choice he made since the lockdown. Excluding that overly done eye-blinking format, I don't think he did anything wrong. The film didn't live up to my personal expectations in the second half, but instead of feeling bad about this, I was happier to see Rajkummar Rao getting back to his "acting" zone after quite some time.

1) Ajay Devgn in Maidaan:

Another film that didn't work for me in the second half, but the leading man won my heart. I still remember writing something like, "Ajay Devgn coughing makes you sick," because he was playing a sick character at that point. That's the power of a portrayal. Yes, I'd like to point out that it was a little overused since Amit couldn't figure out the exact quantity of a certain aspect of the character, but man, what a performance Ajay Devgn delivered. As always, he will be snubbed by award shows, but I don't care. For me, he gave the best leading man performance of 2024 in Bollywood. Period.  

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