Career best performance of 15 actors

A lot of people have been asking us to pick the career-best performance of the current actors, both male and female, in the industry.  So here you go, we pick the best performance of the top male actors in the industry.

In alphabetical order..

  • Aamir Khan (Rangeela) – It was a tough choice between Rangeela and Lagaan, but there was something magical about Munna. Hard to describe in words, no wonder Aamir was disappointed and decided not to attend award ceremonies when he didn’t win anything for his performance. Watch the film if you haven’t, one of RGV’s best.
  • Abhishek Bachchan (Guru) – arguably the best performance of 2007. He didn’t win any awards, not because his performance wasn’t worthy enough, but because it happened to coincide with an even better performance from Shahrukh Khan in the same year.
  • Ajay Devgn (The Legend of Bhagat Singh) – Widely considered to be the best performance of his career, along with Zakhm, Ajay played the real-life character of freedom fighter Bhagat Singh in ‘The Legend of Bhagat Singh’. He received the National Film Award for best actor.
  • Akshay Kumar (Hera Pheri) – Paresh Rawal as Baburao Ganpatrao Apte had the best role in Hera Pheri, but as the film progresses you fall in love with Raju. Impeccable comic timing coupled with a restrained performance from Akshay.
  • Emraan Hashmi (Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai) – It was between OUATIM, Awaarapan and his debut film Footpath. Our pick, Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. He was fabulous!
  • Farhan Akhtar (Bhaag Milkha Bhaag) – Farhan has impressed in all his films so far, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag was by far his best.
  • Hrithik Roshan (Guzaarish) – He deserved all the awards in 2010, didn’t he? Missed out because the film didn’t do well at the box office.
  • John Abraham (Jism) – John’s performance in his debut film was his best, followed by his most popular negative act in Dhoom.
  • Ranbir Kapoor (Barfi) – Tough choice between Rockstar and Barfi!, but the deaf and mute role was so much more challenged. It could have gone so horribly wrong with a lesser actor, but Ranbir nailed it and swept most awards that year.
  • Ranveer Singh (Ram Leela) – He started out with a surprise hit Band Baaja Baraat in 2010, and has only starred in 6 films so far. Ram Leela is easily his best performance so far.
  • Saif Ali Khan (Omkara) – It doesn’t get much better than Ishwar ‘Langda’ Tyagi in Omkara, does it? A once-in-a-lifetime performance and easily the best of Saif’s career.
  • Salman Khan (Tere Naam) – Salman is one of the most under-rated actors in the industry. Watch him in films like Tere Naam, Andaz Apna Apna or even in Dabangg to know why. Not his fault if his audience want to see him in larger-than-life action roles, no?
  • Sanjay Dutt (Vaastav) - Dutt essayed the role of Raghu, a simple boy next door who becomes the King of the Mumbai underworld due to unfavourable circumstances. He lived the character of the underworld Don in this Mahesh Manjrekar’s crime drama with utmost conviction.
  • Shahid Kapoor (Kaminey) - Shahid is one of the most talented actors in the industry, but very few of his performances have received critical acclaimed, except Kaminey where he teamed up with Vishal Bhardwaj.
  • Shahrukh Khan (Chak De India) – That scene when the women’s hockey team wins the world cup, and the camera zoom in on Kabir Khan’s face. His expressions filled with disbelief, joy, emotions.. it had everything.

Do post your own list of favourite performances of all actors in the industry.

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124 Comments

  • my list
    SRK- MNIK( just extraordinary no other actor can do this role NO ONE)
    SRK-CDI( one more incredible performance ) in one word – MAGICAL
    Aamir-3 idiots he made us laugh n cry ( exceptional performance)
    hritik-Koi mil gaya
    salman-tere naam
    akki- dont know about others but my personal favourite is Namaste london, hera pheri, bhul bulaiya

  • Someone thinks Hrithik’s underacting in Dhoom 2 was better than Aamir’s Lagaan, RDB, TZP, Ghajini etc. lol
    Anyways my Top 5 of last decade:
    1. Aamir in Lagaan
    2. Amitabh in Black
    3. Farhan Akhtar in BMB
    4. SRK in CDI
    5. Ranbir in Rockstar

  • as many mentioned here- Akshay’s performance in sangarsh, bhool bhulaiyaa and garam masala were top notch. even the legendary director Basu chatterjee mentioned during his interview in star world( back in 2009), he’s an actor who need not be DIRECTED by a director. the naturality in those movies were absolutely flawless, and uncomparable. akki still lives as an example, no wonder a great like sanjay leela bhansali has booked him for another 2 after Rowdy rathore!!!

  • List is very fine… I read many coment and I accept Hrithik is best actor from 14 years although I m Salman fan,and i laughed lyk hell by reading srkians coments, may be he did gud in some romantic movies, bt nt gud acting in Ddlj, watch it u found very overact in movie aur unka wo haklana unse band na ho payega jab tak hai jaan, Jthj his 1 of worst romantic movie, except songs everything is faltu, serials like story of movie, when i goes to watch jthj mammi swear boriyat k mare nind aa rahi thi.. Salman’s Tere naam performance i kept above srk’s mnik and aamir’s ghajini, he also awesome in Hahk, mpk, in karan Arjun he acted better than srk, hddcs, veer, kyon ki, wanted, dabangg 1, all are great, i forget some movies act, but His Tere naam act deserve in all time top ten acts…. And Hro is gr8 always.. Bt i lyk most Kmg, Jodha Akbar, Guzaarish, dhoom2, Agneepath no doubt its best, lakshya 1 of best his 2-4 performance deserve in top 5 … Aamir is best in Ghajini, lagaan, rang de basanti, 3idiot… Nly rang de basanti’s act deserve in top 10 not in top 5, srk’s best Mnik, veer zara, cdi, devdas, khnh, in dis mvie i cn nt found overacting, and mnik in top 10.. Amit ji in last two decade, sarkaar, sarkar raaj, paa, black, awsm performs, paa and black both performance btr than srk’s Mnik which one best of srk and btr than salmans Tere naam perform, truth is admitted, and Hro and amitabh ji deserve there acts in top 5 performance, #Ankan mentioned above… Far better in accept truth, salmans tere Naam deserve 6th or 7th best performance place…

  • Though i m fan of akshay, bt i dont think he gave his career bst performance till now, and how can hera pheri be his bst jst go and see waqt,nl…… bt seriously akshay sir never kept a mark to any of his films that it could b easy for anyone to decide.i hope he does in near future.

  • @indicine agreed
    That scene when the women’s hockey team wins the world cup, and the camera zoom in on Kabir Khan’s face. His expressions filled with disbelief, joy, emotions.. it had everything.

  • Aamir= Lagaan

    Hrithik= jodha akhbar

    SRK= kal ho na ho.

    Salman = Tere nam

    Akshay= Bholbholaya

    Ajay= The Legend of Bhagat Singh

    Ranbir Kapoor-Rockstar

  • aamir khans best of 5
    lagaan
    ghajni
    3 idiots
    sarfaroosh
    ghulaam

    honorouble mentions rangeela, mann, raja hindustan, mangal pandey, talaash, fanaa, dil chahta hai and can forget rang de basanti…….the best of india mr perfectionist

  • Aamir-Lagaan/Rangeela/Fanaa
    Abhishek-Guru
    Ajay-The Legend Of Bhagat Singh/Khakee/Zakhm
    Akshay-Hera Pheri/Garam Masala/Janwar
    Emraan-OUATIM/Jannat
    Farhan-Bhaag Milkha Bhaag
    Hrithik-Agneepath/Jodhaa Akbar/Guzaarish/Koi Mil Gaya
    John-Dhoom
    Ranbir-Barfi
    Ranveer-Lootera
    Saif-Hum Tum
    Salman-Tere Naam
    Sanjay-Vaastav/Agneepath
    Shahrukh-Chak De India/My Name Is Khan/Swades
    Shahid-Kaminey

  • Hrithik’s Guzaarish,Jodhaa Akbar and Koi Mil Gaya act is unparalled and unmatched, no other actor could have done it. He always goes for most difficult roles.

    I don’t think Salman is underrated, but i wish he had done more films like Tere Naam,Andaaz Apna Apna, Baghban, Rajshri films but he went for Dabangg,Bodyguard etc which i didn’t like. If he had done those type of films, he would have grown alot as an actor. Shahrukh was great in Chak De India, his best role even in Swades he was good. Aamir’s films like Ghajini,Taare Zameen Par,Rang De Basanti are awesome but his best role is Lagaan. Akshay always shined in comic and action roles, he is unmatched in comic timing. All others are also good.

    @Indicine team, i think you forgot actors like Irrfan Khan, who is one of the bestest we have, even you can mention Sunny Deol,Nawazuddin Siddique etc.

  • MY LIST:

    1. AMITABH BACHCHAN: Paa and Black..wanna say more!?

    2. ANIL KAPOOR: Lamhe, Meri Jung, Mr India..this character needed the subtlety of a common man and the swag of a superhero..

    3. SUNNY DEOL: Damini.. Tareekh pe Tareekh and other memorable dialogues :D, Ghayal.

    4. SRK: CDI, Swades, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa-his portrayal of a sensitive role Sunil will leave you with bitterweet experience.

    5. AAMIR KHAN: As the admin said..tough choice between Lagaan and Rangeela. Would add AAA as well.

    6. SALMAN KHAN: HDDCS, Tere Naam, KKHH.. He left an impact in a special appearance.

    7. SAIF ALI KHAN: Omkara, Hum Tum

    8. AKSHAY KUMAR: Jaanwar, Namastey London

    9. AJAY DEVGAN: Legend of Bhagat Singh, HDDCS, Khakee, Zakhm

    10. HRITHIK ROSHAN: KMG, Guzaarish

    11. ABHISHEK BACHCHAN: Guru..you need to watch that speech before the climax

    12. SANJAY DUTT: Vaastav, Khal Nayak

    13. JOHN ABRAHAM: SAW(Manya Surve), Madras Cafe

    14. EMRAAN HASHMI: Awaarapan, OUATIM

    15. SHAHID KAPOOR: Kaminey, JWM

    16. RANBIR KAPOOR: Barfi, tough choice for the second spot between Rockstar and Raajneeti

    17. RANVEER SINGH: His acting was superb in Lootera, then comes BBB..

  • @JC, hey are you fool ?? i know you don’t like Hrithik but that doesn’t mean he was okay in his films. You salman or other khans have never done the acting like Guzaarish or Koi Mil gaya or Jodhaa Akbar. Salman may be a big superstar but he is average in acting , what will you say about it ?? be honest and accept it. Hrithik is one of the finest performers , if you think acting in Guzaarish,Jodhaa Akbar,Agneepath was okayish then you need mental treatment.

  • LOL, i laugh at some comments. Your fav may be a big superstar or whatever but acting is something different.

    The top performers of Indian Cinema in true sense are Raj Kapoor,Dev Anand,Dilip Kumar,Rajesh Khanna,Amitabh Bachchan,Anil Kapoor,Naseeruddin Shah,Om Puri,Sunny Deol,Aamir Khan,Shahrukh Khan,Ajay Devgn,Hrithik Roshan,Irrfan Khan,Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh till now. They all have shown their mettle in some films. While Shahrukh is overrated now a days and he has not given a worthy performance post My Name Is Khan. Salman had done well in Tere Naam but he is no where near to Best actors. He is source of entertainment not art. Aamir is by far the best performer out of the khans trio but Irrfan Khan is the most versatile Khan.

  • Srk in Bazigar,muhabbate,dewdas(better than dilip kumar,s dewdas),swadesh,cdi and mnik. Aamir in lagaan,sarfrosh and ghajini. Hrithik in kmg,agneepath and JA.

  • OH.. had forgotten to add Farhan Akhtar..well for me his BMB is easily his best performance and 2nd comes KCK which was brilliant!!!

  • How is salman underrated as an actor? He’s a limited actor and rarely tries any challenging roles. Tere Naam, while it might be his best, is far off from the performances other actors are capable of.

  • aamir is also a limited actor, he mainly relies on good scripts and always makes use of the same expressions

  • @Sajib Hussain I never listen anything gud frm madhuri or else for Barfi, i watched mvie in theater, that combo of raj kapoor, charlie chaplien an johny walker, with mute act, in whole mvie he dint give more than 5 expression, really it is inspirational?? I think u didnt watched Agneepath, rk even nt think to do so alike Hrithik In Agneepath, while if Hr did Barfi he make it double btr than rk nd memorable like guzaarish, kmg, jodha akbar, agneepath…

  • rk not able to give more expressions like Hrithik gave in each movie…. I have to call Hrithik He is God of Expressions, no expression is left for give by him….. And check shabana azmi’s tweet about Agneepath, even Amitabh B. Ji Appreciate Hrithik’s performance in agneepath

  • I forgot one… SRK in kabhi haan kabhi na( this one is by far the best performance of SRK.THE BEST) no other actor could have portrayed Sunil like SRK did that too in the 90’s when actors used to do overacting. It’s simple SRK is best actor, superstar india has ever witnessed

  • For me its very tough to choose between srk performances bcz there r so many great performances.
    1. DDLJ
    No one can play the role of Raj better than srk. He was extraordinary as Raj.
    2. MNIK
    Again an outstanding performance.
    3. CDI
    It was srk’s performance which make CDI a special movie nd a blockbuster movie.
    4. Bazigar
    5. Swades

  • And i didn’t call agneepath an artistic film. I told dat artistic films are generally prefered over masala such as barfi over agneepath.

  • top 10 performance in Dis century,
    1. Hrithik Guzaarish
    2. Hrithik in Kmg
    3. Amitabh in black
    4. Hrithik in Jodha Akbar
    5. Amitabh in paa
    6. Hrithik in Agneepath
    7. Salman in Tere Naam
    8. Srk in MNIK
    9. Aamir in Ghajini
    10. Ranbir in Rockstar

  • Huhh.. Great article indicine.. Keep going
    For the very First time I hav seen the honest opinions of ppl commenting here irrespective of the hatred they hav against other actors..!!
    Btw if u wil ask me ma list goes like dis
    Aamir- havnt seen rangeela.. So no comments. I think I wil go wid rang de basanti followed by lagaan ghajini 3 idiots
    Abhishek- Guru/Dus
    Ajay- outim.. Havnt watched zakham. N LOBS.. I remember only in flashes as I was a kid at that time.. N havnt seen since then.
    Akshay- As he had done multiple films.. I too hav multiple choices… namastey london followed by waqt hera pheri garam masala n many more.. He has the best comic timing among bwood superstars..
    Emran- tough one.. Awaarapan jannat outim murder 2 equally good
    Farhan- bmb n rockonn too
    Hrithik – huhh his performances too r endless.. Kmg agneepath knph jA. Havnt watched guzzarish yet
    JOhn- dhoom 3.. Wanna see madras cafe..heard alot abt it
    Ranbir- rockstar all the way.. Actor par xcellence.. Barfi was good too
    Ranveer-i wil go wid ladies vs ricky behl..he was charismatic in dat one.. Then ramleela
    Saif.. Huhh he is among one of ma favourites.. His finest performances are Race followed by hum tum lak.. Havnt seen omkara yet

  • Salman khan.. Though I dont like him much.. But he too couldnt b tagged as a complete nonactor.. infact he has given some commendable performance too.. I hav watched tere nam in pieces.. Neva seen the climax.. So no comments
    dabbang was his best performnce in recent times.. The best scene was wen he beats arbaz ‘his step brother’ n den wen tears trickles down the eyes beneath his googles.. N he sweeps it in a dashing style.. loved dat one
    Also veer was a gud one.. N kkhh too
    Sanjay dutt- Munna bhai all the way n vasstav
    Shahid kapoor- um still waiting foh the time wen shahid wil b at the place where currently our king shahrukh is.. Its just dat his luck isnt favouring him.his finest performances are kaminey jab we met n r rajkumar
    Shahrukh khan- Umm quite surprised.. I thought it was only me who loved that scene.. Its the best scene I hav eva seen in ma life.. I found indicine loved it too..
    Which means it was really an xtraordinary scene. though I havnt cried yet watching movies.. But this very scene left me teary eyed..( still didnt cried coz um strong enough hold ma emotions).
    His finest performances are in order as follow..
    chak de india- atbb performance
    Swades- couldnt get better dan dis
    Mnik- autistic performance at its best.. Same in the league of kmg
    Devdas- dilip kumar himself said dis k srk played the role 100times better dan him
    Don- I loved the movie bcoz of srks style negative act n pitch of his voice while delievering dialogues.. All wer perfect
    Dtph- I still used to hum the whistling weneva um alone.. After watching dis movie I too wanted to b a stage performer though I was still a kid
    kkhh- the perfect naughty college boy
    Ddlj- it needs no introduction.. But stil I feel the movies mentioned above wer far better both in terms of actng n story
    Kal ho na ho- I bet even non srk fans cried watching dis movie.. Even some of ma frnz said dis who didnt like him… It was dat scene wen saif asks shahrukh wat he would hav done if he was in his place.. To which shahrukh replied.. ”kaash mai tumhari jagah hota kaaash” (i wish I would hav been at ur place I wish) is ma second best scene..
    Darr/baazigar.. To xpect a performance like dis from a newcomer is just impossible. But shahrukh did it

  • How people think DDLG an K2H2 are srk’s best act? ? My fav was veer from veer zara. .i haven’t watched darr,khkn,khnh and full swadesh. So my take is
    1.CDI
    2.Devdas
    3.mnik
    4.veer zara(my fav)
    5.mohaabatein/baazigar

    hrithik’s best:
    1.guzaarish
    2.kmg
    3.jodha akbar
    4.dhoom 2
    5.agneepath

    amir’s best act:
    1.lagaan
    2.rangeela
    3.3 idiots
    4.ghazini
    haven’t seen sarfarosh!

    Salman’s best act:
    1.tere naam
    2.garv
    3.dabbang

    akki’s best:i am not sure abt it.
    Ajay’s best:lobs then zakhm

    ranbir’s best:
    1.rockstar(he’s superb in it. He has lipsing perfectly.)
    2.barfi
    3.raajneeti

  • @nipun, dude don’t worry Aamir’s performance in Dhoom 3 was very good, but still i won’t put it in even top 20 performance of last 2 decade, while you put Hr D2 in top 5 of last 2 decade, it shows you double standard for judging performance. and i only replied you as you were talking best in last 2 decade, not best of Hrs.
    @ankan. Lol, you are more intelligent than anybody here, Ranbir’s Barfi is expression less, lol, i think audience were fool enough to judge as Ranbir’s giving expression or not, the fact is that performance looks easy but its even more tough, as the whole performance of Ranbir is around body language, he creates laughter, he made audience to feel for his character and most important Barfi took opening of 9-10 cr while its lifetime was 106cr, while its has very limited appeal it shows how much his performance and film appealed to audience, as compared to any 100 cr grosser of that year. Hr’s Gujaarish i haven’t seen yet, but as you all saying it was Hr’s best, its funny that movie was directed by Sanjay Bhansali, having successful pair Hr-Aish after D2 & Ja, still movie couldn’t sustain after weekend, sorry but if his best performance can’t help to bring audience into theater despite favorable reviews than its not much special for me.
    As far as KMg Hr was too good in the film but those who had seen his earlier film before KMG & Lakshya watch that film agqain you will find Hr’s KMG act still were their in those films where he supposed to do an adult act, that’s why that performance is not in top of my list.

    My Top 10 Are:
    1. Big B:- Paa
    2. Ranbir – Barfi
    3. Big B:- Black
    4. Aamir’s: Lagaan
    5. Srk:- CDI
    6. Aamir’s- 3 Idiots (not an easy task to fit in student role at the age of 44 perfectly)/RDB equally good
    7. Sanjay Dutt: Munaa Bhai
    8. hrithik:-Agneepath (i haven’t see JA totally, tough found Hr great even i seen it in parts but put AP here as i watched that movie whole and feel touched to performance)
    9.Salman’s Tere Naam
    10.SRk:- Devdas/Veer Zaara(its tough for me to choose better among them)
    11.Ajay Devgan:OUATIM

    Perfromance those i loved the most apart of top superstars
    1. Darsheel:- TZP (Best of 2007 for me and for many, got best actor award in critics enough for award believers)
    2. Irfan Khan:-Paan Singh Tomar
    3. Abhishek Bachchan:Guru

    List for film after 2000s.
    I choose those performance in which Actor’s performance and movie as a whole were equally great and satisfactory.

  • @Ankan Thats Why,Ranbir won all awards for barfi.only he missed national awards.check in google,what madhuri said.ha ha ha! whole bollywood praised barfi.Don’t hide reality!Hrithik in agneepath,this role was too much boring.Amitabh B. did historic perfomance in agneepath.no one can do this.stop joking.Barfi was magical.Audience found new feeling.On the other hand poor classic remake agneepath failed to entertain audience.you like 2/3 crap viewers support it.

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