Top 10 Male Performances of 2013

Most Popular Acting performances of 2013

Ranbir Kapoor in Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani: Ranbir’s Bunny won the hearts of audiences all over the world with his charming and free outlook at life. He is detached from the world and worldly relationships but when it is time to prove his love he makes it count. A large part of Ranbir’s performance worked because of the other actors in that film – namely Deepika, Kalki and Aditya. They all seemed to be playing off each other and everyone had crackling chemistry.

Shah Rukh Khan in Chennai Express: SRK chose to do something with Chennai Express that he hadn’t done in a long long time. He did physical comedy and went all out with his mannerisms and facial expressions to make the audiences laugh. Chennai Express was almost a spoof by SRK on his previous films and it worked because no one was taking those jokes and references seriously. And in the action scenes, he indulged in raw fights and showed everyone that he can excel in that too.

Hrithik Roshan in Krrish 3: Hrithik had a triple role in Krrish. He played the Superhero, he played Krishna and he also played Rohit. And Hrithik excelled in all of those roles. As the bumbling man-child genius Rohit he portrayed a striking innocence. But it was Hrithik’s role as Krrish that won him admirers everywhere. Kids loved the daunting presence of Krrish because he made them feel safe in this cruel world. And much of it was to do with Hrithik’s acting and body language.

Farhan Akhtar in Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: Farhan got the role of his life as Milkha Singh in Rakyesh Om Prakash Mehra’s Bhaag Milkha Bhaag. He imbibed all the qualities of Milkha Singh in his life, in his body and in his mannerisms. He even adopted his style of speaking and running. All that effort put in by Farhan made it stand out as the best male performance of 2013. He lived Milkha Singh and we loved it!

Aamir Khan in Dhoom 3: Aamir had a dual role in Dhoom 3. He played the role of two brothers Samar and Sahir. As Sahir, he was the scheming, conniving Clown thief. The anguish and feeling of revenge in his face made the audience feel for the character. And as Samar he was the cute autistic gymnast and his brother’s partner in crime. Aamir Khan brought in an element of sentimentality in the Dhoom franchise with his double performances.

Critically Appreciated performances:

Rajkumar Rao in Kai Po Che / Shahid: Rajkumar Rao became the darling of the critics in 2013 with two great performances. He was the logical cog amongst the three friends in Kai Po Che and kept bringing his friends to a steady ground. His was the best performance in the film. And in Shahid, Rajkumar totally bowled us over with his brilliant act. He practically carried the whole film on his shoulders and that gave us a better film and a better performance.

Ranveer Singh in Lootera: Ranveer’s performance in Ram Leela was commercially appreciated but his performance in Lootera showing the world what a powerhouse of talent Ranveer really is. Contrary to his over-active nature in real life, he had to subdue himself and give a muted performance in Lootera. His performance in the last scene of Ranveer Singh has become one of the most unforgettable scenes of 2013.

Sushant Singh Rajput in Kai Po Che / Shuddh Desi Romance: Sushant was the breakthrough artist of the year. First he enthralled audiences with his performance in the buddy coming-of-age drama Kai Po Che and then as the hopeless modern day romantic in Shuddh Desi Romance. He was charming enough in SDR for the audiences to look at him as the next Shah Rukh Khan. We want him to be the first Sushant Singh Rajput.

Dhanush in Raanjhanaa: People who have seen Dhanush in his South Indian films will go out on a limb to vouch for his performances. But sadly until Raanjhaana very few people were aware that the Kolaveri Di man was an even better actor than a singer. Thankfully Raanjhanaa changed all that. He played the role of a hopeless innocent lover to almost perfection. His Kundan was both powerful and intriguing without every doing anything macho or overtly manly.

Irrfan Khan in The Lunchbox / D-Day: Irrfan is the most well known Khan in Hollywood inner circles for a reason. He lives and breathes his performances and doesn’t even claim to be a method actor like some others. Irrfan Khan gave the best performance in D-Day and walked with the film even though his character met with an untimely end in it. And in The Lunchbox, he was the main cog which kept the wheel of the film in line If we could, we’d give all the awards to him!

Note: Poll for the Best Actor of 2013 will be conducted in a separate article. Stay tuned for that!