Best Actors of Tollywood in 2016

Year 2016 is over now and it is the time to look back and see how our beloved actors of Bengali cinema performed throughout the year. 

Best actors of 2016

1 . Prosenjit Chatterjee

Prosenjit Chatterjee once again proved he is the industry. He has four releases this year and

in every film we saw him playing characters of different shades which show the range of his acting. In his first release #Shankhachil, he played a father struggling to save his daughter’s life. He was excellent in this emotional character. The movie did a good enough business too.  His second release was #Praktan one of the most successful film of this year. Here he played two different shades of same character in different ages and the way he did it that proved his maturity as an actor. In his third release #Khwato, we saw him playing a really brave and risky character of an author who is bold enough to accept his physical desires. In this movie we saw him doing very bold scenes on screen and he did it very aesthetically and passionately without making it looking vulgar. Also his stylish look for the aged portions was really cool. His last release #Zulfiqar was yet another big hit where he played the title role of an underworld mafia lead of Khidderpore doc area. His physical transition and accent was commendable to look convincing as per his character. Apart from this, he made his TV fiction debut with the show #Mahanayak where he played a character based on Mahanayak Uttam Kumar. It got positive feedback from audiences.  Overall it was really a good year for him and he secures the top spot without any doubt.

2. Jisshu Sengupta

Jisshu Sengupta is really a talented actor and this year too he kept us entertaining with his

wide range of performances. This year he did a comeback to mainstream commercial cinema with comedy #KelorKirti. The film was not that impressive but we loved Jisshu’s effortless comedy.  For last few years he was shifted towards serious roles, so it was a refreshing change for his fans too. His second film #Hemanata was a flop at the box office but Jisshu delivered yet another fine performance in a supporting role. He played a friend and guide to the main protagonist and he did it wonderfully without overpowering the lead character. Then came his biggest success of this year #ByomkeshOChiriyakhana. It was his second film as Byomkesh and this time he was more confident and mature to play the sleuth. And finally it was the most surprising act by him in #Zulfiqar, where he played an out an out negative character and it was his best [performance of the year. It was a multi starer with almost half a dozen leading heroes of industry but he shined as the best among them all. His physical transformation for the character  was something to look out for.

3. Abir Chatterjee

The year 2016 began with Abir Chatterjee and ended with him. The month of January was

actually kind celebration of Abir Chatterjee films. His last year’s last release #HarHarByomkesh kept doing good business in the beginning of the year. Then came his first release of the year #Monchora.  Though the movie did not work but Abir Chatterjee worked as an actor. Then came one of his finest performance in #Bastushaap where he played an ex army officer with a leg injury. The way he changed his body language to show the physical disability of his on screen character that was commendable. After that there was a long gap then he came back in #ThaamarBoyfriend , where he got a chance to play  legendary actress Savitri Chatterjee’s boyfriend. He looked really dashing and girls loved her charming presence in this film. Finally came his biggest hit of the year #ByomkeshPawrbo. As Byomkesh, Abir Chatterjee did an excellent job.  It was his fifth appearance as Byomkesh Bakshi and with every film he is maturing more and more as a performer.

4. Parambrata Chatterjee

This year Parambrata had five releases. His first release was #Bastushaap where he played a Bastu guide. After a long time we saw him doing a romantic role and he did it wonderfully.

The movie did a good business too. His second release was festival favourite and critically acclaimed film #Cinemawala where he played a pirated DVD seller who had a rough equation with his father. He was too good in his part. His confrontation scenes with his on screen father were very nice. Then came #Hemanta a Bengali adaptation of Shakespeare’s #Hamlet where he played the complex character of Hemanta. It was one tough character to play, who is going through a mix of emotions and unable to decide what he should do and what not to do. Parambrata played this complex character excellently; no doubt it was his best performance of the year.  Though the film did not work but it will be one of his memorable performances of his career. Then on Puja weekend he had two releases #Zulfiqar and #Chocolate. #Chocolate was one film which added nothing to his career, neither it was a hit nor it gave him any opportunity to shine as an actor but the other release #Zulfiqar did both for him. It was a big hit and also people appreciated his performance in the film. His look with a never seen before hairstyle was also liked by many. In this movie he proved he can make a good chemistry not only with female co actors rather with male co actors too. His bromance with his co actor Dev was very nice.

5. Dev

For last few years Dev is constantly trying to change his image from just a commercial star toa good actor. In the meantime he is taking care of his loyal fans too who wants to see him doing mainstream masala films. In 2016 too, he tried to balance his career with both type of movies to make a balance being a star and an actor. First he appeared in a cameo in #KelorKirti as a lady charmer playboy then he did #LoveExpress which was romantic comedy. Both the films were just average and Dev has nothing new to do in these films. Then finally the movie came for which he could make it to this list of best actors and that was #Zulfiqar. In this movie he played a mute character superbly. He was very much expressive in this role even without saying a single dialogue. So far he had done some good movies in his career but this was the movie which really established him as a good actor. Even his haters had nothing to say against him after watching this film.

Apart from this Tollywood actors, there are few character actors who were very much impressive in the following movies.

Sashwata Chatterjee (Eagler Chokh, Hemanta, Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana) 

Sashwata Chatterjee is a wonderful actor. This year he appeared in many movies but the memorable ones were his brilliant lead act as Shabar Dasgupta in #EaglerChokh, his negative act as Kalyan Sen in #Hemanta and his supporting act as Ajit with a good sense of comic timing in #ByomkeshOChiriyakhana.

Paran Bandopadhyay (Cinemawala)

In #Cinemawala he played the main lead. He was too good as the single screen theatre owner who is going through a pain as he could not save his theatre as well as his only son from the grasp of piracy.

Kaushik Ganguly (Bastushaap)

After watching him giving such good performances it really becomes tough to decide he is better as an actor or as a director. In #Bastushaap he gave an awesome performance under his own direction.

Kharaj Mukherjee (Antarleen) 

In most of the films we see him doing the same comedy again and again but with #Antarleen, he surprised us playing the lead role for the first time that too in a serious role of a crime investigation officer. He was as good in this serious acting as effortless he is in comedy.

Rahul Banerjee (Zulfiqar) 

Rahul Banerjee did a really good job in a supporting role in #Zulfiqar and with his wonderful performance he managed to bring attention even in the crowd of so many actors.

Ritwick Chakraborty (Saheb Bibi Golaam) – We loved his portrayal of an innocent poor taxi driver who falls in love with his regular passenger. His simplicity and natural acting was superb.

Biswanath Basu (Praktan) 

Though he was there just in a supporting role and have much lesser screen time but he was just extraordinary with his comic performance. Whenever we will talk about the film the discussion will be incomplete without mentioning his comic act.

Apart from this seasoned actors there were some fresh discoveries in 2016, who did not make a debut but established themselves as an actor.

Fresh Discoveries of 2016

Anirban Bhattacharya (Eagler Chokh)

He had been seen doing bit roles in movies earlier but this theatre based actor got recognition with his wonderful  performance in #EaglerChokh where he played a complex character who is going through mental trauma because of a sexual abuse in his younger age. We are looking forward to see him doing better roles in future too.

Vikram Chatterjee (Saheb Bibi Golaam)

This TV heartthrob had already made few attempts to make it big in the movies but failed. In 2016 he re-launched himself doing a superb negative role in the movie #SahebBibiGolaam. He played the bad guy very convincingly.

Shubhra Saurav Das (Hemanta, Byomkesh O Chiriyakhana) 

Director Anjan Dutta has constantly given him chances in bit roles in his movies but we hardly noticed him. In 2016 he proved himself with two Anjan Dutta movies, first playing a gay character in the movie #Hemanta and then as an autistic patient in #ByomkeshOChiriyakhana. He was excellent in both the movies. We hope he will keep doing fine job in such unconventional but significant roles.