It’s the time of the year for the Bollywood roundtable discussions hosted by Rajeev Masand. This time, the female actors’ discussion featured Shabana Azmi (Kaali Khuhi), Tillotama Shome (Sir), Taapsee Pannu (Thappad), Deepika Padukone (Chhapaak), Rasika Dugal (Mirzapur 2), Janhvi Kapoor (Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl), Kiara Advani (Guilty), and Tripti Dimri (Bulbbul).
So in a snippet released by the channel, the ladies are asked about the best performance or acting they have seen this year. This year, due to the lockdown, there were just so many movies and shows to watch on online streaming platforms. For some reason, most of the ladies claim to have not watched any recent show or film and Deepika gave the strangest answer that made everyone laughed. As for the others, check out what they have to say below.
The topic of this video brings to mind, what was your favorite performance of 2020?
This year, it’s hard to choose just one.
Rasika Dugal is the star of 2020. She was the breakout star in ‘Delhi Crime’ and ‘Out of Love’ in 2019 and this year, she had a movie (Lootcase) and supporting roles in ‘A Suitable Boy’ and ‘Mirzapur 2’. Just like ‘A Suitable Boy’, ‘Out of Love’ too is a BBC production but it’s not yet available on Netflix or any other streaming shows.
Tillotama Shome’s ‘Sir’ was originally released in 2018, it premiered at the Cannes Film Festival in 2018. It was finally released in cinemas on 13 November 2020. Tillotama was also seen in the late Irrfan Khan’s ‘Angrezi Medium’. In the video above, Tillotama mentions she has not had time to watch any new releases this year as she has been in hospitals because her mother is suffering from cancer. Hope things get better soon for her. Her performance in ‘Sir’ is just too real and you will feel that once you have seen the film.
Tripti Dimri was amazing in ‘Bulbbul’. There was just something about the way she portrayed her character, a mixture of innocence, naivety and sensuality. Her debut on OTT is probably the best debut performance this year along with Tanya Maniktala in ‘A Suitable Boy’.
This might not be what others think but Vidya Balan in ‘Shakuntala Devi’ was fun to watch. She brought her own spunk to the character and made it into something that was totally unexpected, much to the chagrin of many others. Instead of a serious biopic, it was a fun story because it was from the point of view of Shakuntala’s daughter.
Also, though she has been in so many controversies in the past six months and has been just going haywire on social media and national television, Kangana Ranaut in ‘Panga’ was such a nice performance to watch and experience. Now, it’s left to be seen whether any of her performances will be taken seriously after the mess she has created for herself.
‘Gunjan Saxena’ and ‘Thappad’ are two movies where the stories mattered more than the performances. Both were inspired by true events and deserved the response they got from the audience. By the way, seeing Janhvi there reminds us of the time Rajeev Masand invited Sridevi to the roundtable discussion, and she refused by saying she has nothing to contribute to the conversation. To be fair, it is really hard to explain when you are a natural actress and there’s no specific method behind your acting talent!
That’s about it. Thank you for reading.
What’s your favorite female performance of 2020?