First the massive disappointments: Sushmita Sen in the third season of the moribund Aarya, Kajol in Lust Stories …these bigscreen A-listers brought nothing relevant to the OTT platform. On the other hand, there was no dearth of talent ondisplay on the digital medium. Here are some that made an upfront impact.
1. Rajshree Deshpande in Trial By Fire: Neither Abhay Deol nor Rajshree Deshpande who play the bereaved couple who lost their children in the Uphaar fire with dignity and understanding, has any room for over-sentimentality.The monstrously underused Deshpande is especially moving. Her refusal to shed tears in public(a motherly anerration which is used against her in court) and her attitude of defensive despondency are so vividly portrayed by the actress, I felt Deshpande’s to be one of the most stark and unalloyed portrayal of grief and bereavement.
2. Sonakshi Sinha in Dahaad: As a cop seeking to validate her identity and power on a society in which she must function with the dual disadvantage of being a female cop and a lower-caste one at that, Sonakshi Sinha gave a performance brimming with a ballsy ire. She played her cop as a tough cookie , but with a veneer of vulnerability. The actress’ best hands down.
3. Gagandev Riar In Scam 2003: Stamp-paper scamster Abdul Karim Telgi’s selfconfidence ,often misplaced, is confidently brought out by Gagan Dev Riar. He is the man in the torn chappals in a tearing hurry.There is also a violent side to the man, which no one can understand. No amount of wealth can compensate for the loss of the innocence when you set off to be rich overnight. Telgi is no Macbeth. But the blood on the hands is interchangeable.Riar is invisibly riveting.
4. Suvinder Vicky in Kohrra: This series belongs to Balbir Singh, played with such effortless brilliance by Suvinder Vicky that the characters feels as close to real life as cinema can take us. The star discovery of the series was the leading man Suvinder Vicky as a cop wrestling with his past. When was the last time we saw an Indian actor give such a rousing performance?
5. Karishma Tanna in Scoop: As crime reporter Jagruti , Karishma Tanna is incredibly in-character, her speech, body language clothes, ambitions and defiance of goundrules of journalism are brought to life in the performance.This is where Karishma Tanna’s career begins, ironically when Jagruti/Jigna’s career ends.
6. Mona Singh in Kafas: The paedophile/predator as a super-privileged superstar(a gutsy unapologetic performance by Vivan Bhatena) is shattering in its damaging repercussions. What makes the situation even worse is that the child’s parents are not blameless. They accept the fat cheque that is given to them to keep their mouth shut. The wonderful Mona Singh’s parental trauma reminded me of Rajshri Deshpande in Trial By Fire . Mona’s character stands on thin ice.I liked the moral vulnerability that Mona has instilled into the mother’s role . It creates a stronger case for the family to unite in times of an insurmountable crisis such as this one. It makes the battle between crime and justice so much more real and connectible.
7. Shahid In Farzi: Shahid Kapoor’s Sunny is a man of few words. Everyone has a profusion of smart lines. Shahid stays quiet. His stillness provides an anchor for co-directors Raj & DK to create a world of subverted crime. Shahid’s character is largely exempted from moral profiling because the character is so self-punishing we don’t want to make its any worse for him.