Our country has witnessed the rise of many talented individuals, who have been par excellence in their respective fields. Their lives have inspired a whole generation of Indians and still continue to do so. But, what happens when one has to portray these amazing human beings on screen? Surely, expectations are rocket high, and the task strenuous, with a colossal burden of if the actor would do justice to the role. Trust us, it is not at all easy to portray a real personality, more so, if he or she has been idolized and loved by many. From getting the facts right to researching about the particular character’s lifestyle, costumes and body language, everything should be spot on to do justice to the characters as well strike the right chord with its audiences.
While there are many actors and actresses who have portrayed historical characters on-screen, but there are a certain chosen few, whose performances have remained with us till date. Here we are, presenting to you, few such exemplars.
1. Dilip Kumar as Prince Salim (Jahangir) in Mughal-e-Azam
This timeless classic is pure gold, and the character of Prince Salim was played spectacularly by the veteran actor Dilip Kumar. The portrayal seemed astoundingly perfect, from dialogue delivery to costumes to the whole demeanour with which he played the Mughal prince. He brought a new dimension to the love story of Prince Salim and the way he handled the conflict with his father, the emperor Akbar.
2. Ajay Devgan as Bhagat Singh in The Legend of Bhagat Singh
Ajay Devgan’s stupendous performance as Bhagat Singh stole the show. Besides, there’s so much resonance, the actor looked every inch of the character. His interpretation of Bhagat Singh seemed powerful, without being strident. The film also went on to bag two national awards and the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie.
3. Hrithik Roshan as Emperor Akbar in Jodha Akbar
A fourth Filmfare came his way for his masterful performance as a young Emperor Akbar in Ashutosh Gowariker’s magnum opus. On playing Akbar, the great, Hrithik had called it a “momentous opportunity”. It was his first costume drama and he made sure he did everything to look his part. Hrithik Roshan, as Akbar, oozed confidence and delivered a career-best performance as the unflinching emperor. Not only did he transform physically to become the part, he got under the emotional skin of the character and made it his own. We cannot think of any other actor who could have played this better.
4. Ranvir Singh as Maratha Peshwa Bajirao in Bajirao Mastani
It is hard to imagine anyone else as Bajirao after Singh finishes chewing up the part and owning the film – he swaggers, struts and ruts, an actor fully enjoying himself. He made us forget his habitual flamboyance and over-the-top image. The actor surrendered to his character, building for Bajirao a world that was utterly credible and convincing. Ranveer owns Bajirao’s character in a way very few Indian actors know how to. The way he delivers his dialogues with a tinctured texture of Marathi accent never over-doing it, is a joy to hear.
5. Priyanka Chopra as Kashibai in Bajirao Mastani
As Kashibai, Priyanka Chopra breathes life into the grief that every woman who has had to accept ‘the other woman’ in her life has had to bear. The subtle yet strong character was a conceived well, and no one but Priyanka Chopra could have done justice to the role. From her body language to her diction and expressions her portrayal of the character was absolutely impeccable.
6. Dev Patel as Srinivasa Ramanujan in The Man Who Knew Infinity
Dev Patel, who made a stunning debut in 2008’s “Slumdog Millionaire,” is sensational as the soft-spoken thinker. This one was a long awaited movie, and it was applauded for doing justice to the role of Ramanujan and Dev Patel was equally appreciated for his performance.
7. Aamir Khan as Mangal Pandey in The Rising: Ballad of Mangal Pandey
Aamir Khan has always given more than 100% in every movie he has acted in. Even after working for only around 30 movies in 15 years he has managed to stay in the limelight and produce masterpieces. He seared the screen with his passion, intensity and meticulously honed craft as the Indian Freedom Fighter Mangal Pandey. A character well lived by the perfectionist Khan, it took almost four years to complete the movie.
8. Paresh Rawal as Sardar Patel in Sardar
In the Ketan Mehta helmed biopic written by Vijay Tendulkar, Rawal gets under the gritty skin of Indian freedom fighter Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel to elucidate the political events and his astute judgment, which led him to be heralded as the Iron Man of India. The actor lends the portrayal a compelling blend of restraint and tenacity making this one of his, if not THE, career best.
9. Randeep Hooda as Raja Ravi Varma in Rang Rasiya
Randeep Hooda is quite a versatile actor, and he yet again proved it by portraying the painter Raja Ravi Varma. He played with it with absolute artistic arrogance and boldness, and in fact nailed the look of the character.
10. Shahrukh Khan as King Ashoka in Asoka
Asoka is a movie by acclaimed cinematographer and director Santosh Sivan, the character of Ashoka played by none other than Shahrukh Khan. Shah Rukh Khan is the life of the movie. His acting prowess seemed detailed to the fullest in emotional gut-wrenching scenes, that portray innocence, rage, peace and longing all through his demeanour and eye-language. Asoka’s arrogance and clarity of his every action, coupled with the consistent river of flowing energy was evident through the actor’s performance which to his credit leaves one finding the line which ends with the character and turns into actor.
11. Darshan Jariwala as Mahatma Gandhi in Gandhi, My Father
This was definitely one of the toughest and most demanding roles to be played by anyone. But, Darshan Jariwala pulled it off nicely. He, of course, had to shed a lot of kilos to get into the character, but it involved so much of emotional investment as well, which was evident in his character portrayal.
12. Sachin Khedekar as Subhash Chandra Bose in Subhash Chandra Bose the forgotten hero
This iconic portrayal is depicted in the shining performance of Sachin Khedekar in Shyam Benegal’s (2004) Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose. In an interview with The Hindu, he termed this as one of his favourite roles, and also a dream come true for him.
It takes a certain level of talent to become an entirely new person that has already lived.
These celebrities have proved themselves to be incredible actors who have that talent. What did you think about these celebrities who played historical figures?
With inputs from Indiatimes
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