Ranveer Singh in Padmaavat, Ranbir Kapoor in Sanju, Shah Rukh Khan in Zero - 15 Best Performances By An Actor in a Leading Role in 2018

It is a very interesting task to choose what you like the most when it comes to a performance or a movie. Some are very easy to choose, some are not so when it comes to sorting them out. Many of the critics say that 2018 has been a year where the stars have vanished and the actors took the spotlight. Of course, the observation was made over the fact that three Khans - Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh - have all underperformed when it comes to the box office. Varun Dhawan’s October, Sohum Shah’s Tummbad, Alia Bhatt’s Raazi – 13 Bollywood Movies That Impressed the Hell Out of Us in 2018, Ranked!

In their place, actors like Rajkummar Rao, Ayushmann Khurrana, Ranbir Kapoor et al made a killing at the box office. But then 2018 has had hits in the form of Tiger Shroff's Baaghi 2 and Ranveer Singh's Simmba (At the time of writing this article, it is too early to call it a success. But is there any doubt about it?). After much consideration and reconsideration, picking up choices from pakka mass movies to the so-called intelligent cinema, we have compiled the list of 15 actors who impressed us the most in 2018. Do vote for your favourite ones in the poll section below. Salman Khan’s Race 3, Aamir Khan’s Thugs of Hindostan, Arjun Kapoor’s Namaste England – 11 Biggies That Turned Out to Be the Worst Movies of 2018, Ranked!

Vineet Kumar Singh in Mukkabaaz

It is complete injustice that we are not singing aeons in praise of this fine actor, inspite starting this year with such a great performance. Though he has been good in every movie before, Singh truly announces his arrival in Bollywood with a transformative performance as a boxer whose real matches lie outside the ring.

Ranveer Singh in Padmaavat

There is so much fun to see an actor as talented as Ranveer Singh deliver a deliciously OTT act as a villain. Historians may disagree with his rendition of Alauddin Khilji as a barbarian, but Singh's performance is what elevates a very average period drama to enjoyable heights.

Varun Dhawan in October/Sui Dhaaga

Taking a break from giving hits in mindless entertainers, Varun Dhawan showed the world once again, after Badlapur, that he can easily slip into a character as he can do a crazy Salman dance step. His performance in October was disarmingly honest which managed to make this slow burn of a movie such a lovely watch. Varun was also lovable as the simple-hearted tailor in Sui Dhaaga, where again, he was bereft of his superstar hijinks.

Rishi Kapoor in Mulk/102 Not Out

Mulk was one of the most surprisingly wonderful films that came out this year, a movie that is the need of the hour. As a Muslim barrister whose son is killed as a terrorist, Rishi Kapoor deliver a terrific performance, speaking every line in silent fury. He was also fantastic in the family entertainer 102 Not Out, shining over a rather showy (and still dependable) Amitabh Bachchan. The church scene where he reminisces his past shows the high calibre of this actor.

Rajkummar Rao in Omerta

Rajkummar Rao may have scored a big hit in Stree, but that's not the performance you should really talk about. In Hansal Mehta's dark biopic, Rao gives a steely performance as the real-life terrorist mastermind, Ahmed Omar Saeed Sheikh. He spews menace through his eyes while taking up a calm exterior that hides the powerful evil within. The movie may not be among the best works of Mehta, but it should be really talked about for Rao!

Ranbir Kapoor in Sanju

There is no doubt that Sanju is a project designed to show Sanjay Dutt in a better light. And yet when it came out, the movie was hailed by many only for Hirani's audience-friendly direction and Ranbir Kapoor's superlative act. Nailing nearly every mannerism of Dutt without mimicking him, Kapoor shows why he is the best actor in generations of Kapoors, even if his casting is to make Dutt look like a lost puppy.

Diljit Dosanjh in Soorma

Another great performance that should be hailed as some of the other more illustrious ones on this list. For a biopic, Soorma is factually and manipulatively incorrent, but the performances of both Diljit and Taapsee Pannu are just to good. Diljit, especially, shines as the real-life hockey player, Sandeep Singh, effortlessly capturing the child-like innocence, pained anguish and grim determination that the character goes through in various phases of his life.

Avinash Tiwary in Laila Majnu

This one surprisingly blew my mind away! Tiwary, who was also good in Tu Hai Mera Sunday, seamlessly transitions himself from a happy go lucky lad in love to the eponymous Majnu, who loses his mind over the thought of losing his love. The way he transcends into complete madness during the "Hafiz Hafiz" song sequence is the crowning glory of Tiwary's performance. The fact that people are still not crowing about Tiwary is the cruel reality that Laila Majnu is still overlooked.

Manoj Bajpayee in Love Sonia/Gali Guleiyan

Manoj Bajpayee has given so many excellent performances in the past, that two more feels like just another day at work for him. In fact, 2018 should be talked about how Bajpayee gave two horrendous performances in Satyameva Jayate and Missing. And he manages to balance with two diametrically opposite but equally terrific roles. In Gali Guleiyan, he convincingly showed the mental turmoil of a man caught in his own loneliness as well as the urge to save a soul as lost as him. Love Sonia, meanwhile, had Bajpayee at his vilest best, delivering a performance that will make you hate him.

Vicky Kaushal in Manmarziyaan

2018 has been a year where Vicky Kaushal made the mainstream audiences notice his inherent acting kills. While he was really good in Love Per Square Foot, Raazi, Sanju and Lust Stories, the icing on the cake was his act in Anurag Kashyap's Manmarziyaan. Looking and behaving every bit the aimless wannabe rapper we find in every nook and corner of Punjab, Vicky Kaushal owns the role and how! He is especially terrific in the scene where he elopes with his girlfriend only to make her realise that he has no real goal in sight.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui in Manto

Nawazuddin Siddiqui's portrayal of Indo-Pak author Saddat Hassan Manto is exactly what you would expect from an actor of his calibre. It helps that he resembles the real Manto physically, but he also brilliantly captures the pathos and the anguish of a man way too ahead of his time.

Ayushmann Khurrana in AndhaDhun

Though Ayushmann scored another win this year with Badhaai Ho, AndhaDhun is his most fascinating act since Vicky Donor. He has taken real efforts to get the mannerisms of playing blind right, as well as playing the piano right. This could be his most defining performance till date.

Sohum Shah in Tumbbad

As the vulnerable leading man driven, Sohum Shah owns the role of Vinayak completely and gives a very compelling performance. Some credit must be given to his layered performance that doesn't make us hate him, rather identify with what drives him, even if we abhor the excess to which his character goes to. In a movie that had some ugly looking stuff, the green in his eyes felt scarier, and yet relatable.

Gajraj Rao in Badhaai Ho

In a movie that was sold on Ayushmann's name, the real leads in the film were veteran stars Gajraj Rao and Neena Gupta. Rao is simply brilliant as the family man torn between being a loving husband, a submissive son and a caring father. He sparkles in the scenes where he talks confidently in broken English to his future daughter-in-law, or when a relative indirectly praises his virility.

Shah Rukh Khan in Zero

There is no movie in recent times that has challenged Shah Rukh Khan as an actor so much as in Zero, and I am not even talking about him playing a dwarf. He gets to play a flawed character with enough layers, successfully portraying himself first as a roguish charmer and then to be a hopeless romantic. In every scene, we can see how invested the actor is in to make sure that Bauua entertains and enthrals and he succeeds at that. Too bad, a negative campaign definitely brought the film down.

[Poll ID="563771" title="Vote For the Best Actor in 2018!"]

So did we choose for the performance of your favourite actor on the list? If not, please do enlighten us why we were wrong in missing out that film in the comments section below. Also watch this space for the Best Actress list.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 30, 2018 10:30 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).