With the first half of 2018 already gone by, we have to say that this year has been quite interesting. Box office wise the year has sprung several surprises, with movies like Raazi and Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety entering the Rs 100 crore club. The year's only Rs 300 crore grosser, Padmaavat, doesn't have a single Khan, when we thought that only they had these exclusive rights to the club. At the same time, Salman Khan's Race 3, while entering the Rs 100 crore club with ease, fails to make good of the start to deliver a scintillating BO performance. But Ranbir Kapoor's Sanju has managed to beat everyone and can come close to beating Padmaavat to take the throne of being the highest grossing movie of the year.

2018 also gave us some excellent performances, that we can cherish for years to come. In this two-parter special feature, we look at 9 best performances from both actors and actresses till now. Let's start off with our favourite male performances of the year till now!

Ranveer Singh in Padmaavat

We have already found two of the best villain contenders of this year in the first half of 2018 itself! First, of course, is the scenery-chewing performance by Ranveer Singh, in, definitely his riskiest role of the year. Playing Khilji with an enjoyable malice and a hint of bisexuality, Ranveer is a delight to watch and steals the movie with immaculate ease.

Vineet Kumar Singh in Mukkabaaz

We will see him rub shoulders with Akshay Kumar in the upcoming Gold, but Vineet Kumar Singh has already proved his mettle with some strong performances in the past. This year, he was in fine form in Anurag Kashyap's gritty drama, Mukkabaaz. While his acting was flawless as always, we were quite amazed by how he has transformed his body to play a boxer.

Vicky Kaushal in Love Per Square Foot/Sanju

If 2017 belonged to Rajkummar Rao, then this year belongs to Vicky Kaushal. Ever since he made his presence felt in the industry with Masaan, the actor has never delivered a flawed performance. This year, he was consistently good in all movies he was seen in. While he was likable in Raazi and Lust Stories, he was particularly excellent as the opportunistic youngster in Love Per Square Foot and as Sanjay Dutt's do-gooder BFF in Sanju.

Varun Dhawan in October

Varun Dhawan surprised the heck out of us with an understated, yet brilliant performance in Shoojit Sircar's moving human drama. As the weirdly obsessive hotel management trainee Dan, Varun managed to get the ticks of the character all right and deliver a winning performance. We can't believe it is the same guy who played to the galleries in the Judwaa 2 and Dishoom.

Rishi Kapoor in 102 Not Out

102 Not Out may be flawed, but the emotions in the movie hit all the right notes. Amitabh Bachchan is endearing as the 102-year-old father who wants his 70-something old son to live life without remorse. However, it is Rishi Kapoor's surprisingly moving performance that makes the movie so strong. We have to say that Rishi Kapoor's second innings as an actor has made him a really excellent performer.

Ishaan Khatter in Beyond the Clouds

While people are looking forward to seeing him romance Janhvi Kapoor in Dhadak, Ishaan had already made his debut this year with BTC. Under the tutelage of the Iranian filmmaker Majid Majidi, Ishaan is a complete natural in the role of a street-smart peddler who undergoes a transformation when faced with some dramatic changes in life.

Saurabh Shukla in Raid

Raid may be an inconsistent movie when it comes to delivering the thrills, but it gave us one of the best villains in recent times. As the arrogant, powerful political kingpin Rajaji, Saurabh Shukla is on a fine form, stealing every scene he is in. Raid works the best when we see him in a confrontational mode with the movie's lead, Ajay Devgn (also in fine form).

Priyanshu Painyuli in Bhavesh Joshi Superhero

Despite being made by the talented Vikramaditya Motwane, this vigilante film was completely demolished at the box office by its competitor, Veere Di Wedding. However, whoever saw the film was left impressed by the performance of this young actor, who was the real Bhavesh Joshi. While Harshvardhan Kapoor, the protagonist, was earnest in his role, it was Painyuli who remained the standout performer.

Ranbir Kapoor in Sanju

If there is one star people are raving about these days, that's Ranbir Kapoor. We all know what he is capable of, thanks to his performances in Barfi, Raajneeti, Rock Star. But with Sanju he surpasses himself as an actor, getting the mannerisms of Sanjay Dutt nearly right without making it mimicry. Despite what you think about the movie as a true biopic, you can't find anything negative to say about his performance.

Agree with the actors we have chosen in the list above? Share your agreements and disagreements in the comments section below! Also watch this space for our list of the best female performers in the first half of 2018.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Jul 05, 2018 02:05 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).