Pandemic factor or not, you cannot deny the fact that 2020 is the year where the web-series made more noise than Bollywood movies. Just check out how many out there have put the theme music of Hansal Mehta's Scam 1992 as their ringtone? Or keep repeating Munna Bhaiyya's snarky quips from Mirzapur 2? Or wants to raid Aarya's wardrobe in, well, Aarya? Or like me, listen to hours on loop the songs from Bandish Bandits? While we are still some miles away from having a Stranger Things or Breaking Bad, 2020 at least managed to bring more Indian viewership to desi series. Year-Ender 2020: Paatal Lok, Scam 1992, Panchayat and More – 7 Web-Series We Loved the Most to Binge This Year.

In rephrasing Spider-Man's famous quote - 'With great shows, comes great performances', and 2020 had seen some really superlative ones, a few of which even made average series look great. In this special year-ender feature, we share 15 performances from 2020's headline-making series that managed to bowl us over, in no particular order. Choose your fave among these stalwarts!

Sushmita Sen in Aarya

Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

As the suave lady of the house caught in their family's criminal activities before taking charge of the, Sushmita Sen, in her OTT debut, is absolutely rocking, defining BOSS throughout her performance! Can't wait to see more of her going even more badass in the second season!

Jaideep Ahlawat in Paatal Lok

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

In a way, Paatal Lok was a coming-of-age saga for its courageous but flawed, racist and basically, very human, protagonist Hathiram Chaudhary, as he goes through a trial of fire and comes out as a better person. And the very underrated Jaideep Ahlawat does a fantastic job of depicting the character's upheavals, as we root for Hathiram right from the start, even if we may not always like him.

Abhishek Banerjee in Paatal Lok

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Speaking on Paatal Lok, how good was Abhishek Banerjee? Though he was noted first for his comic roles in films like Stree, Abhishek Banerjee proved he can do negative roles with finesse in Mirzapur. But it was his performance as the dangerous Hathoda Tyagi, whose redeeming point was that he loved dogs, that left an indelible impression in our hearts.

Divyenndu Sharma in Mirzapur 2

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

As the unpredictable, sociopathic Munna, Divyenndu Sharma had already made a mark in the first season. In the next season, we saw a new shade of the character - a loving, supportive husband - that, while still being a villain, makes Munna more dimensional than he was earlier. And the actor is absolutely scintillating there, even making us regret seeing that (SPOILER) death sequence, though he totally deserved it. Year-Ender 2020: Anupamaa, Ramayan, Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2, Bigg Boss 14 - 7 TV Shows That Made All the Noise This Year!

Ali Fazal in Mirzapur 2

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

In a way, Paatal Lok was a coming-of-age saga for its courageous but flawed, racist and basically, very human, protagonist Hathiram Chaudhary, as he goes through a trial of fire and comes out as a better person. And the very underrated Jaideep Ahlawat does a fantastic job of depicting the character's upheavals, as we root for Hathiram right from the start, even if we may not always like him.

Abhishek Banerjee in Paatal Lok

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Speaking on Paatal Lok, how good was Abhishek Banerjee? Though he was noted first for his comic roles in films like Stree, Abhishek Banerjee proved he can do negative roles with finesse in Mirzapur. But it was his performance as the dangerous Hathoda Tyagi, whose redeeming point was that he loved dogs, that left an indelible impression in our hearts.

Divyenndu Sharma in Mirzapur 2

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

As the unpredictable, sociopathic Munna, Divyenndu Sharma had already made a mark in the first season. In the next season, we saw a new shade of the character - a loving, supportive husband - that, while still being a villain, makes Munna more dimensional than he was earlier. And the actor is absolutely scintillating there, even making us regret seeing that (SPOILER) death sequence, though he totally deserved it. Year-Ender 2020: Anupamaa, Ramayan, Saath Nibhaana Saathiya 2, Bigg Boss 14 - 7 TV Shows That Made All the Noise This Year!

Ali Fazal in Mirzapur 2

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

On the other end of the spectrum, we have the physically and emotionally scarred Babloo, played with utmost dedication by the underrated Ali Fazal. If the physique was his strength in the first season, the pain of losing that, along with the deaths of his wife and younger brother, makes his character more complex, and Fazal does a great job of showing off that anguish.

Raghubir Yadav in Panchayat

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Panchayat was one of the funniest series that 2020 had to offer, if not the FUNNIEST. Filled with likeable characters and relatable situations, it is a sure heart-warmer of a series, elevated by some good performances. While Neena Gupta, Chandan Roy and Jitendra Kumar are all nice, Raghubir Yadav knocks it out of the park as the pseudo panchayat president, who is both shrewd, power-hungry and yet not a bad man at all!

Swara Bhasker in Rasbhari

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Rasbhari got trolled for both wrong and right reasons, but we have to admit there was something different going on in there. As its enigmatic protagonist, Swara Bhasker does an incredible portrayal of a harried high school-teacher who has a seductive alter-ego that has lured most of the men in her town. Swara was also good as the tough as nails cop in Danish Aslam's Flesh. But the real standout performer of that series is...

Akshay Oberoi in Flesh

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Panchayat was one of the funniest series that 2020 had to offer, if not the FUNNIEST. Filled with likeable characters and relatable situations, it is a sure heart-warmer of a series, elevated by some good performances. While Neena Gupta, Chandan Roy and Jitendra Kumar are all nice, Raghubir Yadav knocks it out of the park as the pseudo panchayat president, who is both shrewd, power-hungry and yet not a bad man at all!

Swara Bhasker in Rasbhari

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Rasbhari got trolled for both wrong and right reasons, but we have to admit there was something different going on in there. As its enigmatic protagonist, Swara Bhasker does an incredible portrayal of a harried high school-teacher who has a seductive alter-ego that has lured most of the men in her town. Swara was also good as the tough as nails cop in Danish Aslam's Flesh. But the real standout performer of that series is...

Akshay Oberoi in Flesh

Streaming on: Eros Now

Akshay Oberoi had two great performances to offer in 2020 both in Flesh and High. In Flesh, he is immensely terrifying as the psychotic, bisexual women trafficker, whose bouts of violence is difficult to watch in a show that isn't so very easy on the heart.

Pratik Gandhi in Scam 1992

Streaming on: SonyLIV

The biggest break success story for Bollywood in 2020 is indubitably Pratik Gandhi. Already an established Gujarati film and theatre talent, Prateek had a couple of impressive Bollywood outings in the past. But it is his magnetic portrayal of the late scamster Harshad Mehta that made the Hindi viewers sit up, straight, watch him with rapt attention and then ultimately be bowled over!

Kirti Kulhari in Criminal Justice 2: Behind Closed Doors

Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

While Kirti Kulhari is at the risk of getting typecast in playing gloomy roles, we have to admit that she does a fantastic task of depicting emotionally scarred characters. Her Anuradha in Criminal Justice 2, an unfortunate victim of marital abuse, is a perfect example of that, with the actress scoring in the final episodes where she finally vents out her frustrations and anguish, after months of being gaslighted by her husband.

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in A Simple Murder

Streaming on: SonyLIV

A Simple Murder is a very engaging black comedy crime series with some very interesting characters. Leading the pack is the terrific Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, playing a down-on-luck entrepreneur caught in an unusual dark situation. The role relies on Ayyub to deliver on both humorous and the emotional aspects, and the performer delivers it with aplomb.

Naseeruddin Shah in Bandish Bandits

Streaming on: SonyLIV

The biggest break success story for Bollywood in 2020 is indubitably Pratik Gandhi. Already an established Gujarati film and theatre talent, Prateek had a couple of impressive Bollywood outings in the past. But it is his magnetic portrayal of the late scamster Harshad Mehta that made the Hindi viewers sit up, straight, watch him with rapt attention and then ultimately be bowled over!

Kirti Kulhari in Criminal Justice 2: Behind Closed Doors

Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

While Kirti Kulhari is at the risk of getting typecast in playing gloomy roles, we have to admit that she does a fantastic task of depicting emotionally scarred characters. Her Anuradha in Criminal Justice 2, an unfortunate victim of marital abuse, is a perfect example of that, with the actress scoring in the final episodes where she finally vents out her frustrations and anguish, after months of being gaslighted by her husband.

Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub in A Simple Murder

Streaming on: SonyLIV

A Simple Murder is a very engaging black comedy crime series with some very interesting characters. Leading the pack is the terrific Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, playing a down-on-luck entrepreneur caught in an unusual dark situation. The role relies on Ayyub to deliver on both humorous and the emotional aspects, and the performer delivers it with aplomb.

Naseeruddin Shah in Bandish Bandits

Streaming on: Amazon Prime Video

Bandish Bandits made a mark for bringing back the magic of Hindustani music to Bollywood. There were some amazing performances in the series, but towering tall among those is the obviously great Naseeruddin Shah as the celebrated music maestro, whose stubbornness to adhere to modernism even at the threat of imminent bankruptcy, makes for a poignant watch.

Chandan Roy Sanyal in Aashram

Streaming on: MX Player

Prakash Jha's fictional expose series on how fake gurus and godmen work has some very interesting characters, including Bobby Deol's sleazy but enigmatic Baba Nirala. But if there is one actor who makes a consistent performance throughout both the season, it would be Chandan Roy Sanyal as Nirala's trusted aide Bhope, who could be more dangerous than the man he is serving. Scratch that, he actually is!

Rinku Rajguru in Hundred

Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

The Sairat star made an impressive debut with this dramedy thriller series. She impressively portrays a middle-class girl seeking an new outlook in an abnormal situation. There are a couple of times that she does go overboard, but overall, this is a particularly "Zingaat" act!

Barun Sobti in Asur

Streaming on: Voot Select

Rounding up this is list is the inimitable Barun Sobti. It is still a mystery that Bollywood hasn't still tapped on the potential of this wonderful actor yet. The former television actor has been delivering consistently good performances in 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" data-src="https://st1.latestly.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/c20c6296-7765-46b0-9b8e-9d73386c09cf-Chandan-Roy-Sanyal-in-Aashram.jpeg" alt="" width="700" height="394" />

Streaming on: MX Player

Prakash Jha's fictional expose series on how fake gurus and godmen work has some very interesting characters, including Bobby Deol's sleazy but enigmatic Baba Nirala. But if there is one actor who makes a consistent performance throughout both the season, it would be Chandan Roy Sanyal as Nirala's trusted aide Bhope, who could be more dangerous than the man he is serving. Scratch that, he actually is!

Rinku Rajguru in Hundred

Streaming on: Disney+ Hotstar

The Sairat star made an impressive debut with this dramedy thriller series. She impressively portrays a middle-class girl seeking an new outlook in an abnormal situation. There are a couple of times that she does go overboard, but overall, this is a particularly "Zingaat" act!

Barun Sobti in Asur

Streaming on: Voot Select

Rounding up this is list is the inimitable Barun Sobti. It is still a mystery that Bollywood hasn't still tapped on the potential of this wonderful actor yet. The former television actor has been delivering consistently good performances in some underrated films and series, also seen in Asur, a disturbing thriller series, where Sobti delivers an intense act. While the show got attention for Arshad Warsi's OTT debut - and the actor is fine in his role - it is Sobti who makes for a more compelling lead.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 31, 2020 02:58 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).