Year ender 2021 | Anupam Tripathi to Adarsh Gourav: actors who delivered breakthrough performances

2021 was a year of brave content. Potent plotlines, superb protagonists and remarkable performances, ruled the year, whether it was OTT platforms or cinema. Thanks to streaming platforms, the larger-than-life stars couldn't take the limelight away from several smaller actors, who finally got the platform they deserved. Here are some actors who proved that a character-backed role and the right kind of opportunity, can make a whole world of difference.

Adarsh Gourav | The White Tiger
Adarsh Gourav made his debut with 'The White Tiger' alongside Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Rajkummar Rao, and the world took note. His debut performace straight away earned him a BAFTA nomination, a remakable feat that very few can achieve. Adarsh will be next seen in Zoya Akhtar's film 'Kho Gaye Hum Kahan'. Not just that, he will share screen space with Hollywood biggies like Meryl Streep, Kit Harington, David Schwimmer, Sienna Miller in upcoming film 'Extrapolations', which is currently in production.

Anupam Tripathi | Squid Game
33-year-old Anupam Tripathi relocated to South Korea more than a decade ago to earn a living singing in humble theatres and through minor film gigs. But after the global success of Korean dystopian show 'Squid Game' where he plays Ali Abdul, Anupam has become an international sensation. On 'Squid Game', Tripathi plays a Pakistani economic migrant who is one of the hundreds of people, deep-in-debt, who gets roped into a deadly contest.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu | The Family Man 2
If there's one character from the Amazon Prime Video series, The Family Man 2, that everyone took note of, was of Rajyalakshmi Sekaran, played by Samantha. This South sensation left a pan-India mark on audiences with her portrayal of Tamil terrorist Raji, a lean mean killing machine on the show. The show catapulted her to fame, and now she is all set to make her Bollywood debut. Samantha has been learning Hindi and staying in Mumbai, she will be seen in Taapsee Pannu's home production.

Konkona Sen Sharma | Geeli Pucchi - Ajeeb Daastaans
Konkona Sen Sharma never disappoints, when it comes to essaying character-based roles. In 'Geeli Pucchi', a story part of the Netflix Anthology 'Ajeeb Daastaans', Konkona simply excelled at portraying the vulnerabilities and complexities of her role, a factory worker, who is often discriminated against at the workplace because of her gender and caste.

Sanya Malhotra | Pagglait
2021 was a year of the women, leading ladies led the bandwagon to tell some of the bravest stories of the year. Sanya Malhotra in 'Pagglait' tells a bittersweet story of a young widow's journey to self-discovery. The film portrayed how women, once married are typecast into stereotypical gender roles, and how their life decisions are taken through a patriarchal prism. Sanya slipped under the skin of her character effortlessly and delivered quirky lines to tragic scenes with equal ease.

Amruta Subhash | Bombay Begums
Amruta Subhash is not a new face in the film and theatre circuit. A National School of Drama graduate, she has already made her mark in the Marathi films. Zoya Akhtar's film 'Gully Boy' put Amruta on the mainstream Hindi cinema map as Razia, Ranveer Singh's mother. Amruta Subhash garnered critical acclaim for her portrayal of a fiery bar dancer, Lily in Netflix series Bombay Begums. A single mother, Lily aka Lakshmi Gondhali dreams of opening a factory, so that she can raise her son with respect & dignity.

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