In Bollywood, several actors and actresses have earned the respect and fame they deserve due to their powerful performances in movies and webseries. Unfortunately, this can’t be said for every actor. There are several underrated actors who perform as well as famed actors but have a smaller fan following. Here, we discuss the top 5 underrated Bollywood actors, male and female.
Underrated Actors Dominating The Screen
Here are the five bollywood actors who dominate the screen but have failed to gain recognition from the public. We have selected them based on the information from different sites and shared their best performances in movies or web series.
1- Kumud Mishra
Kumud Mishra is a Bollywood actor who is found playing supporting or antagonist roles in films. He started his acting career in 1995 with the Swabhimaan film in which he played the role of Eknath, a trading union leader. Later, he moved to movies in 2011 with Patiyala House and Rockstar. Despite his impressive performance, Kumud Mishra remains one of the most underrated actors in Bollywood, even today.
Best Performance In:
Mulk: Mishra plays the role of a judge in a case about religious discrimination and impresses everyone with a calm demeanour.
Sultan: In “Sultan”, Kumud Mishra plays the role of Salman’s wrestling coach and the father of Anushka Sharma.
Aiyaary: Kumud Mishra appeared as Gurinder Singh, a lieutenant general, in Aiyaary. Though the film was a flop, Kumud Mishra showed outstanding performance as a supporting character.
2- Jaideep Ahlawat
Jaideep Ahlawat is next among the underrated actors in Bollywood. He started his acting career with Narmeen, a 2009 short film. After this, he appeared in several titles like Aakrosh, Khatta Meetha, Rockstar, etc. Jaideep Ahlawat, one of the underrated Bollywood actors, male, shined in the 2012 film Gangs of Wasseypur in the lead role.
Best Performance In:
Paatal Lok: In this web series, Jaideep plays a brilliant police officer, “Hathiram Chaudhary,” who is assigned to a high-profile Delhi murder case.
Gangs of Wasseypur: In the film “Gangs of Wasseypur,” Jaideep Ahlawat shined as Shahid Khan, a coal mine worker misled by his supervisor and later slain.
Rockstar: Jaideep Ahlawat, one of the underrated Bollywood actors, male, appeared in Rockstar as the elder brother of Ranbeer Kapoor.
3- Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub
One of the highly underrated actors, Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub, debuted in Bollywood with the 2011 film “No One Killed Jessica.” He gained recognition from Band Baaja Baaraat film in 2010 after collaborating with director Habib Faisal. Over time, he appeared in over 25 films.
Best Performance In:
Tanu Weds Manu: In the 2011 film Tanu Weds Manu, Zeeshan earned praise with his comical timing as Raja Awasthi.
Raees: Zeeshan’s status got a boost after he worked in Raees alongside Shahrukh Khan, one of the most expensive actors in Bollywood. In this film, he was a friend of Raees named Sadiq Khan.
Scoop: Scoop is a TV series launched in 2023. In this series, Zeeshan, one of the underrated actors, played the role of Imran Siddiqui, Editor-in-Chief of Eastern Age.
4- Radhika Apte
Radhika Apte is among the underrated actors, female in Bollywood. She debuted in the film industry with Waah! Life Ho To Aisi film as Priya. Later, she worked in Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Tamil, Marathi, and Malayalam films. Her first lead role was in the Bengali film Antaheen, released in 2009.
Best Performance In:
Manjhi: The Mountain Man: In the Manjhi film, Radhika Apte appears as the wife of Nawazuddin Siddiqui, who dies while attempting to cross a mountain.
Antaheen: Antaheen, a Bengali film, was the first project where Radhika played the role of the lead character and earned praise for his acting performance.
Rakhta Charitra: In this film, Radhika Apte, who is one of the Radhika underrated actors, female in Bollywood, plays the role of Kattula Nandini, a politician.
5- Gulshan Devaiah
Gulshan Devaiah is among the most underrated actors in Bollywood. He made his acting debut with “That Girl in Yellow Boots,” a short film. Over time, he appeared in several movies and impressed everyone with his acting in every role he played. However, he couldn’t gain recognition.
Best Performance In:
Shaitan: In the 20011 films, Shaitan Devaiah appeared as Karan Chaudhary and earned nominations for the Best Male Debut and Best Supporting Role in Filmfare Awards.
The Man Who Feels No Pain: In this film, Gulshan Devaiah, one of the underrated actors, played a double role and won the Screen Awards for Best Supporting Actor.
A Death in the Gunj: In A Death in the Gunj, Gulshan Devaiah appears as Nandan Bakhshi, aka Nandu, the son of Om Puri.
These are the 5 most underrated actors in the Bollywood industry. They have impressed audiences with their acting but have failed to gain recognition. This dilemma demotivates new talents to appear in the film industry. Let’s try to sense what actors are serving us through acting and feel what they are expressing. This will not only help them gain some recognition but also allow us to enjoy movies to a far greater extent.
Frequently Asked Questions
1- Who is the wife of Gulshan Devaiah?
Kallirroi Tziafeta is the wife of Gulshan Devaiah.
2- Who is the shortest Bollywood actress?
Kaira Advani is known as the shortest Bollywood actress.
3- How much does Jaideep Ahlawat earn?
News sources share that Ahlawat’s earnings have risen to Rs 20 crores in the second season of Paatal Lok.
4- Who is Kumud Mishra’s wife?
Kumud Mishra is married to Ayesha Raza.
