International Men’s Day is a good day to appreciate the men who’ve changed norms. And closer home, in Bollywood, among those who have changed the face of content space in India are the men who’ve dared to dream big. Being fearless, these actors risked it all to try their hand at a never-tried-before space and voila, it has worked wonders for them. Here’s looking at the men who are the face of new age content in Bollywood, fast changing the rules of the digital space.
Saif Ali Khan
The first mainstream superstar to make the shift to digital, Saif paved the way for other actors of his league to follow. As his show Sacred Games opened to a fantastic response, it was a cue for his contemporaries to dabble in the field. As Saif has already signed his next digital show – Taandav, produced by Ali Abbas Zafar of Sultan fame, the next to join the bandwagon is Akshay Kumar who debuts on digital with The End which will start rolling next year. Saif has truly been the pioneer of reinvention!
Ali Fazal
After hits like Fukrey in his kitty and his international projects like Furious 7 and Victoria and Abdul, Ali wanted to keep up with his quest of discovering new terrain. The actor can well be credited for being the first of his contemporaries to make the shift to digital with Bang Baaja Baarat way back in 2015. But it was Mirzapur last year that catapulted him to the kind of fame and fan following he has been receiving off late. His smouldering looks and his menacing screen presence as Guddu Bhaiyya on the show has been a humongous hit and the actor returns with the second season of the show early next year.
Vikrant Massey
A truly experimental actor, Massey has tried it all from digital shows to films to TV. With a knack for chasing down the choicest stories, Massey’s journey has been one to look out for. He made a notable beginning with a fine portrayal in A Death in the Gunj. With Mirzapur and then Broken, the actor has been able to break perceptions about himself. His cameo in Made in Heaven was also much appreciated.
Angad Bedi
After Pink, Angad Bedi had the option of sticking to films alone because of the appreciation his character got and the very many roles offered to him by directors. But Angad chose to follow his heart and topped his fantastic act in the movie with a show like Inside Edge and the more recent The Verdict.
Arjun Mathur
Arjun is a reminder of our short term memories. As the actor returned with Zoya Akhtar’s Made in Heaven, the social media could not have enough of him. His performance was a revelation, as many claimed. Arjun played a gay man harbouring deep insecurities and commitment issues which he addresses through the course of the show as he comes of age.