The Five Greats. Review on Five Best Actors of Hindi Movies

I have watched these legends of the silver screen ever since I was a child and they have made me laugh and cry over the years to fill my life with joy whenever I see them:

1. Naseeruddin Shah - For me Naseer stands above all when it comes to sheer joy of watching him on screen. He brings along with him truckloads of credibility to the characters he plays be it the betraying husband in Masoom, hapless husband in Woh Saat Din, Feudal Lord in Mirch Masala, honest photographer in the master comedy Jane Bhi Do Yaron or his early day characters in Paar, Junoon and Godhuli. Even his switch to commercial cinema later in his career was interesting as he played some memorable roles in Sarfarosh, Mohra etc. The ease with which he moulds himself is unbelievable.

2. Om Puri - I love to hear his voice as much as I love to see him on screen. I still remember his character in Govind Nihalani's Tamas, simply superb. Any character which requires gravity, you can put this guy for it and he will perform it to perfection. An honest cop in Drohkal, suspicious one in Ghayal, an old loyal Abu Miyan the gatekeeper in Mirch Masala, a frustrated'aam admi' in Dharavi or a tolerant husband in Aastha, he played them all with such uncanny grace. His background narration has adorned many a documentaries and films(as have Naseer's) and has lent a touch of immortality to those scripts in the minds of the audience.

3. Amitabh Bachchan - The people born in his times will consider themselves lucky to have witnessed a phenomenon called Amitabh. Although he mostly devoted his career to mainstream commercial cinema and was mainly seen suited in his prime days as'angry young man' character, I think his acting prowess is second to none as he proved it in Anand, Silsila, Abhiman, Kabhi Kabhi and Mili etc. Almost everyone listens without his/her eyes blinking when this chora Ganga kinare wala speaks in his booming base ridden voice. Now what a voice he has got guys! His voice is a brand in itself(as we witness nowadays - he is doing more commercials than any other model or sportsperson). There was a period of lull especially after his accident when he did some really trashy movies which I am sure he would like to forget but he is doing some good ones again like Bahgban. All I can say that there is no one who can parallel the charisma of this super star.

4. Sanjeev Kumar  - A rare gem to have bejeweled the Indian cinema. This man as all the best actors in the list had the ability to mould himself effortlessly in a role – be it comedy or be it tragedy. Who can forget the Choudhary in Sholay? From a truck driver in Namkeen, a misunderstood father in Mausam to a mischievous husband in Pati, Patni or Woh and a double role in Angoor(based on Shakespeare’s The Comedy of Errors), his acting career ranged the full spectrum. And interestingly like all the previous ones I have listed till now, he also possessed a great voice(seems to be a hallmark of great actors).

5. Aamir Khan - Who could have know that this chocolate look boy of QSQT will take an Indian movie to Oscars. One of the very few of the modern day actors who I can think of including in this all time top 5 list, he is easily the most talented of the Bollywood’s current lot of actors. He has intrigued us all with his versatility in choosing roles and playing them to perfection. Carrying on from his remarkable debut with QSQT he slowly progressed on his route to greatness with Jo Jeeta Wahi Sikander, Gulam, Akele Hum Akele Tum to reach Sarfarosh and Lagan. I am anxiously waiting for his next release – This Rising in which he plays Mangal Pandey. A thinking individual, Aamir in contrast to other co stars does just 1 film an year but makes sure that he does some real quality work instead of quantity. No wonder he carries the highest price tag today in the film industry.

Other such greats which I found very hard to omit from top 5 list were Ashok Kumar, Dilip Kumar, Amol Palekar, Farooq Sheikh, Amrish Puri, Paresh Rawal, Kamal Hassan and Balraj Sahni for these guys are in the same league as well.