The 10 Best Bollywood Actors of 2024, Ranked

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2024 was not that exceptional a year for Bollywood to collate a list of 10 best actors. The superstars were either absent (Aamir Khan, Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan) or delivered one dud after another (Akshay Kumar, Ajay Devgn). While native Hindi audiences are increasingly gravitating to language films (Telugu in theatres and Malayalam on streaming), the nation has discovered the concept of pan-India stars.

That said, the ones who genuinely scored big in 2024 are relative newcomers – three of whom feature in this list – followed by actors who are superstars in other languages (Tamil, Punjabi).

Below is the list of the 10 best Bollywood actors of 2024, ranked in reverse order:

10. Abhay Verma (Munjya)

Gone are the days when 40-year-olds would play college kids in Bollywood films. If Abhay Verma’s alabaster skin and winsome smile are to go by, he is the Hindi film industry’s answer to Timothee Chalamet. The actor’s monstrous blockbuster Munjya was a welcome addition to Maddock’s horror universe. His mumbling-fumbling Bittu was a well-calibrated performance and a welcome relief from the excessively muscled-up young heroes.

9. Pratik Gandhi (Do Aur Do Pyaar)

Pratik Gandhi becomes the perfect foil to his screen wife Vidya Balan as the ‘Bengali Mappilai’ whom his Tamilian in-laws detest. The actor lends gravitas to the bespectacled man who sells corks to a Japanese delegation while slowly shedding his penchant for music, cooking and even smiling as responsibilities take over.

8. Lakshya (Kill)

We often underestimate performances and films in the action and comedy genres when we think of the best actors. Comedy still gets away famously when somebody says, “It’s hard to make people laugh,” So, how easy it is to headline a rip-roaring actioner (a fantastic one, at that) and be convincing in every frame from start to end. Ask Lakshya and he might have an answer.

Lakshya Best Bollywood Actors of 2024

7. Sparsh Shrivastava (Laapataa Ladies)

Shah Rukh Khan has moved on to action potboilers. Saif Ali Khan has little interest in the rom-com genre that once made him a star. Are we as a society out of romance? Or perhaps these gentlemen are worried about the industry’s ageism and have left love stories for the younger generation to catch. Sparsh Srivastava, in Laapataa Ladies, is the most (classically) romantic character of the year and is an easy entrant into the list of the best Bollywood actors of 2024. Shrivastava’s eyes speak volumes as they make any woman (or man) wish for a partner as endearing as Deepak.

6. Rajkummar Rao (Stree 2)

The most liberating aspect of Amar Kaushik’s film is how it dismantles the ideal of masculinity which is hardcoded in Bollywood’s DNA. Rajkummar Rao’s Vicky who is no Simbba or Pathaan. He is not even an underdog to rise from the ashes. Vicky is an average ladies’ tailor. The last and only time I saw a hero take up the profession was Rao himself in the prequel. A man with no known sex life, he is fearless in love. Vicky’s courage proves how no man is ordinary and all you need to be a hero is confidence and a ghagra – not throat-tearing roars and superhero capes. Rajkummar Rao emotes like a dream with his fluid body language, mastery of the lingo, and flawless comic timing. It’s not the manliest of roles but, boy, what a terrific shot to superstardom he has with the film.

5. Vikrant Massey (Sector 36)

In a difficult film to stomach, Vikrant Massey plays a hardened psychopath. The actor takes a mighty turnaround from what he did with 12th Fail in 2023. As Sector 36 treads through a narrative filled with gory details, we observe how wonderfully aware Massey is of his surroundings. Be it in intense close-ups or with sinister smiles, the actor’s portrayal of a serial killer is among his finest efforts to date.

4. Kartik Aaryan (Chandu Champion)

Any list of the best Bollywood actors of 2024 will be incomplete without a mention of Kartik Aaryan – the darling of the masses. The actor takes a near rebirth in Chandu Champion where his vulnerability towers above everything else. It’s an earnest, impactful act wherein he shapeshifts into a focused paralympic champion. In a whole new zone with a Maharashtrian accent and extreme physical exertion at play, the film lets the actor in him take a rebirth.

Kartik Best Bollywood Actors of 2024

3. Abhishek Bachchan (I Want To Talk)

I want to talk about Abhishek Bachchan’s sensitive performance in Shoojit Sircar’s film, but there’s hardly anyone in my network who has seen him in this terrific avatar. It’s not Bachchan’s fault but that of a system that leaves screens for good cinema in theatres. Speaking of the actor, Arjun is a rather serious spin on his character from the 2005 film Bluffmaster. Bachchan’s portrayal of a terminally ill father is deeply moving, and guaranteed to bring well up your eyes.

Also, I cannot wait for the film to premiere on a streaming channel, so everyone can start talking about its immaculate beauty.

2. Vijay Sethupathi (Merry Christmas)

Sriram Raghavan’s Merry Christmas unfolds on a Christmas night. Much like the John Lennon song that it reminds us of, it’s Christmas and there’s a lot left to done for Albert (‘Makkal Selvan’ Vijay Sethupathi) and Maria (Katrina Kaif). Forging an unusual chemistry with Kaif, Sethupathy balances intrigue, affection, and hope as he brings Albert Arogiaswamy to life. With a gentle crack in the voice, cold glances, and an eroded memory he is slowly reclaiming after a long hiatus – the man is picture-perfect from start to end.

1. Diljit Dosanjh (Amar Singh Chamkila)

Hailing from Panjab, Amar Singh Chamkila (Diljit Dosanjh) is an ardent admirer of Amitabh Bachchan. He might not have desired to become a superstar of such glory, but the starry halo constantly allured him. For a fact, Chamkila himself was a volcano of talent waiting to erupt. The youngster’s unique brand of risqué duets soon skyrocketed to popularity and earned him a sobriquet – ‘The Elvis of Punjab’. Imtiaz Ali’s film is an out-and-out Diljit Dosanjh show where the actor breaks out to deliver his best work in Hindi cinema yet. Be it the physicality, the (obvious) hold over the language or the rapturous singing, he is tremendous in every frame that he is in – making him easily grab the top rank among the best Bollywood actors of 2024.

DILJIT Best Bollywood Actors of 2024