From Sanju to Neerja: Top 7 Real-Life Performances in Bollywood

It’s one thing to play a fictional character on-screen, but it’s a whole different ball game to play a real-life character on-screen. From depicting the right mannerisms, delving into its personality, getting accustomed to familiarities and differences - there’s a lot at stake for an actor who comes onboard to play a real character.

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Take a look:

Rani Mukerjee - Mrs Chatterjee Vs Norway

National Award-winning actress Rani Mukerjee starred in Mrs Chatterjee vs Norway, a legal drama film inspired by the real-life story of Anurup Bhattacharya and Sagarika Chakraborty, an Indian couple whose children were taken away by Norwegian authorities in 2011. Going by Rani Mukerjee’s versatility, the actress brought incredible justice to the emotional layers of the film.

Vicky Kaushal - Sardar Udham

Known for his offbeat screen choices, Vicky Kaushal stunned everyone with his versatility in Sardar Udham. With Shoojit Sircar’s direction, Vicky brought to life the unknown tale of Sardar Udham Singh, who gunned down one of the perpetrators of the Jalianwala Bagh massacre, Michael O'Dwyer.

Karishma Tanna - Scoop

In this critically acclaimed and award-winning series, Karishma Tanna played a crime journalist named Jagruti Pathak, a character based on real-life experiences of Jigna Vora and her book, Behind Bars in Byculla: My Days in Prison. The actress served a performance so believable that she received the much-deserved honour of Best Lead Actress award for Scoop at Busan International Film Festival 2023.

Rajkummar Rao - Srikanth

Rajkummar Rao delivered a remarkable performance as Srikanth Bolla, a visually impaired industrialist who did not let his disability define him. From capturing Srikanth’s resilience to self-belief, Rajkummar served a performance that emerged as a moving tribute to Srikanth’s strength and willpower.

Ranbir Kapoor - Sanju

Ranbir Kapoor, known for his on-screen versatility, disappeared into becoming Sanju Baba for ‘Sanju’. The audiences had to remind themselves that they were seeing Ranbir Kapoor and not Sanjay Dutt in the biopic. From mannerisms and heavy eye look, Ranbir served ‘peak-acting’ moments.

Pratik Gandhi - Scam 1992 - The Harshad Mehta Story

Pratik Gandhi received overnight fame as Harshad Mehta in Scam 1992 - The Harshad Mehta Story, a series that turned out to be the game-changer in Pratik’s body of work. With his sharp, confident and grit, Pratik Gandhi attached ‘iconic’ to outing.

Sonam Kapoor - Neerja

Sonam Kapoor played the bold and courageous air hostess Neerja in the biopic. From the roles that she has picked throughout her filmography, Sonam looked completely in the skin of Neerja. Till date, Neerja is one of the beloved films of Sonam Kapoor. After looking at the picture of real-life Neerja, one would say that Sonam was the right pick for the role.

These actors mirrored the lives of real-life characters so believably that it almost seemed unbelievable! A casting choice so good that no other actor could have fit so well as they did!

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