In Bollywood, it is often the case that actors who deliver excellent performances do not receive the recognition they deserve from the media and the industry. This is because the film industry is more focused on star power than on acting talent.
However, the new generation of viewers is looking for real inspiration, not fairytale dreams. The success stories of actors like Manoj Baypayee, Ayushmann Khurrana and Rajkummar Rao are a testament to the fact that hard work and talent can still lead to success in Bollywood.
Jaideep Ahlawat is an underrated actor who is a sheer brilliance in his craft. He may not be your typical good-looking and well-built actor, but his acting performances speak volumes. He is from Rohtak, Haryana and came to Mumbai with dreams of fulfilling his aspirations and have taken small steps towards success.
Jaideep Ahlawat made his acting debut in the 2010 films ‘Aakrosh’ and ‘Khatta Meeta’, both directed by Priyadarshan. He was then noticed for his role as Shahid Khan in Anurag Kashyap’s ‘Gangs Of Wasseypur’ (2012). However, it was his negative role as Amrit Kanwal in ‘Commando – A One Man Army’ (2013) that turned his career around. Ahlawat was brilliant in the film as a menacing baddie, but he was also able to break away from the image of a villain in subsequent roles.
The 43-year-old actor has delivered impactful performances in supporting roles and negative roles in films, such as his role as CBI Officer Kuldeep Pahwa in ‘Gabbar Is Back’ (2015) and Khalid Mir in ‘Raazi’ (2018). However, it was the web series medium that gave him his big break. He played the important character of Shehzad Tanveer in ‘Bards Of Blood’ (2019) and his performance was critically acclaimed. This has led to push in his career and he is now being seen as one of the most talented actors in India.
Jaideep Ahlawat’s role as Hathi Ram Chaudhary in ‘Paatal Lok’ (2020) was the biggest turning point in his career. Chaudhary is one of the most memorable characters in the web series medium and Ahlawat’s performance as the lowly cop in charge of the investigation was nothing short of brilliant. He showed effortless histrionics in portraying both heroism and helplessness and he has earned a legion of fans for his work on the show.
After impressing audiences with his performances in films like ‘Sandeep Aur Pinky Faraar’ (2021) and OTT anthologies like ‘Lust Stories’ (2018) and ‘Ajeeb Daastaans’ (2021), Jaideep Ahlawat is all set to play Hawkeye in the Indian adaptation of ‘The Wastelanders’ for Audible. The superhero character is played by Jeremy Renner in the Marvel Cinematic Universe (MCU) films.
His most recent film, ‘An Action Hero’ (2022), in which he co-starred with Ayushmann Khurrana, was critically acclaimed but failed to perform well at the box office. He expressed his confusion about the poor performance of the film at the box office. He said that he did not understand what went wrong, as the film was critically acclaimed.
Alongside Shefali Shah and director Avinash Arun Dhaware, he won the top honours at the 2023 New York Indian Film Festival (NYIFF) that showcased new Indian cinema among the diaspora and global audience here.
Jaideep Ahlawat has established a strong presence in Bollywood and OTT platforms with his excellent acting skills and films. He has also captured the hearts and minds of fans, who always look forward to his performances.
The Indian media should start giving more attention to brilliant actors like Jaideep Ahlawat. We need to demand better performances from our actors, so that the audience does not have to settle for mediocrity. He has raised the bar with his performances and he deserves to be recognized for his talent. He is an inspiring example for new actors from outside the industry and he showed that it is possible to achieve success without having to compromise on your artistic integrity.
Jaideep will be seen next in Sujoy Ghosh’s ‘The Devotion Of Suspect X’ with Kareena Kapoor Khan and Vijay Varma.
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