Top Underrated Actors in Bollywood Who Deserve Better

There are some actors who turn into Bollywood superstars overnight with just a single movie and others who like a mannequin, deliver horrendous flicks. But there are some actors with par excellence acting skills, who are megastars in real terms but they fail to get the limelight they truly deserve. They are the underrated actors who blow us away with their performances but never seem to get their due. They make the most out of every role but the light at the end of their tunnel is dim.

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Leading men don’t want to work with them, lest they steal the show. Producers don’t rely on them with their money. However, talent cannot stay hidden forever and these actors showed that talent is not just about good looks or six-pack abs. Listing out a few underrated Bollywood actors who deserve a little more recognition.

Last Updated: June 25, 2019

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Shweta Tripathi

Also known as “Batatawada”, Shweta Tripathi never fails to amuse me be it with her lead role in Masaan or a small supporting role in a web series called Tripling by TVF, she has proved her mettle. All the shows she has been a part of, either it a supporting role or as the lead, are known by her name. If she doesn’t deserve the much-needed recognition then who does?

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Sonakshi Sinha

Bagging the Filmfare for the best female debut for Dabangg, Sonakshi Sinha is one such actress who started gloriously. If it wasn’t for the biased illustration of an ideal Bollywood actress and a few bad scripts, Sonakshi would’ve been one of the favorite artists in the industry today. She hasn’t been very wise by making blunders like R… Rajkumar, Son of Sardaar and Action Jackson but has never lacked skill in any of her performances. If you have watched Lootera, Noor and Ittefaq then you know that she is a versatile actress too. Given a few good opportunities, Sonakshi Sinha is the one that can definitely make it big in Bollywood.

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Surveen Chawla

If you have seen Anurag Kashyap’s Ugly, you will know that she is an amazing artist. Being a TV veteran and known for her work in Punjabi films, she also grabbed eyeballs with the racy Hate Story 2. How can we even forget her stellar performance in Parched (which unfortunately failed to have a significant box office collection)? I wish that she gets the screen space she deserves and not just get bombarded by brazen roles.

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Aditi Rao Hydari

It’s not every day that a professional Bharatnatyam dancer makes her way into the show business but being one of the most well-received supporting actresses, Aditi Rao Hydari has come a long way since Sringaram. The central reason that she’s in this list is that of the under-appreciation she gets for bringing grace, innocence and elegance to every character she plays. Her noteworthy roles include Yeh Saali Zindagi, Kaatru Veliyidai, Bhoomi and Padmaavat. But maybe because of her disinterest in being a part of item songs or plotless commercial movies, she remains underrated. The balance that she maintains in both Bollywood and the South Indian Film Industries are admirable and it’s only a matter of time that she acquires the remarkable fame she deserves.

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R. Madhavan

An all-rounder who is a famous actor, writer, film producer, and television host, R.Madhavan is one of the most famous underdogs in the Hindi film industry for years. He is one of the most renowned actors in his home state of Tamil Nadu but not in Bollywood. Even his recent performance in the acclaimed movie 3 Idiots didn’t bring him the kind of attention it brought to Aamir Khan. We can’t imagine 3 Idiots without his narration or his unforgettable acting. It’s really sad that THIS guy is still on the list after being a part of Tanu Weds Manu series and Saala Khadoos. He’s one of the most gifted actors who made a dent with his roles in Bollywood.

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Konkona Sen Sharma

This name made me wonder how an actress, director and a writer with two National Film Awards and four Filmfare Awards can stay incognito for so long but then again, Konkona is an actress who prefers privacy and no paparazzi means no popularity these days right? She is by far the most wondrous yet underrated actress of them all even though the awards and critics depict otherwise. Her nearly perfect portrayals in movies like Talvar, Lipstick under my Burkha, Mr. and Mrs Iyer and Dosar are rudely ignored and she is still the boring heroine from Wake up Sid to many people. Due to these reasons, Konkana Sen remains a beautiful pearl hidden in the unnoticed shell even today.

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Swara Bhasker

She played significant parts in Aanand L Rai’s Tanu Weds Manu and Raanjahana and didn’t fail to make her mark in the supporting roles. She recently created a lot of buzz with her bold character in Veere Di Wedding which definitely is a marvelous flick on the basis of story and star cast. She is a breath of fresh air in Bollywood which only seeks for tall, fair and plastic faced actresses without an iota of expression on their faces. Her girl-next-door looks and exotic features separate her from her contemporaries, who can hardly act and can only shed clothes in the form of entertainment.

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Parineeti Chopra

Now, I know that a lot of people may not agree with me, but it’s my personal opinion that Parineeti is quite underrated for her talent in Bollywood. People say that she plays the loud Punjabi foodie in her every movie but her acting in Hasee Toh Phasee, Meri Pyaari Bindu and Kill Dil stands against this speculation. She also won the Film fare for the best female debut for Ladies vs Ricky Bahl which points out that she’s not another tactless star kid, much similar to Sonakshi. She has had comparatively a low number of bad movies in her list and its visible that she’s growing considering her on hand weight loss and the start of her singing career. All I would want to say is that its evident that we can expect some laudable movies and versatility from Parineeti in the near future.

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Vikrant Massey

Massey started his journey as a TV actor, made a smooth transition into films by playing a supporting role to Ranveer Singh’s character in Lootera. He genuinely made me fall in love with him by his acting of a vulnerable broke lover in Ekta Kapoor’s web series – Broken but Beautiful. He deserves all the applause for his work and I wish he will receive all his dues with Chapaak, also starring the one and only Deepika Padukone.

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Kalki Koechlin

Being one of the most eligible artists we’ve ever known, Kalki Koechlin tops this list of underrated actresses for obvious reasons. She studied drama in Goldsmiths, University of London, has won various awards for the plays that she has written and staged, is an activist who talks about woman empowerment, health and education. She also hosted a travel show and has a National film award which is just like a cherry on top. But clearly, most people fail to acknowledge her skill and I’ll give you some probable reasons for that.

She is French and its obvious that any actress with a foreign background will remain as a secondary consideration. She is not a suitable choice for playing as an eye candy and we all know where the actresses like Jacqueline Fernandez and Katrina Kaif get their share of attention and fame from, unlike Kalki. She had made YouTube videos, films and plays on some highly independent, in other words, hush-hush subjects like Margarita with a Straw, It’s Your Fault and Man’s World. Not everyone is okay with expressing their opinions on such touchy topics and therefore avoid watching anything about them. Truth is, Kalki Koechlin is an amazing actress also being a very unpredictable one nevertheless worth looking out for.

A Collaborative Writing Effort by Aditi Parikh and Nikitha Kashyap

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So, what do you guys think? Which other actors/actresses deserve a much better and more opportunities than the regular faces we see in Bollywood these days? Sound off in the comments below.