Bollywood’s memorable on-screen makeovers

Despite the ugly truth that Bollywood always succumbs to the stereotypical run-of-the mill story line, it somehow manages to throw some jaw-dropping surprises that have gone on to change the fate of a film. We’re talking costumes, make-up, and getting right into the skin of the character to make them come alive! So yes, while we do enjoy the ever so predictable romantic comedies and action flicks, we relish the occasional lavishness that comes with films that are larger than life yet very, very real!

Images courtesy: movietalkies.com

Ranveer Singh

You can fight it if you wish, but there’s no escaping the wonderment that is Ranveer Singh when he’s on screen and playing a character out of the ppages of history! Bajirao Mastani directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali has got to be his best performance till date. His portrayal of the Maratha warrior complete with the perfect accent stole the show! Emerging a commercial success and one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time, Bajirao Mastani received 14 nominations at the 61st Filmfare Awards, and won nine awards including Best Film, Best Director for Bhansali, Best Actor for Singh, and Best Supporting Actress for Chopra.

R Madhavan

As a distraught boxer Adi Tomar in the film Saala Khadoos, Madhavan gives us more than one reason to believe that one has to live the character he plays in order to bring out a flawless performance. His best till date (after 3 Idiots), we cant help but imagine how an actor can turn around from a timid boy who fears his father more than anything else to someone who doesn’t care what the world thinks when he has set his mind to achieve his goal.
In this film, Madhavan essays the role with utmost ease, his hairstyle and rugged make up giving him the added “khadoos” quality as a boxing coach who’s out to avenge his unfair dismissal from the team years ago. We love every bit of his screen presence. The film, shot simultaneously in Tamil and Hindi and directed by Sudha Kongara is already making it big within a few weeks of its release

Salman Khan

Boy! It was refreshing to see Prem in his not-so-usual avatar. Tere Naam brought to the fore, Salman Khan’s basic instincts as an aggressive and uncouth college rowdy who uses violence as the only way to deal with people are briliiant. His encounter with a rather timid girl who he falls in love with and his eventual anger and resentment on being rejected, are both portrayed flawlessly by Mr. Khan.
His brooding looks and don’t-care-attitude lent the character a distinctive quality. His final bow as a lover who ends up in a mental asylum following the death of his beloved couldn’t have rendered more perfectly. Considered to be his finest performance till date,Tere Naam, directed by Satish Kaushik was nominated for a total of 24 Awards, winning 7 of them, including 8 Filmfare Award nominations.

Rani Mukerji

Michelle is a girl who lost her eyesight and hearing after recovering from an illness at the age of two and exists in a black world where she is isolated in the darkness of her own existence, trapped by her inability to see, hear and express. She grows up becoming more and more frustrated by the black and dark world around her, making her a violent, uncontrollable eight-year-old child.
Played by the effervescent Rani Mukerji, there is not a moment in the film when you feel for the little girl. She breaks through all stereotypes with her daunting portrayal in the film which is said to have been inspired by Hellen Keller’s (a famous writer and poet) life and struggle. Rani, through her emotive eyes brings a natural sense of remorse at the same time, lighting up the screen with her fantastic expressions.
Her appearance created for the film was near perfect allowing her to be the character and floor us with her performance. Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Black was chosen as one of the 10 best movies of the year 2005.

Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt

An unconventional story line right from the word GO, this film was certainly worth the watch. Randeep Hooda and Alia Bhatt are at their talented best showcasing a myriad emotions that fuel the movie’s winding scenes. Alia shines in her portrayal of a young woman who develops the Stockholm Syndrome. Randeep Hooda with his brooding looks and uncanny appearance rocks as the former’s abductor who is eventually trying to escape from her father who has links with the government.
He switches back and forth from a raging kidnapper to a softee who ultimately is won over by her honesty. His portrayal of an angry, helpless man was rendered to the tee. Highway, released in 2014 was screened at the Panorama section of the 2014 Berlin International Film Festival. The film is based on the episode of the same name from the Zee TV anthology series Rishtey.

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra has a certain knack of coming back with a bang after a slew of average flicks. Barfi! was one of them. Playing the role of an autistic person, Priyanka along with Ranbir Kapoor who played the deaf-mute Nepali boy, took the film to an astounding success. PC’s short hair, toned down and barely-there make-up, and her fantastic acting prowess won her the Filmfare Best Actress Award. Directed by Anurag Basu, this simple plot with its beautiful story-telling earned it seven other awards, the highest ever for any film. Within three-weeks of its release in 2012, the film was declared a Super Hit! It was also nominated as India’s official entry for the Best Foreign Language Film for the 85th Academy Awards.

Priyanka Chopra

Right! Here’s why Priyanka Chopra is turning out to be as versatile as ever. First she sweeps us off our feet with Barfi! then she goes on to don the role of the eponymous boxer Mary Kom. And might we say, she nailed it. Although the film, directed by Omung Kumar, might have lacked the emotion one might have expected, Priyanka’s flawless performance in depicting the character’s journey of becoming a boxer right through to her victory at the 2008 World Boxing Championships, earned her a Filmfare nomination for Best Actress and Best Film. She underwent extensive physical training for three months to attain a muscular physique.
She also trained for the sport and Kom’s distinct boxing styles, all of which come through on screen beautifully! This 2014 film premiered at the 2014 Toronto International Film Festival, becoming the first Hindi film to be screened on the opening night of the festival.

Hrithik Roshan

Hrithik Roshan went on to simply wow us with his performance in this film. Playing a quadriplegic magician and radio jockey who eventually goes to court to appeal for euthanasia, Hrithik stunned the audience as he effortlessly moved from iridescent sparks of laughter to tears that tugged at your heart strings. Who’d have thought that an actor known for his brilliant dancing will go on to rule the film, while he spends most of his time bed-ridden! The look he sported in the film made him an even stronger actor who looked like a real person begging for mercy killing! Directed by Sanjay Leela Bhansali the film gives you what he always promises to give you – large scale drama and choked emotions.

Aamir Khan

Who can ever forget Aamir’s daunting portrayal of a lover who develops anterograde amnesia following a violent encounter in which his love interest was killed? As the vengeful romantic who uses polaroid instant camera photos and tattoos on his body as clues to get to the killer, he was at his perfectionist best in this one. His character was even featured in a 3D video game titled Ghajini-The Game.
A romantic psychological thriller, this 2008 film was written and directed by A R Murugadoss, a remake of his own 2005 Tamil film of the same name.With a strong supporting cast that included debutant Asin and Jiah Khan, Ghajini went on to become the highest grossing movie of that year and the first Hindi film to cross the ₹100 crore mark until it was beaten by another Aamir Khan movie3 Idiots the following year.

Ajay Devgn

This one took home all the awards in style! Thanks to Ajay Devgan’s brilliant rendering of the character Bhagat Singh. The 2002 is historical biographical film about Bhagat Singh, who fought courageously for the country’s independence. The film daringly shows how Singh came to develop his views of the British Raj. It begins with scenes depicting how the British attempted to dispose of Singh’s body, so that he could not be made into a martyr, and then goes on to tell his story. Ajay Devgn seemed to fit the role perfectly with his deep set eyes and a stern voice, and of course, his overall appearance.
The film used sepia tint to create a real historical feel. Directed by Rajkumar Santoshi, The Legend of Bhagat Singh was released in 2002 and went on to win two National Film Awards, including the National Film Award for Best Feature Film in Hindi, and three Filmfare Awards, including the Filmfare Critics Award for Best Movie. Well, we’re not surprised!

Aamir Khan

After giving the audience a smashing hit with Dil Chahta Hai in 2001, Aamir Khan’s comeback film Mangal Pandey: The Rising was worth the wait. Playing the lead role of Mangal Pandey, a Sepoy whose actions helped spark the Indian rebellion of 1857, he raised the bar even higher with his tremendous acting prowess and skilfull adaptation of the real life character. His portrayal of the character was flawless and took us right back to the First War of Indian Independence. The film directed by Ketan Mehta, was premiered in the Marché du Film section of the 2005 Cannes Film Festival.

Farhan Akhtar

So, this one gave us a whole new Farhan Akhtar! And we simply loved him. The ripping muscles and a strong athletic figure was proof that he did a lot more than one would have expected to get in to the skin of the character. Essaying the title role of Milkha Singh- an Indian Athlete who was a national champion runner and an Olympian wasn’t going to be easy but Farhan Akhtar went on to prove that he’s more than just a rockstar – he was a champion! Directed by Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra this 2013 Indian biographical sports drama was inspired by the book The Race of My life, co-authored by Milkha Singh and his daughter. The film was declared a “super hit” domestically and hit overseas. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag is the sixth highest grossing 2013 Bollywood film worldwide and became the twenty-first film to gross ₹1 billion.