10 Actors Who Were Not Valued By Bollywood But OTT Shows Honoured Their Talent

Nepotism sometimes does come out as a joke to the common man, since they’re very unaware of the struggles new talents go through in the Bollywood industry (not Ananya Pandey though).

But there are films/series which turned out to be a success just because of the rise of OTT platforms where many actors got chance to show their talents. Talented actors got a chance to give award winning performances via these platform. Let’s take a look at those down the list:

1. Manoj Bajpayee

The family man was an actual hit just because of Manoj Bajpayee. It is very sad that Bollywood failed to recognize what the man can achieve with his subtle acting skills. He can literally blend in with any role he gets. And his acting as Srikant Tiwari in The Famiy Man where he was made to portray the common man made it so realistic and was loved by the audience.

2. Kirti Kulhari

After she stood sorta well through films, she was seen mostly on the OTT platforms. Kirti in an interview said,

“Working for the web is different because one can experiment with different subjects. It also helps makers, directors, writers, and actors explore a subject in greater detail. That freedom is most encouraging. Besides, work for OTT platforms reaches all over the world. They also motivate an actor to do one’s work with utmost sincerity and honesty because there is no burden of box-office numbers. That is the true space for any artist.”

3. Pankaj Tripathi

2004 was the first time Pankaj made his way into Bollywood and his first debut film was Run. Though he himself agrees that, Mirzapur the series which was aired on the OTT platform turned the tables for him on the basis of his career. Pankaj Tripathi in an interview shared,

“The contribution of OTT is huge for my career. In terms of reach, it’s huge. Even the people in my village watch my shows. The cinema hall is 26 kilometers away from my village and it was not possible for them to catch all my films. But thanks to OTT, people are watching in my village. OTT ka bahut yogdaan hai mere career mein”

4. Radhika Apte

Radhika Apte played parts in multiple languages. Her acting skills are amazing and she’s so versatile that she fits in each and every role quite easily. But we all agree that she’s best when it comes to short series aired on OTTs. Where there’s way too much drama, skin, emotions, and a little bit of confusing philosophy.

5. Nawazuddin Siddiqui

The Sacred Games was when Nawazuddin’s fate took a bright light and gave him all the recognition. Though he worked with a lot of Bollywood stars, like Salman Khan – Bajrangi Bhaijan, Kick, etc. But his main raw talent was well portrayed in the web series.

6. Sobhita Dhulipala

Raman Raghav 2.0 was first Bollywood feature film of Sobhita Dhulipala. She did not excel well in her Bollywood career, but in the end, Zoya Akhtar’s Made in Heaven turned all of it around for her.

7. Pratik Gandhi

The Harshad Mehta’s Scam 1992 got the limelight and so did its actors. Pratik spent literal months with no income and then he got the role. Which actually justified his hard work and talent. In an interview Pratik spoke,

“I didn’t realize it’d become this huge. It was so overwhelming. And when Shabana Azmi ma’am told me it was the best performance she’d seen in 20 years, I was in tears. It’s been 5 months since Scam’s release & my life has taken a 180-degree turn. People see me as a ‘lead actor’ now.”

8. Rasika Dugal

Even though she acted in so many big-budget Bollywood films it didn’t do her any good. Her acting was obviously very well done in the film Manto. But it didn’t give her the recognition. But in the series Mirzapur she got the hype and recognition she deserved.

9. Shefali Shah

Been working with Bollywood for the past 25 years and it’s now that she got a powerful role in the OTT platform to portray her capabilities on-screen. She proved how beautiful her acting skills are. Mostly it is very much said that the show she played a part in, is gonna be the turning point of her life. when asked about her experience Shefali said,

“OTT platforms have opened gates for all creative actors where they have broken out of the box of hero and heroine. OTT is all about characters and good stories. They do feel that women above 45 have someplace in it besides playing grandmothers. Would you have thought of a Shefali Shah playing the lead earlier? Probably you would, but you’d never cast her. So here she is in the lead and she’s proved herself”

10. Divyendu Sharma

His first film was with Kartik Aaryan, Pyaar Ka Punchnama (the film with way too much casual anyway). It didn’t stand, but his feature in Mirzapur did open up a lot of verticals for him.