It wouldn’t be wrong to say that 2020 was the year of web series. With the coronavirus pandemic and the subsequent lockdown forcing cinema halls to shut down since March, web shows filled in the vacuum.
We saw how Saif Ali Khan gained the limelight with his digital debut with Sacred Games in 2018. Following his cue, several Bollywood celebrities made their way on to OTT platforms and made us laugh, smile, cry, and think. As we bid adieu to 2020, here are some celebrities who made their digital debuts this year.
1) Bobby Deol – Class of 83 (Netflix) and Aashram (MX Player)
Bobby Deol started with a bang in Bollywood with Barsaat in 1995 and went on to do successful films like Gupt, Soldier, Ajnabee, and Humraaz. Then, there came a slump in his career. Shah Rukh Khan’s home production Class of 83 came at an important juncture in Bobby Deol’s career. Not only was the Atul Sabharwal-directed venture his solo outing after almost a decade, but also marked his debut in the digital world. He played a cop called Dean Vijay Singh, struggling with his own demons. A few days later, he donned the hat of a ‘baba’ in Prakash Jha’s Aashram, which just like the former show gained critical acclaim and brought Bobby Deol back into the limelight
2) Abhishek Bachchan – Breathe: Into the Shadows (Prime Video)
We have seen Abhishek Bachchan on the big screen for almost two decades now. In 2020, the actor decided to entertain us on our mobile screens with his digital debut Breathe: Into the Shadows. The second season of the show narrated a tale of a 6-year old girl kidnapped by a mysterious masked man, who demands an unusual ransom. To save his daughter, Dr. Avinash Sabharwal, aka Abhishek Bachchan, has to kill someone. His intense character won him rave reviews from critics and the audience. The web series also starred Amit Sadh, Nithya Menen, and Sayami Kher in prominent roles.
3) Sushmita Sen – Aarya (Disney+ Hotstar)
The former Miss Universe decided to end her decade-long break with Ram Madhvani’s Aarya. Sushmita played the role of a mother was is caught in the complex web of emotions, twisted family bonds, and betrayal, and is willing to go to any length to protect her children. Her role was quite appreciated by the critics and the audience. She also bagged the best female actor in a drama series at the first-ever Filmfare OTT Awards 2020. Just the ideal web debut one can dream of.
4) Karisma Kapoor – Mentalhood (ALTBalaji)
It had been over seven years since the audience saw Karisma Kapoor lighting up the screens with her high energy and impactful performances. The wait ended on March 11, 2020, with the release of her digital debut Mentalhood. Karisma played the character of Meira Sharma – a small-town mother trying to navigate through the jungle of ‘Mumbai momzilaas’.
5) Arshad Warsi – Asur (Voot)
We have often seen Arshad Warsi entertaining us with his hilarious one-liners as the iconic Circuit in the Munna Bhai series. We have also seen him playing some intense roles as Babban in Ishqiya. With Asur, which released in March, Arshad took the intensity a notch higher. His digital debut saw him playing the role of a layered and brooding CBI official Dhananjay Rajpoot on a mission to find the ‘Asur’. The show, also starring Barun Sobti, Anupriya Goenka, Sharib Hashmi, and Vishesh Bansal received widespread critical and commercial acclaim.
6) Naseeruddin Shah – Bandish Bandits (Prime Video)
From Hum Panch in 1980 to Tashkent Files in 2019, Naseeruddin Shah had a dreamy career. The 70-year-old star stepped into the digital world with Bandish Bandits, and it was worth cherishing. Naseeruddin Shah essayed the role of a celebrated classical musician from Rajasthan and the grandfather to the young Radhe (Ritwik Bhowmik). You just cannot afford to miss his performance in this heart-warming show. The icing on the cake? Along with Naseer, the show also marked musicians Shankar Mahadevan, Ehsaan Qureshi, and Loy Mendonsa’s (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) debut in digital entertainment.
7) Pratik Gandhi – Scam 1992 (SonyLIV)
Pratik Gandhi played a side role in LoveYatri and Mitron in 2018, and in 2020, he was the centre of attention. Reason? Scam 1992: The Harshad Mehta Story. One of the highest-rated web shows of 2020 saw the digital debutant play the lead role of Harshad Mehta, the mastermind of the 1992 Indian stock market scam. The web series directed by Hansal Mehta won huge applause for its storytelling and treatment, and Pratik Gandhi’s acting skills.
8) Lara Dutta – Hundred (Disney+ Hotstar)
Lara Dutta Bhupathi, last seen in Welcome to New York (2018), made a smashing debut with the web series, Hundred. The Miss Universe winner played the role of ACP Saumya Shukla. Hundred chronicled the misadventures of two contrasting women, set in the backdrop of Mumbai, its chawls, and crime gangs. Apart from her, the cast also included Karan Wahi, Sudhanshu Pandey, Parmeet Sethi, Rohini Hattangadi, Arun Nalawde, and Makarand Deshpande.
