The Bollywood of the 80s is remembered as not a very great period in terms of quality. This was the time when Television and VCRs came to India and the class audiences shift their loyalty to television and VCRs from movies. So, the filmmakers also started making movies for the front seaters who love crass movies. But this period gave us some gems also with movies by maverick directors like ShyamBenegal, Shekhar Kapoor, GovindNihalani, etc. Some great actors came into the limelight after working in movies by such filmmakers. Here is a list of some brilliant but offbeat actors who made their mark in the 80s with their acting prowess
Naseeruddin Shah
There is no doubt that Naseeruddin Shah is one of the best actors in Indian cinema and is known for giving some of the great performances in Indian cinema ever.
Naseeruddin Shah was the flag bearer of parallel cinema during the 80s. Though he made his debut in the late 70s but came into the limelight during the 80s with movies like Sparsh, Maasoom, JaaneBhi Do Yaaron, Trikal, etc. His collaboration with ShyamBenegal gave us gems like Manthan, Junoon,Aakrosh, and many more. He won the National Awards for Best Actor for Sprash and Paar. He was a winner of three Filmfare awards also.
Om Puri
Along with Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri was another actor who made his mark in Bollywood with his acting and starred in many cult classic movies.
Om Puri is one of the noted actors in Bollywood and is known for his brilliant performances in movies like Aakrosh, Ardh Satya, Mirch Masala and Dharavi. He frequently collaborated with filmmakers GovindNihalani and ShyamBenegal. He won National Awards for Arohan and Ardhsatya and a Filmfare Award for his performance in Aakrosh. Along with acting in hard-hitting serious movies, he featured in light-hearted movies like JaaneBhi Do Yaaron and Albert Pinto koGussaKyuAata Hain hence proving his versatility.
Pankaj Kapoor
Pankaj Kapoor is a well-known Indian actor who acted in various plays, movies, and television shows. He made his debut with ShyamBenegal’sArohan.
In his career that spanned almost four decades, Pankaj Kapoor acted in less movies as compared to his contemporaries like Naseeruddin Shah and Om Puri. He came into the limelight after playing the role of Mahatma Gandhi's second secretary, Pyarelal Nayyar, in the Richard Attenborough’s multiple Oscar-winning movie Gandhi in 1982. He gave his voice to Ben Kingsley in the Hindi version of the film. He got critical acclaim for his movies like Mandi, Khamosh,JaaneBhi Do Yaaron. Mohan Joshi Haazir Ho and Raakh for which he received a National Award. He is the father of famous Bollywood actor Shahid Kapoor.
