Stealing the show: 10 great side characters on screen recently
Guru Narayan Badhaai DPlayed by Gulshan Devaiah
Guru Narayan (Badhaai Do)Played by Gulshan Devaiah
Gulshan Devaiah breaks it down: Guru Narayan, a queer lawyer who falls for Shardul, is never affected by what people say or think of him. My job playing Guru was to romance Shardul. Love is love regardless of gender and sexual orientation. I never had to remind myself that I was playing a gay person.
Jagan (Qala)Played by Babil Khan
Irrfan Khan’s son Babil made his debut last year in Anvitaa Dutt’s Qala as Jagan, a character inspired by the singing prodigy Master Madan. Born in 1927, Madan became so popular that when Mahatma Gandhi visited Shimla in 1940 his audience was hijacked by the young singer. Later, Madan lost his voice, apparently after drinking mercury-laced milk served to him by a jealous contemporary.Chikni Chudail (Phone Bhoot)Played by Sheeba Chadha
Bengalis love their ghosts. Their most popular ones are women: Petni Shakchunni, Nishi, Dainee. Joining the ranks with twisted feet is Chikni Chudail, the most relatable ghost, ever. Tired of freelancing gigs, she seeks the stability of a corporate job. Sheeba Chadha plays her to perfection with her Bengali accent and Bengali-style sari on fleek.
Jomin (Bhediya)Played by Paalin Kabak
Jomin is acutely aware of how underdeveloped his state, Arunachal Pradesh, is, says director Amar Kaushik. He wants to bring in infrastructure, so he thinks deforestation might help. His main opponent is Panda. Their interactions are about the insideroutsider debate and the casual everyday racism against people from the Northeast.
Zulfi (Darlings)Played by Roshan Mathew
Young Zulfi is assumed to have a crush on Badru, the wife of a violent man. But in a twist nobody could have imagined, when Zulfi is questioned by the police, he blurts out ‘Mujhe Khala cute lagti hai’, referring to Badru’s mother Shamsu. Zulfi manages to dispel the notion that a middle-aged woman has no sexual identity. If only their relationship had been traced better.
Babloo (Vikram Vedha)Played by Sharib Hashmi
Babloo Bhaiyya was not a completely bad guy, says Hashmi. I even felt sympathy for him at one point. That was the trickiest part: I wanted him to come across as a mean guy but also show his vulnerable side. Pushkar and Gayatri, the directors, were initially hesitant to cast me in that role but they changed their minds after my audition.
Doodh Singh (Shamshera)Played by Saurabh Shukla
One of the few comrades of Shamshera’s rag tag army of Khamerans who share his dream of freeing their tribe, Doodh Singh injects energy, freshness, and humour to the film. Saurabh Shukla’s acting is powerful. In a better movie with a more well-etched character, this is one of his top performances. Singh’s origin story would make a delicious spin-off.
Rinku (Good Luck Jerry)Played by Deepak Dobriyal
Deepak Dobriyalis outstanding as the entitled, delusional good-for-nothing Roadside Romeo Rinku, who thinks he is the most eligible bachelor in the locality. The character draws from the stalky, rapey Bollywood hero tropes of the ’90s. But here, instead of celebrating the problematic, entitled, toxic man as the hero, the role focuses on his ridiculousness.
Radha Solanki (Blurr)Played by Krutika Desai
Radha Solanki, a middle-aged woman living alone in a mansion at a remote hill station, quit her dazzling acting career 25 years ago to take care of a mentally ill son. Now she clings to her only role — a mother, fervently protecting her son. Krutika Desai’s portrayal ensures you feel Radha Solanki’s pain even when she does the unthinkable.
Nishikant Adhikari (Monica, O My Darling)Played by Sikandar Kher
He’s the suave, flamboyant, foul-mouthed mastermind whose matter-of-fact and meticulously calculated and professional approach toward murder takes the audience by surprise. But he steals the scene when he ensembles his gang of reluctant assassins. Nishi was a character etched out very well. He is dynamic but a bit broken. He must have been a troubled kid, says Sikandar.
