In a sea shining with superstars, underdogs shone the brightest in 2025, a year that accentuated the flux the Hindi entertainment industry has been struggling with since the pandemic.
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In a year where most major Hindi film superstars had a tentpole release, it was acting performances in smaller, mid-budget movies and shows that stirred the status quo in spite of the crowded, noisy cinematic landscape.
2025 has been the year of underdogs. Highly anticipated new seasons of flagship shows such as Netflix’s Delhi Crime and Prime Video’s The Family Man turned out to be duds. Meanwhile, certain formidable forces and fresh entrants delivered admirably despite gargantuan expectations.
In a sea brimming with Salman Khans, Akshay Kumars and Hrithik Roshans, it was the likes of Abhishek Banerjee, Raghav Juyal and Shashank Arora that shone the brightest in a year that accentuated the flux the Hindi entertainment industry has been struggling with since the pandemic.
Abhishek Banerjee (Stolen; Prime Video)
The former casting director who has risen to fame over the last decade, courtesy his indispensable presence in the Maddock Horror Comedy Universe, is terrific as Gautam, the privileged elder brother who gets embroiled in an ugly mess he didn’t make.
Known for his exemplary comedy (Stree, Bhediya) and chilling villainy (Ajji, Pataal Lok, Vedaa), he plays everything in between in this edge-of-the-seat survival thriller directed by Karan Tejpal. Stolen cements what Hindi cinephiles have known for a while now—Banerjee is inarguably one of the finest actors working in the movies today.
Raghav Juyal (Bads of Bollywood; Netflix)
The campy caper marks Aryan Khan’s highly-publicised directorial debut, but what makes this Om Shanti Om-esque parody series sing is Raghav Juyal’s career-defining performance. Fresh off the blistering acclaim of their Hindi film debut Kill (2024), it is the magnetic bromance of Lakshya and Juyal’s central characters that anchors this show, bathed in excess access.
As Parvaiz, the slightly vulgar, deliciously nimble and effortlessly charming best friend of the hero who is loyal to a fault, Juyal takes the sidekick trope and runs, no, flies with it. There’s not one dull moment when he’s in the frame. He is gloriously agile with his craft and physicality. His time with Emraan Hashmi in the series is so explosive, it