Raabta, Indu Sarkar, Manto and more: When theatre artists take centrestage in Bollywood

Gone are the days when Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur would get meaty roles in parallel cinemas alone . This is a time when Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan are given lead roles. From Kirti Kulhari in Indu Sarkar to Rasika Duggal in Manto, here‘s a look at five theatre actors who will play main roles in upcoming films.

Bollywood is often blamed for overlooking talent for the sake of “nepotism”. However, in the past few years, we have seen a sudden surge of artists who have immense talent and have managed to reach the audience without godfathers in the industry.

While Jim Sarbh takes on Sushant Singh Rajput in Raabta, Rasika Duggal plays Nawazuddin Siddiqui’s wife in Manto and Kirti Kulhari is an important character in Indu Sarkar.

Gone are the days when the likes of Naseeruddin Shah and Pankaj Kapur would get meaty roles in parallel cinemas alone . This is a time when theatre actors like Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Irrfan Khan are given lead roles and they rule the silver screen like they own it.

Here, we take a look at five theatre actors who began their tinsel town journey with side roles but have finally got their due and are set to play lead or main roles in upcoming films.

Kirti Kulhari

Kirti Kulhari on the sets of Indu Sarkar.

Hailing from theatre background, Kirti’s performance in Pink earned her great laurels. Now, she has two major projects in her kitty. One is Madhur Bhandarkar’s Indu Sarkar and another opposite Irrfan Khan is an untitled Abhinay Deo film.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Rasika Duggal in a still from Manto.

Theatre actor Rasika has essayed several supporting characters and now, she plays the female lead in Nandita Das’ Manto opposite Nawazuddin Siddiqui essaying the role of Safia Manto, the poet’s wife.

Manav Kaul

Manav Kaul, Vidya Balan and Neha Dhupia on the sets of Tumhari Sullu.

Manav has directed several plays and began his career with theatre. He will soon be seen opposite Vidya Balan in Tumhari Sullu. The film also stars Neha Dhupia.

Jim Sarbh

Jim Sarbh may be playing the main antagonist in Raabta.

We loved to hate him in Sonam Kapoor’s Neerja as the disgusting terrorist. The theatre artist will now be seen in what looks like a parallel anti-hero role in Sushant Singh Rajput’s Raabta opposite Kriti Sanon.

Sayani Gupta

Sayani poses with her The Hungry co-stars.

Sayani has been praised for her performances right from her debut with Kalki in Margarita With A Straw. Now we will be seeing her in the film The Hungry, starring Naseeruddin Shah, as the lead female protagonist.

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