15 Popular Unconventional Heroes Who Proved That Looks Don’t Matter
Posted On: 18 Apr 2022 | Last Updated : 06 Jan 2023 | Views : 1k
Looks being the most important criterion for making it big in the film industry, many actors are turned down by the casting couch for their average looks. Nevertheless, many times Bollywood proves it wrong by giving a chance to someone who doesn’t have looks to die for, but acting skills to leave you in awe. Despite their offbeat looks, the actors with real talent never fail to win the heart of their audience. Also, these sets of actors are the ones that makes the audience feel good about themselves, no matter how they look. They let you believe that in spite of your average or below-average looks, you have a chance to do a Bollywood-style love story, as all you need is honesty and confidence to woo your girl. Their success and never-ending fan base are proof that you need not have the Bollywood saint look, as your talent could do the speaking for you. Let’s check these popular unconventional Bollywood actors who proved that looks don’t matter. Check out more such Bollywood updates, articles, topics, and trivia related to movies and celebrities.
1. Naseeruddin Shah
The notable parallel cinema actor, Naseeruddin Shah is the recipient of numerous awards. Starting his career in Bollywood with the 1967 film Aman, starring Rajendra Kumar and Saira Banu, the actor was always praised for his acting skills. Despite his average looks, the actor conveniently pulls any look and gives his best for any role. Many times, the movie became a big hit just because of him. Some of his best works include – Nishant (1975), Aakrosh (1980), Sparsh (1980), Albert Pinto Ko Gussa Kyun Aata Hai (1980), Masoom (1983), Mandi (1983), Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), Mirch Masala (1987), and many more. The actor went on to give one after another phenomenal performance and also has mentored many present-day actors. The Government of India honoured him with the Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan for his contributions to Indian cinema.
2. Nana Patekar
Former Indian Territorial Army officer, Nana Patekar is a recipient of several awards, who started his career in Bollywood with the 1978 film Gaman. Known for his simple lifestyle and generosity in donating to charities, Nana Patekar never focused much on his appearance, rather was more focused on winning the hearts of his audience with his unconventional acting skills. He achieved his breakthrough with his role in Parinda (1989), for which he won several awards. Some of his other best performances include Prahaar: The Final Attack (1991), Angaar (1992), Tirangaa (1993), Krantiveer (1994), Khamoshi: The Musical (1996), Shakti: The Power (2002), Apaharan (2005), Welcome (2007), Raajneeti (2010), etc. He was honoured with the Padma Shri in 2013 by the Government of India for his contribution to Indian cinema.
3. Pankaj Kapur
An important actor of parallel cinema, Pankaj Kapur graduated from National School of Drama, and did theatre for four years, before he appeared in the 1982 film Gandhi. Following this, he appeared in movies like Mandi (1983), Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), Mohan Joshi Hazir Ho! (1984), Khandhar (1984), Khamosh (1985), Chameli Ki Shaadi (1986), Yeh Woh Manzil Nahin (1987), Jalwa (1987), Raakh (1989), Ek Doctor Ki Maut (1990), Maqbool (2003), The Blue Umbrella (2005), Halla Bol (2007), Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola (2013) and many more. He switched to television and theatre, but his love for art films was always alive, which pulled him once in a while to act in such moving films.
4. Om Puri
Born in an underprivileged family, actor Om Puri had to do many odd jobs and face hardships before he finally made it big. Known for his author-backed roles in Aakrosh (1980), Arohan (1982) and Ardh Satya (1983), and also his light-hearted and comedic roles in Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro (1983), Chachi 420 (1997), Khoobsurat (1999), Singh Is Kinng (2008), etc., he has always amused the viewers with his performance. Many times, the actor was called out for his spotted face and scarring skin, but that didn’t stop him from winning the hearts of millions with his talent and gaining recognition worldwide.
5. Anupam Kher
The former Chairman of Film and Television Institute of India, Anupam Kher is the recipient of several awards. He started his career in Bollywood with the 1984 family drama Saaransh, in which he played a 65-year-old retired middle-class man though he was just 29 years old at that time, as he lost his hair at a very young age. He mostly appeared in supporting roles, as an aged man, the actor always amused his audience and garnered the praises of critics. Some important movies of his career include Ram Lakhan (1989), ChaalBaaz (1989), Beta (1992), Darr (1993), Hum Aapke Hain Koun..! (1994), Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995), Kuch Kuch Hota Hai (1998), Haseena Maan Jaayegi (1999), Kya Kehna (2000), etc. He also played the lead in many movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), A Wednesday! (2008), The Shaukeens (2014), The Accidental Prime Minister (2019), The Kashmir Files (2022), and many more.
6. Raghubir Yadav
The alumnus of National School of Drama, Raghubir Yadav has many memorable performances in his entire acting career. He surely is one of the first unconventional Bollywood actors who proved that looks don’t matter. The actor started his career as a theatre artist and later moved to television. He is best remembered for his role as sharp witted detective Chacha Chaudhary in Chacha Chaudhary. In late 1980s, the actor shifted his focus completely to films and made his appearance in several critically acclaimed movies. Some of the best films of his career include Massey Sahib (1985), Salaam Bombay! (1988), Bandit Queen (1994), Lagaan (2001), Water (2005), Firaaq (2008), Peepli Live (2010), Gandhi to Hitler (2011), Newton (2017), Pagglait (2021) and many more.
7. Manoj Bajpayee
Named after legendary actor Manoj Kumar, Manoj Bajpayee always dreamt of being an actor. Born in a lower middle class, he had to struggle a lot throughout his childhood. Due to his average looks, he struggled to enter the film industry, but finally made his Bollywood debut with a one-minute role in Drohkaal (1994), ironically the role gained him a great deal of recognition despite the length. He was also praised for his small role in Shekhar Kapur’s dacoit film Bandit Queen (1994). Some of his best works include Satya (1998), Kaun? (1999), Shool (1999), Zubeidaa (2001), Pinjar (2003), Swami (2007), Rajneeti (2010), Aiyaary (2018), Baaghi 2 (2018), and many more. He is often credited as the director’s actor and has been vocal about the disparity in the pay in comparison to the top heroes of the industry.
8. Irrfan Khan
Born as Sahabzade Irfan Ali Khan, simply known as Irrfan Khan or Irrfan, was one of the finest Indian actors and the recipient of numerous accolades including National Film Award, Asian Film Award and Filmfare Awards. The actor started his career in Bollywood with a small role in the 1988 film Salaam Bombay! which was followed by a series of small roles and failed efforts to establish his career. Finally, his critically acclaimed negative roles in Haasil (2003) and Maqbool (2004) were the breakthroughs in his career. Other important movies of his career include Life in a… Metro (2007), Paan Singh Tomar (2012), The Lunchbox (2013), Haider (2014), Gunday (2014), Piku (2015), Hindi Medium (2017) and many more. He also worked in several international projects like Slumdog Millionaire (2008), Life of Pi (2012), Jurassic World (2015), etc. The actor proved that if you have talent, nothing can stop you to claim the success that you deserve. In 2020, he died due to a colon infection, just four days after his mother’s death. Actor’s sudden death shocked the whole nation and was mourned by everyone including the film personalities and literary figures. Posthumously, he was awarded the Filmfare Lifetime Achievement Award in 2021.
9. Vinay Pathak
Started his career with a small role in Indo-Canadian erotic romantic drama Fire (1996), Vinay Pathak was motivated to return to Hindi theatre and films by his mentor Farley Richmond, whom he met while pursuing higher studies at Stony Brook University. The actor had mediocre looks, because of which it was never anticipated that he’d ever have a lead role in the movie. However, he let his talent speak for him and proved all the anticipations wrong. Be it his lead roles in movies like Khosla Ka Ghosla (2006), Bheja Fry (2007), Johnny Gaddar (2007) and Island City (2015), or his supporting roles in Jism (2003), Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (2008) and My Name is Khan (2010), it has always been a treat for the cine-goers to watch Vinay Pathak on the silver screen.
10. Kay Kay Menon
The unconventional actor Kay Kay Menon, born as Krishna Kumar Menon, had to struggle a lot before making it big in Bollywood. His looks were not that of a Bollywood saint, but his talent was surely enough to ensure him fame and success. He made his debut on the big screen with a small role in Naseem (1995). It was followed by his roles in movies like Paanch (2003), Black Friday (2004), Sarkar (2005), The Stoneman Murders (2009), Haider (2014), The Ghazi Attack (2017), and many more. He once credited actor Manoj Bajpayee as a turning point for method actors, as if it were not for Manoj’s performance in Satya, actors like him might still be waiting for acceptance. Recently, the actor was seen in the 2020’s web series Special Ops, which helped him to regain the popularity and garner the praises of both critics and audience.
11. Nawazuddin Siddiqui
When talking about the unconventional heroes of Bollywood, one can never miss Nawazuddin Siddiqui. This alumnus of the National School of Drama started his career in Bollywood with a small role in the 1999 action drama Sarfarosh. He went on to do small and unnoticeable roles in the movies for quite a long time to earn money and survive his struggling days and make it big in the Indian film industry. His hard work finally paid off, when he got a breakthrough with Anurag Kashyap’s Black Friday (2007). He reconstituted his fame with his role in the 2012 crime drama Gangs of Wasseypur (2012). Other important movies of his career include Kahaani (2012), Aatma – Feel it Around (2013), Bombay Talkies (2013), Kick (2014), Bajrangi Bhaijaan (2015), Manjhi – The Mountain Man (2015), Raman Raghav 2.0 (2016), Mom (2017), Motichoor Chaknachoor (2019) and many more. The actor never fails to amuse the viewers and win the hearts of the audience with his unique style of acting.
12. Ranvir Shorey
Ranvir Shorey, an Indian actor, who started his career as a VJ and co-hosted the talk show Ranvir Vinay Aur Kaun? with his friend actor Vinay Pathak, before shifting his focus to films. Though Ranvir has the looks of an ordinary man, he succeeded in acquiring a place in Bollywood. He made his debut in Bollywood with the 2002 film Ek Chhotisi Love Story. He then appeared in supporting roles in several movies like Jism (2003), Khosla Ka Ghosla! (2006), Pyaar Ke Side Effects (2006), Bheja Fry (2007), and many more, before venturing his way to lead roles in movies like Mithya (2008), Ugly Aur Pagli (2008), Moh Maya Money (2016), etc.
13. Vijay Raaz
Not a single die-hard fan of Bollywood could forget the ‘Kauwa Biryani’ scene from the 2004 action romantic drama Run, starring Abhishek Bachchan and Bhumika Chawla. Come to think of it, the phenomenal actor in the scene Vijay Raaz has always made sure to make his presence noticeable even with the smallest role. Without any formal training in acting, Vijay Raaz managed to become a widely-known name in Bollywood, regardless of the way he looks or the kinds of roles he is being offered. Some of his best works include Monsoon Wedding (2001), Raghu Romeo (2004), Dhamaal (2007), Welcome (2007), Delhi 6 (2009), Delhi Belly (2011), Pataakha (2018), Soorma (2018), Dream Girl (2019), Lootcase (2020), Gangubai Kathiawadi (2022) and many more.
14. Pankaj Tripathi
If there ever were a list of top 10 unconventional actors who proved that looks don’t matter in Bollywood, then Pankaj Tripathi would surely make to that list. Like many actors on the list, Pankaj Tripathi is an alumnus of National School of Drama, who has succeeded in establishing himself as one of the finest actors of Bollywood. The actor started his career in Bollywood with a small role in Bhopal Express (1999), which was followed by his series of small roles in several movies, until he got his breakthrough in the year 2012 in Anurag Kashyap’s duology film series Gangs of Wasseypur. The actor then appeared in several critically acclaimed movies like Fukrey (2013), Gunday (2014), Masaan (2015), Nil Battey Sannata (2016), Newton (2017), Stree (2018), Luka Chuppi (2019), Ludo (2020), Mimi (2021) and many more.
15. Sanjay Mishra
Like many actors on the list, Sanjay Mishra is an alumnus of National School of Drama. The actor made his debut in Bollywood with the 1995 film Oh Darling! Yeh Hai India!. Known for his comic timing and polished acting skills, the actor has always been applauded by his viewers. He started his career as a television actor, and after doing a few films, including Satya (1998) and Dil Se… (1998), he returned to TV. However, after appearing in important or lengthy supporting roles in movies like – Apna Sapna Money Money (2006), Golmaal (2006), All The Best (2009), Golmaal 3 (2010), Kick (2014), Dum Laga Ke Haisha (2014), Ankhon Dekhi (2014), Dilwale (2015), Bachchhan Paandey (2022), etc., he also went on to play the lead in movies such as Ankhon Dekhi (2013), Anaarkali of Aarah (2017), Kadvi Hawa (2017), Angrezi Mein Kehte Hain (2018) and Kaamyaab: Har Kisse Ke Hisse (2018).
