Actors who stepped out of their comfort zone and nailed it

There are certain roles that make us rethink an actor, whether it's because they delivered a performance we had no idea they were capable of or because they played against type, breaking free from their accepted image. Stepping out of their comfort zones – whether physically, stylistically, or deciding to try a new genre – can be one of the best things an actor does. Let’s take a quick look at these actors who absolutely nailed it despite being way out of their comfort zone.

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Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Ek Je Chhilo Raja’ sees Jisshu Sengupta in a never seen before avatar. Be it the zamindar look or haunting sadhu baba look, the fans were left awestruck. Jisshu also described it’s his most physically challenging role so far since he had to make the transformation from a zamindar to a half-naked sanyasi. “Shooting in extreme 5 degrees, that too wearing practically nothing, bathing in the Ganga in extreme winter or sitting next to corpses in burning ghats; it’s horrible,” Jisshu revealed. What made the shooting even more difficult is the rooted historical facts. The dashing actor is literally unrecognisable in the ash-smeared, bearded and disheveled avatar of a sadhu. The entire credit for this transformation goes to makeup artist Somnath Kundu, who used so many prosthetics and certainly loads of research to turn the glamorous actor into a sanyasi. It used to take two hours to transform Jisshu into a sanyasi.

Prosenjit has always tried to experiment with his looks, breaking his image in almost every film he has acted in. The Tollywood superstar generated accolades for his outstanding portrayal of Lalan Fakir, the legendary spiritual leader, poet and ‘Baul’ of the 19th century in ‘Moner Manush’ (2010). Headlined by Prosenjit Chatterjee in a guise he has never donned before, Atanu Ghosh’s film ‘Shesh Pata’ is again a revelation. He plays a reclusive, whimsical and irritable writer Balmiki Sengupta who battles demons of his own mind in the film.

In the political thriller, the actress can be seen in one of her most outrageous onscreen appearances. Swastika plays a fierce mafia leader, Mandira, in Arindam Bhattacharya’s much-talked-about film. The actor herself has identified the character as one of the most challenging roles in her more than 20-year-long career. “Mandira is a simple middle-class woman whose life revolves around household chores. Suddenly it takes a turn as her husband gets killed. It is her urge for revenge that makes her a terror in that area. For the first time, I held a gun in my hand,” the versatile actor shared during an interview.

Kaushik Ganguly’s National Award-winning queer film ‘Nagarkirtan’ saw Ritwick playing a flute player from the Kirtaniya town of Nabadwip while Riddhi Sen was seen as Parimal, a trans-woman from rural Bengal. Ritwick’s portrayal of a bicurious man is a perfect example of breaking binaries in so many ways. Alongside Riddhi’s terrific performance, the seasoned actor excels as a cis man in the heart-wrenching social drama. He leaves an impact that stays until long after you’ve watched the film. He plays the lovestruck musician with effortless mastery, and his transformation as the film comes to an end is in equal parts terrifying and devastating.

In Srijit Mukherji’s ‘Dwitiyo Purush’, Anirban surprises all as Khoka, a dark bloody character. Just like the film approaches the end with a shocking twist, the sinister-looking Anirban Bhattacharya is indeed a treat to watch. “Many have said my look was repulsive in the film and that’s the kind of response I wanted to elicit from the audience. I wanted Khoka to have a fleshy, oily and repulsive look to portray the ugliness, and it clicked very well with the audience,” that’s what Anirban has to say on his part.

In Aritra Mukherjee’s film ‘Fatafati’, the actor plays Phullora Bhaduri, a tailor from the suburbs with a gifted sense of designing, and is ridiculed for being on the heavier side. “For the first time I went through such huge physical transformation for a film. Post my surgeries I had gained around 7 kilos as I was bed ridden for over 6 months. Then I was all prepared to shed it for two scripts that needed me to get back in shape. Then Fatafati came to me - the script changed everything,” recalls Ritabhari. When she heard the script for the first time Ritabhari knew that she has to gain 15- 20 more kilos to look the part and to justify the role of a plus-size model.