Vicky Kaushal: The Star on the Rise

Vicky Kaushal is a man who, in his three-year long career of being in the lead, till date has not received a single bad review, and he proves his calibre every time he enters that 70 mm frame. With three successful theatrical films to his credit in 2018, Vicky opened 2019 with his film URI:The Surgical Strike and God, he nailed our hearts again with his performance!

For a boy who was introduced to us as non-quintessential hero, Deepak, in Masaan, to playing an Army officer in URI, Vicky deserves all the appreciation that comes his way. The current crush of the nation is also ruling the silver screen from the very beginning of this new year. His film URI:The Surgical Strike released yesterday on January 11, and opened to unbelievable numbers. It earned around Rs 8 Cr on the first day of its release, which is huge for a film of this genre. The possibility is that Vicky is turning out to be a highly bankable actor, bringing in numbers, along with the quality of his performances. With URI: The Surgical Strike being successful at the Box Office, let’s look back at list of Vicky’s films that we loved him in.

Masaan

To debut with a film that doesn’t showcase you as a pretty looking hero who is the epitome for the men-to-be, is a risk for a newcomer to take. Moreover, you might get lost in a crowd of actors, and standing out might be difficult. But Vicky aced that path and came out shining in Neeraj Ghaywan’s 2015 film Masaan. Vicky played a small-town boy Deepak who wants to come out of the strata he is living in (the community of people who burn the dead at the Ghats in Benares), and achieve his goals. His struggles and trials form a major thread of the film. Vicky’s portrayal of Deepak was poignant and understated and he burned his path into our hearts.

Raman Raghav 2.0

After winning in the Neeraj Ghaywan film, Vicky took on the challenge to prove himself in  Anurag Kashyap’s zone. He played the complex, convoluted cop Raghavan who meets his alter ego in the character of a serial killer played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui. He realises that they are essentially the same, and that is an indigestible fact that eventually drives him crazy. Vicky played the part with so much swagger, completely in contrast to his Deepak, simply proving versatility.

Raazi

This was not his lead role. Raazi, based on Harinder Sikka’s Calling Sehmat, was the story of an Indian spy played by Alia Bhatt, who saved our nation from a major attack. Vicky played a Pakistani Army officer and Alia’s husband in this film, and his portrayal was unique. He imbued his role with so much character (whether going through angst or anger or the gentle nuances) contrary to expectations, breaking the stereotype yet again.

Sanju

The character that everyone took back with them from Rajkumar Hirani’s Sanju was not the lead, but his friend Kamli, played by Vicky. The high point of the film was the bond Sanju and Kamli shared, which wouldn’t possible had Vicky and Ranbir not shared that chemistry. There is nothing wrong in saying that a major chunk of the film Sanju’s success belongs to Vicky, no two ways about it!

Manmarziyaan

Experimenting once again, in Anurag Kashyap’s debut romantic directorial, Manmarziyaan, Vicky played the clueless-about-his-life and complicated-in-his-mind DJ Sandhu, who doesn’t know where his life is heading towards, and is the classic example of how someone is not supposed to be. And, no surprises for guessing, Vicky rocked this part as well! Seemingly effortlessly! This boy even acts with his eyes in the parts he has no dialogues. It was due to him that a role/character we were not supposed to root for, was loved by us, flaws, warts, blue hair and all….

URI: The Surgical Strike

In his recent release URI, based on the 2016 surgical strike conducted by the Indian Army, Vicky is playing an Indian Army officer. Vicky owned his part, so into character was he immersed. He melded himself as the army man and was super believable. The film opened to around Rs 8 cr which is an amazing first day collection. And this is just the beginning. The film will probably traverse the path towards achieving more milestones. Yet another feather in his multi-hued cap, and one more notch in his brief but chequered filmography.

Vicky has his hands full with projects this year and we are excited about them. Do let us know in the comment section what you feel about this superb actor and also which of his films you like the most.