Top 10 Best Bollywood Actors 2008

10. Imran Khan
There's a terrible deficiency of talented young faces in the film industry. And so Imran Khan's friendly-as-a-Care Bear turn, as Jai Singh Rathore aka Rats, found a smitten admirer in viewers of all ages. Imran's unassuming, breezy aura and tangible niceness coupled up with an emotionally contained and confident performance contributed immensely to Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na's stable, sweet appeal. Although the same cannot be said about his premature-action-hero follow-up in Kidnap, Imran is, without doubt, a biggie-in-the-making.

9. Rajeev Khandelwal
It requires crazy level of talent to carry an entire film, offbeat one at that, on one's shoulders single-handedly, especially if it happens to be your first film. Television star Rajeev Khandelwal's believable anxiety and mounting trauma as he goes through a day full of horrors in the sometimes merciless city of Mumbai is spellbinding to say the least. Considering the entire premise of Aamir depends on its titular hero's charisma, to keep the audience hooked through this ordeal, Khandelwal does astonishingly well.

8. Vinay Pathak and Abhay Deol
It's a tie between the two of the most underrated actors of Bollywood. It's rather heart-warming to watch Vinay Pathak shift tracks from supporting characters to main lead with Dasvidaniya. The actor showcases his amazing range from a smart alec comic to a mini-Anand, smoothly slipping into the skin of the role he essays with incredible honesty, compelling you to forget comparisons with The Bucket List and enjoy the simplicity of his performance. Though Oye Lucky! Lucky Oye! didn't garner the audience it expected or deserved, those who saw it only had nice things to say about Abhay Deol, his understated charm and smooth realism as the con man with supreme poise. A master of subtlety, Deol has, on more than one occasion, demonstrated what he can do with oddball roles. Only here, he outdoes himself.
7. Farhan Akhtar
He came. He saw. And he rocked. While his capabilities behind the camera were never really in question, Farhan Akhtar took everyone by surprise with an effective display of histrionics and wacky playback skills, in front of it as well. The transformation from a charged-up lead singer of a blossoming band to an impassive cabin-holding shark in an investment firm wasn't limited to wardrobe alone. In a performance laced with tremendous conflict on the surface, lingering regrets in his snappish tone and the subsequent realization of its futility, Farhan came out on tops.

6. Akshay Kumar
Akshay Kumar could easily make a lousiest scene the best thing about a movie with his swashbuckling magnetism and finely-tuned comic timing. And so whether it was as the golden-hearted don Happy Singh in Singh is Kinng or the gaudy-and-loving-it Bachchan Pandey of Tashan, Akshay's celebrated earthiness was on a roll. Having said that, the actor's fast-nearing a point where he needs to stop doing his usual jig and aim for something radical.
5. Naseeruddin Shah
As the representative of the much-harried common man in the face of terror, Naseer's potent baritone and seething presence leaves an indelible mark on the viewer who can relate with his frustrations, more than ever. Fortunately enough, A Wednesday didn't turn out to be one of those critically acclaimed flops. It struck a chord in all the right places and clicked at the box office as well. While he was proficient as ever in Maharathi and Mithya, one role he appeared to having a blast doing was a frame-sized cameo as Amar Singh Rathore, advocating his three essential requirements to qualify for manhood, in Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na. Super stuff, this!

4. Shah Rukh Khan
Ideally, it would have been fabulous to have Shah Rukh Khan play Surinder Sahni all the way. But Raj being Raj had to somehow squeeze himself into the proceedings. It's not the same though, because Raj isn't iconic any more, he is Suri's interpretation. To his credit, Shah Rukh Khan plays both the dissimilarity and connection with the flamboyance of Raj and earnestness of Suri. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi works primarily because of SRK's simplicity rendered to the latter. Moreover, despite the implausible premise, he has us convinced and routing for him. A-one, hai ji? You bet!
3. Aamir Khan
After a really long time, one saw a film solely resting on the puffed-up shoulders of Aamir Khan. Fanaa was as much about him as it was about its comeback star, Kajol. Taare Zameen Par didn't revolve around him. In Rang De Basanti, the issue was much bigger than his presence. And so a full-bodied turn in Ghajini was long overdue. Beneath all the hype and muscles, however, lies a high-voltage, physically exhausting performance. The violence in his expressions is as dynamic as the sound of his clobbering. Even those who had a problem with its anterograde amnesia roots couldn't help but acknowledge the visceral grit of Khan's most action-packed performance ever.
2. Hrithik Roshan
Playing a one of India's greatest rulers isn't as easy as it looks. It's not about adorning rich brocades and ornate kundans. It's not about raising your sword and charging at the enemy. Hrithik Roshan gets that perfectly. Instead of treating Jodhaa Akbar like a costume drama, he tackles his character like a multi-layered individual with an important designation. He recreates a certain grace, restraint, vigor and might of a celebrated historical figure through a precisely-modulated delivery and persuasive etiquette. It's an inspiring, original accomplishment which bears no semblance to other actors in similar roles. What's more Hrithik's delicately nuanced performance, despite a wobbly script and sketchy narrative, is impressively consistent.
1. Amitabh Bachchan
There's nothing more elevating than watch an actor deliver a challenge, without any compromise, in all his enthused glory. Amitabh Bachchan's breathtaking transformation into The Last Lear is all that and more. Playing a mercurial, ageing actor consumed by Shakespeare and a tantalizing imagination, Bachchan's Harry is eccentric yet fascinating, stern yet child-like, a novel-like personality, a reluctant legend. To achieve this, AB lends intriguing layers and slender detailing to his part with untiring brilliance, natural candor and exaggerated eloquence. It's his masterpiece on all counts.