#HBDVickyKaushal: 7 top performances by actor you shouldn't miss

CHENNAI: Vicky Kaushal has been one of the most promising and versatile actors in the Bollywood film Industry. His debut with the 2015 film Masaan, was received with much love and critical acclaim.

Now, after giving a scintillating performance on his recent venture with Shoojit Sircar's Sardar Udham, the actor has been enjoying the fandom as well as the love poured for his marriage with Katrina Kaif, the photos of them, which are still making the rounds on social media platforms.

As the actor celebrates his 34th birthday today, we look at the effective roles that he has portrayed over his career that define his versatility:

1. Maasan

Maasan marked the debut of both Vicky and director Neeraj Ghaywan.

Vicky played the character Deepak Chaudhary, a lower caste boy who falls in love with a girl from an upper caste, causing tragic problems in the caste society that they live in.

Starring with Shweta Tripathi Sharma and Richa Chadha, the actor encapsulated the role to perfection and stole the show, especially the scene where he cries in a sailing boat with friends still stays in the heart of audiences as a meme or as a personal favourite scene.

The film is said to be Vicky's best performance and was even screened at the prestigious Cannes Film Festival.

2. Sanju

From playing a sad young man in a serious drama to supporting the role of Kamli, Sanjay Dutt's best friend, Kaushal did a great job as an actor in a biopic starring Ranbir Kapoor. His performance in the Rajkumar Hirani film was recognized overnight with several awards and admirations.

3. Sardar Udham

Playing a historical character is no easy feat, but in Shoojit Sircar's Sardar Udham, the actor marked the best performer of his career. Kaushal played revolutionary Udam Singh who assassinated Michael O'Dwyer, Lieutenant Governor of Punjab, British India, who was responsible for the Jallianwala Bug massacre.

In a particularly tense sense in the film's final act, Vicky brought chills to the role as his character heads to the site of the massacre minutes after his fellow men and women are gunned down and hug a child. That scene will bring tears for sure to the audience.

Vicky perfectly dwells deeper into the character, depicting the anguish and motives of Sardar Udham on the screen.

3. URI: The Surgical Strike

How is the Josh? High sir! -- Vicky even though steeped as a critic's favourite emerged as a household name after his role as Major Vihaan Singh in Aditya Dhar's URI: The Surgical Strike. Inspired by a real army officer, his role as Major Vihan Singh has won a million hearts in his portrayals. It is important to note both of his army characters were so different in tonality from each other. The film even earned him a National Award for Best Actor.

4. Raazi

Meghna Gulzar's spy-thriller 'Raazi', which saw Alia Bhatt in the lead role and starred Vicky Kaushal, played the role of Pakistani military officer Iqbal Syed, who marries Sehmat (Alia). Vicky broke the stereotypical image of “crude, shrewd, and a fanatic”, Pakistani soldiers and provided a highly differentiated depiction of uniformed men from neighbouring countries.

5. Raman Raghav 2.0

Vicky Kaushal plays the protagonist in Anurag Kashyap's film. He excels as the darkly comedic, brutally nihilistic, and staunch form of a toxic masculine police officer Raghav. Even though he barely appears in the first half of the film, he brings the much-needed suspense as he represents a character who is a ticking time bomb just waiting to go off.

6. Manmarziyaan

Vicky Kaushal plays the protagonist again in Anurag Kashyap's film, he played the role of Vicky Sandhu aka local DJ Sands. The film plays a love triangle with Abhishek Bachchan and Vicky, both in love with Taapsee Pannu's character Rumi. He embodies the local language well and is suave, vulnerable, loving, and childlike all at once.

7. Love per square feet

Apart from his serious roles, Vicky starred in a feel-good rom-com film. Angira Dhar made her debut in this film and Vicky showed his lighter side. Anand Tiwari, who directed the film handles romance with proper care and maturity. The film was screened at the Beijing International Film Festival, held in China in April 2019.