YIR 2019: Top 10 Indian web series performances

B-towners, fresh talent, and dependable artists – we look at the biggest winners of this year's streaming scene.

One of the best female actors around, Shefali has done only a handful of films over the years, but she’s an impact maker in every role. To the Netflix generation, she gives an unforgettable performance as police chief Vartika Chaturvedi in a story based on the Nirbhaya rape and murder. Delhi Crime tracks the super cop and her rag tag team through the extreme challenges of bringing the rapists to book. Shefali is the story’s anchor, and it’s through her that the audience gets its sense of fear, anger, and hope. In nailing the role, Shefali also drives home the point that actresses over 45 can deliver winners with the right script.

The uber talented actor made a splash into the web series scene with this slick show about an intelligence officer juggling his work and familial duties. As Shrikant Tiwari, the ace at his job who mostly finds himself in a spot when it comes to running a household, Bajpayee brings an effortless bewilderment that's both humorous and understandable.

Unlike the doting, sacrificing mothers one is used to in our serials and movies, Kulkarni's shade-throwing Shanti or “Mummy” for all practical purposes in this endearing TVF series is utterly delightful. She tells her sass-mouth sons off, lists out chores for her husband, and doesn't miss an opportunity to fake boast about her family's prospects – all while running a strapped but close-knit household.

The two brilliant actors lit up the concluding season of Sacred Games. Amruta Subhash as Yadav Madam provides the icy intelligence operator with a vice-like grip over the life of Nawazuddin’s fiery Gaitonde who’s ready to burn down his enemies at the drop of a hat. The chemistry between the two makes for a riveting watch.

Arguably one of the finest contemporary Indian actors, Pankaj Tripathi adds yet another memorable performance to his growing repertoire. Tripathi plays a small-time advocate, Madhav Mishra in the crime drama based on the eponymous 2008 BBC series. In the hands of a lesser actor, Madhav Mishra would have looked caricaturish but with Tripathi at helm, the character's quirks and craftiness find a worthy execution making him both entertaining and engaging.

A triumphant effort about the coaching capital culture, TVF's Kota Factory also creates a beautiful array of characters. While TVF's old hand Jitendra Kumar shines in a tailor-made role of Jeetu bhaiyya – the encouraging teacher who is also a friend, philosopher and guide to his students, it is young Ranjan Raj who appears in a scene-stealing performance as the sweet-natured, jocular nerd Balmukund Meena who also drops the one of the most profound lines of the show: “Dosti koi revision thodi hai jo karni hi hai.”

Dia was one of the surprise packages of the year, as far as web series go. For ZEE5’s Kafir, she exceeds herself playing Kainaz, a woman from Pakistan-occupied Kashmir who finds herself on the other side of the border accused of being a militant. Over her career, Dia’s stunning looks tended to overshadow her acting chops. She’s an underrated performer, and now given the platform, she has delivered a poignant performance as a single mother stuck in prison.

After several small but remarkable performances in films and TV serials, Aamir Bashir finally entered the big league in 2019. In Netflix's Sacred Games, he rendered an impressive performance as the Mumbai cop, Majid, struggling with religious prejudices around him. Bashir's big break came with the second season of Amazon Prime's cricket drama, Inside Edge where the actor was cast as the enigmatic, reclusive boss of the Indian Cricket Board – Yashvardhan Patil aka Bhaisaab. In Bashir's competent hands, the undaunted and Machiavellian Bhaisaab becomes the most interesting character of the otherwise ludicrous show.

Sobhita and Arjun play Tara and Karan, two Delhi-based wedding planners who not only run a company together but are also each other's great emotional support. Made in Heaven explores the Indian wedding scene beyond the pomp and pageantry and also opens up discussions about class divide, social construct, and sexuality through Tara and Karan's stories. As Karan, Arjun Mathur is uniformly excellent in depicting a gay man's tryst to live a dignified life while the former Miss India runner-up, Sobhita has both the chops and charm to play the sophisticated and focused Tara.

The ever dependable actor takes centrestage to play the notorious Rajasthan gangster Anandpal Singh in the sophomore edition of the much-discussed crime drama. Christened Amarpal Singh in the show, Sheirgill makes his character's transition from a civil service aspirant to a mafia boss both compelling and colourful.