From Tabu and Ananya Panday to Imtiaz Ali: Showstoppers 2024-25, OTT edition

Also read: From Payal Kapadia to Vicky Kaushal: 2024-25 Showstoppers, filmmakers and film edition

Konkona Sen Sharma

Image: Getty Images

She has seamlessly transitioned to OTT platforms, delivering notable performances in web series like Mumbai Diaries. She even directed a segment in Lust Stories 2. Her last outing was the Netflix thriller series Killer Soup. Reviewers praised her performance as the highlight of the series, bringing stability to the show’s unpredictable plot.  

Nimisha Sajayan

Image: Tristian Fewings/Getty Images

The talented actor from Malayalam cinema made her OTT debut in 2024 with the Amazon Prime Video series Poacher. Directed by Emmy-award-winning filmmaker Richie Mehta, it is based on true events from 2015 that exposed the largest ivory poaching ring in Indian history. As Mala, a determined Kerala forest officer, Nimisha brings depth and nuance to the story of real-life heroes who risked everything to protect wildlife.

Manav Kaul

In a new series called Tribhuvan Mishra CA Topper, Kaul plays the lead role of a chartered accountant who moonlights as a sex worker. He adeptly showcases the struggles of the everyman in India, straddling moral conflicts, desperation and misplaced priorities. Kaul handles drama with a dark sense of humour, and delivers one of 2024’s standout performances on the small screen.

Shalini Passi

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The art connoisseur made her OTT debut on the third season of the Netflix series Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Wives. Her originality and unique personality made her the talk of the town. Born and raised in Delhi, Passi was a state-level gymnast before discovering her passion for art. She is the founder of MASH, a digital platform that explores the intersection of architecture, art, craft, design, and fashion in an engaging and accessible format. 

Also read: From Jasprit Bumrah to D Gukesh: Showstoppers 2024-25, Sports Edition

Manisha Koirala

Image: Neha Mithbawkar for Forbes India

Despite battling career setbacks, making multiple comebacks, and fighting ovarian cancer, her resilience shines through. Her recent OTT series debut in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Heeramandi is a testament to her talent. As Mallikajaan, she brought depth and nuance to a complex character, proving that she still rules the screen.

Samantha Ruth Prabhu

Image: Dave Benett/Getty Images

She appeared in the Indian show of the global Citadel franchise on Amazon Prime Video called Citadel: Hunny Bunny, where she plays a family woman-cum-spy. Reviewers praised her performance, some hailing her as Indian cinema’s ‘first real female action star’. Samantha shot to national fame with the 2021 hit song ‘Oo Antava’ from Pushpa. That same year, she made her OTT debut with Family Man Season 2.

Sonakshi Sinha

Image: Prodip Guha/Getty Images

In an all-female ensemble cast, Sinha shines in the two roles she plays in Heermanandi. One is of the unabashed, gender-fluid courtesan, Fareedan, and the other, smaller role, is of Fareedan’s mother, Rehana. According to Sinha, Rehana is the cruellest of all the characters, and she straddles both with élan.

Trisha Krishnan

Image: Getty Images

She plays the lead role of a senior inspector in the Telugu crime-thriller series Brinda. The show marks the Tamil and Telugu movie star’s foray into OTT. In Brinda, Krishnan plays an anxiety-ridden cop who is dealing with past demons and quietly fighting everyday gender discrimination. Trisha, who is among the top stars in South Indian cinema with a healthy lineup of films in 2025, received a positive reception for her streaming debut.

Tabu

Image: Sujit Jaiswal / AFP

Solidifying her global appeal, Tabu starred in the OTT science fiction series Dune: Prophecy, where she plays Sister Francesca. In 2024, the actor, known for her flawless portrayals on screen, also appeared in films like Crew and Auron Mein Kahan Dum Tha.  

Vijay Varma

Image: Aalok Soni/Getty Images

Verma portrays Captain Devi Sharan in the Netflix series IC 814: The Kandahar Hijack, a dramatic retelling of the 1999 Indian Airlines flight hijack. He plays the courageous hero who takes a large piece of credit for managing the crisis, in a performance that has been called authentic and emotionally deep by fans and critics.

Vikrant Massey

Image: AFP

The 12th Fail star headlined the Netflix crime-thriller film, Sector 36, playing a depraved murderer who kidnaps, rapes and brutally kills children. Massey excels in his restrained, captivating portrayal of the psychopath, in a story based on true events, of the Nithari killings in Noida. Massey also made headlines for a post that proclaimed ‘retirement’ from acting, but later clarified that he just needs a long break to recoup.

Directors/Showrunners

Aneesha Baig

Head of content (non-fiction) at Dharmatic Entertainment, Baig was the showrunner of one of the most loved and binged shows this year: Fabulous Lives Vs Bollywood Wives. The former NDTV journalist fronted Dharma’s tryst with unscripted content and has been doing a fine job, as the show is proving to be more popular with every new season.

Shreyansh Pandey

Known for Gullak, a family comedy-drama series on SonyLiv, which is in its fourth season, Pandey has won many hearts with the show’s relatable scenes and storyline. At the ScreenXX Awards 2024, the series created by Pandey won the critics’ choice ‘Best Content-Comedy’ award. He also directed the third season of the comedy series Permanent Roommates.

Imtiaz Ali

Image: Neha Mithbawkar for Forbes India

Ali directed Amar Singh Chamkila, one of the most popular OTT releases of 2024, starring Diljit Dosanjh and Parineeti Chopra. For the film, which is based on the life of the famous Punjabi singer Chamkila, he won Best Director at the Filmfare OTT Awards 2024. He was also chosen as the National Winner for his work on the film at the Asian Academy Creative Awards 2024.

Namrata Rao

Image: Getty Images

In 2024, the director-editor made her debut as a documentary filmmaker for her film Angry Young Men, depicting the life story of Bollywood’s iconic duo Salim-Javed. The film featured their family members, loved ones, and fans from the film fraternity, and was released on Prime Video in August. The film was rated 7.7/10 by IMDB.

Sharad Devarajan, Jeevan J Kang, Charuvi Agrawal

Jeevan J Kang

The trio are the co-creators of the much-loved mythical animated series on Disney Hotstar, The Legend of Hanuman. The show is in its fifth season and has been rated 9.1/10 by IMDB. At the recent Mei International Film Festival, the creators won awards for the fourth season in the ‘Best Animation Short Script’ and ‘Best Animation Short Film-Best Writer’ categories.

Methodology 

Forbes India Showstoppers, in its third year, is a list of 75 achievers who have outperformed in their respective fields—cinema (theatrical release), OTT, music and sports. The timeline considered is December 1, 2023, to December 1, 2024. Three months ago, a team of journalists and senior editors at Forbes India started putting together a long list of close to 150 names of actors, filmmakers, musicians, singers and sportspersons, through primary and secondary research. They arrived at the final list of 75 in the first week of December after internal deliberations. Since 2024 saw a multitude of younger professionals and artistes making their mark across these categories, especially in cinema and OTT, the List this year gives preference to younger stars over senior, more established celebrities.

For cinema, the factors under consideration were quality of work, appreciation (critical acclaim and popularity), level of challenge and diversity in roles, pipeline of projects, and box office success. In OTT, apart from the challenge and diversity of roles, we also considered popularity and recall value of their respective roles and shows. For sports, the metric was achievements this year, while for music, it was popularity across mainstream genres during the year.

Category coordinators: Naandika Tripathi & Rucha Sharma

Text by naandika tripathi, pankti mehta kadakia and samidha jain