Showstoppers 2022-23: Meet India's Top 50 Outperformers

Abhay Pannu has brought the lesser-known stories of India's scientific community to life in Rocket Boys. His restraint in using the material avaiable to him to build the story is commendable. Pannu's take on patriotism, pacifism, and the dark side of the arm's race never gets into the jingoism that seems to be prevalent today. Eight episodes present a captivating story of a struggling nation.

This was the year Aishwarya Lekshmi proved that she could excel in playing a range of characters, right from the commercial 'heroine' to strong, unconventional performances. She managed to make her mark as a sincere and bankable performer across Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam cinema. Some of her biggest successes include Ammu, Kumari, Gatta Kusthi and Gargi (where she was also a co-producer). She also starred in the Amazon Prime anthology Putham Pudhu Kaalai Vidiyaadhaa and stood her ground among Mani Ratnam's star-studded ensemble in Ponniyin Selvan: 1.

She began 2022 with a bang with an acclaimed performance in Gangubai Kathiawadi and followed it with another stellar act in Darlings, cementing her position as one of the most bankable actors in the Hindi film industry. Bhatt, who had a cameo in RRR, also turned producer with Darlings, which released on Netflix. Later in the year, she was seen in Brahmastra.

Amit Sial has been working on back-to-back OTT projects and, this year, he captivated the audience with his performances in the second season of Jamtara and Maharani. In the past, he has also played the lead role in Kathmandu Connection. Sial has been in the industry for more than 15 years now, and has worked in several Bollywood films, television shows and OTT projects.

Track and field athlete Avinash Sable won the silver in the 3,000 m steeplechase in the Commonwealth Games, breaking the absolute dominance the Kenyans have had in the sport for over three decades. With his medal, Sable not only became the first Indian to win a medal in the sport, but also the only non-Kenyan to make it to the podium since 1988.

The actor starred in three films—Anek, Doctor G and An Action Hero—in 2022, none of which worked at the box office. The last two, however, brought him acclaim for his varied choices and performances. He'll be seen in Dream Girl 2 next.

He is India's youngest grandmaster and the youngest player to have taken down Magnus Carlsen since he became a world champion. Gukesh was also in red-hot form in the Chess Olympiad, registering eight wins in a row and helping India B win the bronze. He also won an individual gold in the tournament. Besides, Gukesh has earned a few tournament victories in the year, including the Gijon Masters and the La Roda Open Chess Tournament.

A mechanical engineer from IIT Mumbai, Deepak Kumar Mishra went on to work with TVF, with no formal training in filmmaking. In 2016, he directed and acted in the romantic comedy Permanent Roommates-2 and directed Humorously Yours that released in 2019. He also played Tyagi Ji in the much loved series Gullak. Mishra is popularly known for creating and directing the slice-of-life drama Panchayat. He is now working on the third season of the series.

It was an exciting year for the National Award-winning actor, singer and producer, who starred in four films, and also crossed borders to reach Hollywood. His most appreciated performance was in the Tamil film Thiruchitrambalam, while his most talked-about film this year was the English film The Gray Man, directed by the Russo Brothers.

Having proved her mettle in a short career span, she had tremendous box office successes in 2022, as well as critical appreciation for her performances in Malayalam cinema. She had a strong start to the year with Hridayam, and her depth and range as an actor came through in Dear Friend and Jaya Jaya Jaya Jaya Hey.

With the role of Lieutenant Ram in the Telugu period romance film Sita Ramam, which ranked five in IMDB's Best Indian Movies of 2022, Salmaan won over a pan-India audience. Besides the romance genre, this year he also starred in thriller films such as Salute and Chup, the latter being acclaimed as an authentic Balki craft.

Eldhose Paul, who fought several personal odds to pursue his sport, became the first Indian triple jumper to qualify for the World Championships, and finished within the top eight. A few weeks later, he won a gold at the Commonwealth Games 2022, again becoming the first Indian to win a medal in the sport.

The filmmaker's courtroom drama Gargi received a good response from critics and audiences for the sensitive portrayal of a child rape investigation, while touching upon issues like media trials, the lapses and loopholes in the Indian criminal justice system, and the courage of the human spirit.

With projects such as Taj Mahal, Selection Day, Cobalt Blue, Unpaused: Naya Safar and three seasons of Gullak under her belt, actor Geetanjali Kulkarni is a known name in Marathi cinema, and has even been part of a National Award winning film, Court (2014). Last seen in Rangbaaz: Darr Ki Rajneeti, the actor has already shot for a film, Minimum, and is currently shooting for OTT series Moonwalk.

The flashy middle-order all-rounder left a forgettable 2021 behind him with a convincing 2022 performance. Pandya led his IPL team Gujarat Titans to their debut title victory and by the year-end, he was the stand-in captain in T20Is against New Zealand. In T20Is this year, he scored 607 runs and took 20 wickets in 27 matches. He also put in a decent performance in the ODIs during the England summer of July 2022.

From Monica O My Darling, Mithya and Maharani 2, Huma Qureshi has been winning the hearts of audiences with her remarkable performance. Her second outing as Rani Bharti in Maharani 2, the idealistic princess in the murk of Bihar politics of the '90s, has won many accolades. Her grounded performance in the engaging political drama is perfectly suitable for the story of an underdog.

Starting her career in the advertising world, Jasmeet K Reen's love for cinema bought her to Bollywood. After working as the chief assistant director, associate director, and screenplay writer in the industry, she began writing her debut film Darlings. Starring Alia Bhatt, Shefali Shah and Vijay Varma, it had the highest global opening for a non-English language Indian film on Netflix in 2022.

Shuttler Jerlin put in a stellar performance in 2022, winning three gold medals in badminton—the singles, mixed doubles and the India team mixed gold—at the 24th Summer Deaflympics in Brazil. She had gone medal-less at a similar event in Turkey in 2017. The Brazil performances brought her national recognition, and she was awarded the Arjuna Award in November. She is now training for the World Deaf Championships in 2023.

From Solomante Theneechakal, Peace, Thuramukham to Buffoon, it was quite a year for Joju George as he featured in nine OTT shows including both web series and movies. He is a Malayalam actor known for his performance in supporting and comedy roles.

Karthi had an excellent year, cementing his position as one of Tamil cinema's strongest actors. After excelling in his performance as Vanthiyadevan in Mani Ratnam's Ponniyan Selvan: 1, a role that came loaded with expectations, the actor continued his winning streak with a double role in PS Mithran's Sardar. He also received appreciation for the titular role in Viruman.

One of Malayalam cinema's most underrated, versatile and bankable actors, Boban had four film releases in 2022, the highlights being Nna Thaan Case Kodu, a legal satire that he also produced, and Pada, a political thriller. Boban has been making interesting and offbeat script choices of late, and his strong and sincere performances in these films in 2022 took his standing as an actor up by a notch.

The 20-year-old shuttler won the Indian Open beating world champion Loh Kean Yew. He also made it to the final of the All-England Championship, only the fifth Indian to do so. Sen also played a crucial role in India's historic victory at the Thomas Cup and continued his purple patch, winning the Commonwealth Games singles gold. But he ended the year on a tough note following a nasal surgery and a few early exits thereafter.

It's rare in Tamil cinema to have a genre-specific action film. And Lokesh Kanagaraj's Vikram, starring Kamal Haasan, Vijay Sethupathi and Fahadh Faasil—with tonnes of fanboy moments and Easter egg references—was one of the biggest hits of 2022, and kept people talking for days.

After making several appearances on reality shows as the judge or as a guest on the small screen, actor Madhuri Dixit made her OTT debut in 2022 with Netflix thriller The Fame Game, after doing films for close to four decades. Dixit starrer, Maja Ma, also released the same year, on Amazon Prime Video, which was the OTT platform's first India original.

The veteran actor, who is synonymous with Malayalam cinema, impressed everyone with his versatility, choice of scripts and performances. In 2022, his films include Puzhu, Rorschach and Bheeshma Parvam—as diverse as they get—through which he was able to reiterate his status as one of India's best actors of all time.

He was the force behind one of India's most acclaimed and well-received films of 2022, Ponniyin Selvan: 1. The epic historical drama, which grossed more than Rs 300 crore in India, is also co-written and co-produced by Ratnam, who is set to release the sequel in the coming year.

This 17-year-old won the BWF Para-Badminton World Championship in the SU5 category this year, defeating the Japanese powerhouse of previous years. This was followed by the female para-badminton Player of the Year award in December, when she claimed 11 gold and five bronze medals, after making her international debut just in March.

Weightlifter Mirabai Chanu continued her good run from the Olympics by winning the gold in the 49-kg category at the Commonwealth Games. Her combined lift of 201 kg was a Commonwealth and Games record in snatch, and a Games record in clean and jerk. She finished the year with flying colours, winning a silver in the elite World Championships.

The Olympic gold medallist followed up a spectacular 2021 with an equally stunning 2022 despite an injury that kept him away from CWG. Chopra became the first Indian ever to win the elite Diamond League, and the second after Anju Bobby George to win a medal in the World Championships, finishing the event with a silver.

Boxing's rising star and reigning world champion, Zareen started the year well by winning a gold at Strandja Memorial Boxing Tournament in Sofia. She followed it up with another gold at the IBA World Boxing Championships, becoming the fifth Indian to finish first in the tournament. She continued her golden run at the Commonwealth Games too, winning in the light flyweight category.

After her debut as a producer with Telugu period drama comedy Skylab last year, Nithya Menen has had a fantastic 2022 with a mix of OTT shows and film releases. She has proved she is a bankable actor across genres and languages with her performances in Malayalam films 19(1)(a) and Wonder Women, Tamil film Thiruchitrambalam, Hindi OTT show Breathe: Into the Shadows, and Modern Love: Hyderabad in Telugu.

Priyanka Mohite became the first Indian woman to scale five peaks above 8,000 m after she climbed Mount Kanchenjunga recently. Last April, she scaled Mount Annapurna (8,091 m), the 10th highest mountain peak in the world, becoming the first Indian woman climber to achieve the feat. The mountaineer from Satara has also climbed the world's highest peak, Mount Everest (8,849 m) in 2013, Mount Lhotse (8,516 m) in 2018, Mount Makalu (8,485 m) and Mount Kilimanjaro (5,895 m) in 2016. The 30-year-old has also been the recipient of Tenzing Norgay Adventure Award in 2020.

The film-making duo's Suzhal: The Vortex was one of the most successful Tamil OTT shows in 2022. It was appreciated both by critics and the audience for its layered and nuanced storytelling. The Hindi remake of their 2017 film Vikram Vedha also received rave reviews. These creators capped off 2022 with another Tamil web series release Vadhandhi: The Fable of Velonie.

R Vaishali was recently crowned the first-ever women's blitz champion at the Tata Steel Chess in Kolkata—a massive feat for women's chess in India. She became a grandmaster at the age of 17 and in 2021 became an International Master. Additionally, she was also part of the gold medal-winning Indian team at the Online Olympiad 2020, which included players like Viswanathan Anand, Koneru Humpy and her brother Praggnanandhaa. She is one of the top 50 women in the world rankings.

He started the year with a bang, playing a gay character in Badhai Do, a drama film commenting on the homophobia that exists in society and the fear it brings with it. On the OTT front, Rao acted in a couple of diverse films by Netflix, HIT: The First Case and Monica, O My Darling, proving his versatility as an actor.

Canadian film director and writer Richie Mehta created and directed the drama series Delhi Crime, based on the 2012 Delhi gang rape case. The series won the International Emmy Award for Best Drama Series in 2020. The second season of the series, centred on the notorious crimes by the Kaccha-Baniyan gang of Delhi, was directed by Indo-American filmmaker Tanuj Chopra.

The actor has received tremendous adulation and appreciation for his performance in the Kannada blockbuster Kantara, which he also directed. The movie has earned over Rs 400 crore at the box office. He's now prepping for its sequel.

She starred in the Tamil film Gargi, a sensitive legal drama in which she is said to have given the best performance of her career so far. Her performance was also appreciated in the Telugu period drama Virata Parvam.

It is difficult to forget the fame Balaji Telefilms' soap opera Kahani Ghar Ghar Kii brought for Sakshi Tanwar. She has categorically picked projects to break that mould and with the Netflix series Mai, she might have finally achieved that in 2022. While the web series received a mixed response, Tanwar's performance was admired.

The filmmaker's Gangubai Kathiawadi brought people to the theatres after the pandemic-induced shutdown. Based on the book, Mafia Queens of Mumbai, it tells the story of a young girl who came to Mumbai to become an actor, but is forced into prostitution. Eventually, she becomes their voice and takes on the bigwigs.

2022 was the year of Shefali Shah. It began with her performance as the ruthless Dr Gauri Nath in the medical thriller Human. That was followed by a social thriller titled Jalsa along with Vidya Balan. Her portrayal of street-smart mother Shamshu in Alia Bhatt's dark comedy Darlings was another fierce performance. She returned with the next season of Delhi Crime to critical acclaim. Shah capped off the year with another medical role with Ayushmann Khurrana's Doctor G as Dr Nandini Srivastav.

Actor and stage performer, Shriya Pilagaonkar's appearance as Sweety Gupta in Mirzapur made her a recognisable face across India. In 2022, she acted in three shows—Guilty Minds, The Broken News, and The Gone Game (season 2), and also bagged a Filmfare nomination for OTT best actor in a drama series for her work in Guilty Minds.

The Telugu filmmaker's RRR, which followed his massive hit Baahubali, has collected Rs 1,200 crore worldwide and is currently proving to be a rage in Japan. After its pan-India success, the film continues to make waves globally. It has been nominated in the Best Foreign Film category at the Golden Globe Awards and its song 'Naatu, Naatu' has bagged a nomination for Best Original Song.

He has been a familiar face in Malayalam cinema over the years, first getting noticed for his comic roles and then pivoting to a range of versatile characters. He has now cemented his position as a lead and character actor in Malayalam films, with 2022 taking his career to greater heights through strong roles in films Jana Gana Mana and Heaven.

Indian cricket's flavour of the season. A late bloomer who made his international debut in 2021, Yadav's innovative shotmaking has drawn parallels with Mr 360, AB de Villiers. In 38 T20 innings he's played for India, Yadav has amassed 1,284 runs that includes a century, 12 half centuries and a strike rate of 179. He finished the T20 World Cup as the third-highest run-getter and during the tournament became the first Indian to score 1,000 T20I runs in a calendar year.

Having performed phenomenally well in Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 this year, Tabu also starred in Drishyam 2, the sequel of a hit Bollywood remake of a Malyalam film with the same name. Critics and audience alike praised Tabu's work in Bhool Bhulaiyaa which went on to do great numbers for the box office, earning more than Rs 200 crore in India.

Tahir Raj Bhasin has been grabbing a lot of appreciation for his stint and versatility, and this year he had a successful hattrick on OTT—Yeh Kaali Kaali Ankhein, Looop Lapeta to Ranjish Hi Sahi, all his projects have turned out to be massive hits.

The Indian men's badminton team scored a historic first this year by winning the prestigious Thomas Cup. In the final, considered to be the world championships for teams, they beat defending champions and 14-time winners Indonesia with a dominant 3-0 margin. Lakshya Sen started off the proceedings by winning his singles tie, while the doubles pair of Satwiksairaj Rankireddy and Chirag Shetty closed off a sensational three-setter to give India a 2-0 lead. Kidambi Srikanth won the final singles for an unassailable 3-0 scoreline.

He has emerged as one of the most popular actors in Malayalam cinema, and had ended 2021 with a bang through his hit superhero film Minnal Murali. In 2022, he picked roles that showcased his range as a performer, including courtroom drama Vaashi, newsroom thriller Naaradan (where he played a negative role) and action film Thallumaala.

India's women's hockey team rounded off 2022 with an impressive victory beating Spain 1-0 in the finals of the inaugural FIH Nations Cup played at Valencia. India won the tournament with a perfect record of five wins in five matches, defeating Chile, Japan, South Africa and Ireland. This has marked a continuous improved run for the team, which also won bronze at the Birmingham Women's Commonwealth Games in July-August.