Well, crawl through history, and you’d learn that the best shows rely more on the supporting cast than the stardom of the lead actors.
While a well-established actor uses her popularity to attract viewers, the lesser-known artists keep the audiences glued.
English shows like The Good Doctor and Indian biggies like The Family Man and Mirzapur are live examples. Actors toiling in the background, adding more color to a story, used to go unnoticed in earlier times. But that has changed.
The Hotstar original series, Human, which stars Shefali Shah and Kirti Kulhari in lead roles, is based on the dark side of the medical profession. Both of them brilliantly adapt to their characters and give the audiences a wild ride to binge-watch.
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However, there’s more to it than what meets the social media hue. Here are the top 5 supporting actors of Hotstar’s Human, who carry the series shoulder to shoulder with the lead cast.
Vishal Jethwa as Mangu
Remember the villain from Mardaani 2? Maybe, you do. Considering the short-term retention humans enjoy these days, it is hard to be sure. Vishal was highly appreciated when he played an antagonist to Rani Mukherjee in the crime thriller.
With Human, he has again proved his mettle. I wonder why we don’t get to see him more often despite so many content-driven movies and shows releasing regularly.
When he appears on the screen for the first time, you don’t realize he can be so pivotal to the plot. However, it is he who keeps you hooked after Shefali Shah’s excellent performance.
The Bhopali accent, comic timing, the cheap expressions, he aces all. I haven’t seen someone so effervescently portray a poor young lad on the screen in a long time.
Sometimes, the significance of a background character overloads the artist. Maybe, that’s why we don’t see many characters enjoying a good screen space.
Nevertheless, Vishal Jethwa proves himself with his gritty and rough act. And it is time we give due prominence to actors who don’t enjoy stardom. His love for his mother, the yearning to earn money for his family, and intense helplessness strike the right chord.
Riddhi Kumar as Deepali
Primarily, Riddhi works in the Telugu Film industry. Some of her notable projects include Candy and Pranaya Meenukalude Kadal. Well, after doing what she did in Human, her career graph is sure to spike upwards.
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Her act was enough to define the job of an artist. Initially, it felt like she was mentally unstable because of how she acted. However, it was only later that things became clear.
Riddhi built her character out of nowhere. Yes, she had been assigned dialogues and given shrewd importance in the plot.
But the way she deciphered the fine lines between acting and carrying the story on her sole shoulders while on-screen was fantabulous. From her vicious and innocent smile to her righteous acts intrinsic to the storyline, you’ll love her tremendously.
Pranali Ghogare as Meena
You must have seen Pranali portray several characters in Telugu and Marathi Cinema. She also starred in a popular Hindi Television show, “Mere Rang Mein Rangne Waali,” in 2014-15.
I will be honest here. When I saw her the first time in the series, by no means could I think of liking her so much.
She plays the sister of Mangu, which seemed to be a shrunk role. I couldn’t think of a way for her to break that narrative of being a sister of Mangu and create her own character of Meena.
But fortunately, she proved me wrong. There are several moments where you find Meena changing the course of the story. There would not have been a Mangu had there been no Meena.
Seema Biswas as Roma
You know her. I bet you know her. Seema has come a long way after being a part of movies like Bandit Queen and Vivah and several TV shows.
Her portrayal of Phoolan Devi in Shekhar Kapur’s Bandit Queen won her a National Award for Best Actress. However, despite being a proven name in the industry, she doesn’t step back from playing a supporting role.
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It’s all in the eyes, they say. I don’t know if there was a need to use prosthetic lenses, but God, she aced them. Seema Biswas has been a consistent driver of astonishing performances. She plays Roma Ma in Human and masters it like no other.
From her terrifying looks to the dialogues she utters, everything was top-notch. Her character is gray, and hence one cannot really decide whether to love or stand against her.
All you can do as a viewer is embrace Roma’s act and enjoy it to the fullest.
Sushil Pandey as Mangu’s Father
I feel sad for him. Over the years, I have watched this man play a helpless, incapable, and vulnerable commoner in several films. But his acting has never been recognized.
The saddest part is when the credits roll in Human, he is defined as “Mangu’s Father”. He has no name in the 10-episode long series.
Many others like Sushil Pandey in the Indian Film industry keep working arduously on projects but never get any fame, even in the long run.
Coming to his character in Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s Human, Sushil does nothing new. He is the same old helpless chap who loses something in the plot’s major turmoil. However, what makes his act unique is how he does the same thing but makes it look different.
He makes you believe in his character. For a moment, you’d forget you are watching an actor. Pandey fits the character’s skin so immaculately that no one has ever done. If Pankaj Tripathi is the benchmark for such roles, Sushil Pandey might be centimeters away.
Conclusion
These performances are top-notch, without a doubt. But the real force behind Human is Shefali Shah. The Dil Dhadakne Do actress equally depicts the grandeur with which her character is written.
She is fantabulous and outshines several modern-day greats through her outstanding act. Not to forget Kirti Kulhari’s well-balanced outing in the show. She was equally brilliant and amazing.
I will indeed talk about them some other day. Through this small appreciation blog, let the limelight be on the supporting cast of Human for now.
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