Birthday Special: Celebrating August-born actors and their best movies

Monsoon is a season of romancing, cosying up, and binging on some of your most favourite Bollywood movies. This month we celebrate some of Bollywood's top stars—Taapsee Pannu, Kajol, Saif Ali Khan, and Rajkummar Rao—and the cinema they brought to us. They have a played a range of roles, from a strong and opinionated individual and a cute college girl who falls in love with her best friend, to a master manipulator and a government officer tasked with handling elections in a Naxalite area, and done true justice to the roles. So, here's celebrating cinema and its artists.   

Taapsee Pannu (August 1)

Pink (2016)

It was three years after her Bollywood debut (Chashme Baddoor) that the audience finally realised what a powerhouse of talent Pannu is. Despite starring alongside the legendary Amitabh Bachchan, Pannu shows what a commanding screen presence she has in this riveting court drama. She plays the role of Meenal, one of three women who file a case against a powerful politician’s son after he assaults her and she smashes a bottle on his head in her defense. Her compelling performance and ability to express without saying much has earned her critical acclaim and propelled her to become an overnight sensation. 

Thappad (2020)

This is, inarguably, one of Pannu's best and most powerful performances till date. She carries the entire film on her shoulders in her role of a young housewife whose life changes overnight after her husband slaps her in front of guests at a house party. Eventually, she begins to realise all the things she had brushed under the carpet. She begins her journey towards empowerment and finally files for a divorce. The movie and her inspirational performance was widely appreciated, and the actor bagged majority of the Best Actor award (female) that year. 

Genelia Dsouza (August 5)

Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008)

Who doesn't love a good old-school college romance between two best friends? We certainly did as we watched Jai (Imran Khan) and Aditi (Dsouza)'s friendship turn to fairy tale. It was a role that was made for her as she made the character extremely relatable through the many emotions that she went through. We saw her being nothing more than a friend, to being jealous when Jai gets a girlfriend, to being absolutely heartbroken when Sushant dumps her, there sure was a lot that she went through. While Jai might have been the hero of the film who saves the day by riding on a horse at midnight, Aditi was just the person who made all these efforts absolutely worth it. It's a movie that you should certainly watch again if you ever want to break into a smile and be part of a love story that continues to be as fresh as ever.  

Kajol (August 5)

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (1995)

We all cheered out loud when Simran gets to live her life with Raj. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge (DDLJ), is a classic and is considered by many to be one of the best romantic movies ever made in Bollywood, and we have the adorable chemistry between Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol to thank for. All that Simran wants is to fall in love with the man of her dreams and she gives a piece of her heart to a prince charming, who she meets on her trip around Europe. Watching her shake a leg in 'Mere Khaabon Mein Jo Aaye', and 'Zara Sa Jhoom Lu Mein' makes us wish to be as cool and carefree as her.  

Kuch Kuch Hota Hai

We all loved watching Kajol play the bubbly, chirpy Anjali in Karan Johar’s directorial debut. We loved the way she played basketball, her new hairstyle (which became all the rage then), and how she was totally oblivious to the fact that she’s madly in love with Rahul. And while we were sad that Rahul didn’t see her the way she was, we were more than happy to see the two end up together at the end of the movie. A major reason why this character is a personal favourite is because we got to see two extremely different personalities of Anjalis over the two halves—the first being a girl, completely carefree, while the second half saw her as the composed and mature woman that Rahul eventually falls in love with. 

Sara Ali Khan (August 12)

Zara Hatke Zara Bachke (2023)

Watching Khan in this rom-com was a lot of fun as not only was her chemistry with Vicky Kaushal adorable AF, but she did show audiences that she can certainly ace the role of the middle-class daughter-in-law. While she and Kaushal bring out the essence of romance in many of the film's songs, we watch her get the emotions of the confrontation scenes spot on through her words and body language as the film goes down that route. 

Johnny Lever (August 14)

Awara Paagal Deewana (2002)

Lever, over the course of his career has given movie lovers a host of memorable characters and dialogues. But none come close to his portrayal Chhota Chhatri, a goon who stammers. Right from the word go in his very first scene with Paresh Rawal, where the latter forgets his name, Lever takes absolutely no time to have us laughing out loud. You can't help but chuckle watching him lose his mind letting Rawal's character what his name is. Another iconic scene in the movie is the milk drinking scene between him and actor Supriya Pilgaonkar. The words 'Tu Pee' will always be remembered.  

Phir Hera Pheri (2006)

This is a movie that has given the world a host of memes and it's certain scenes that star Lever that feature in this list. As the goon named Munna, the scenes where he and Paresh Rawal have a go at each other stand out and how. Especially the one where Rawal, Suniel Shetty, and Akshay Kumar enter the house as clowns that sees Lever, dressed as a fake cop saying, Tera Thobda Kidhar Sunela Lagta Hai. Despite the limited screen time, Lever shows everyone that he'll continue to be the king of the comedy genre by making his presence felt. 

Saif Ali Khan (August 16)

Kal Ho Naa Ho (2003)

Everyone’s who’s watched the film can vouch that it wouldn’t have been half as funny or emotional if it wasn’t for Saif Ali Khan's role of Rohit. He is, after all, the heart and soul of the movie. He is an adorable and innocent goofball, who is head over heels in love with Naina. Though SRK, as Aman, devises a six-day plan to win Naina's heart, Rohit brilliantly executes it to perfection. Yes, it is one of our favourite forever love kind of story.

Omkara (2006)

This performance shows just how versatile an actor Khan is. In this Vishal Bhardwaj's adaptation of Shakespeare's play, Othello Khan dons the role of Langda Tyagi (the character of Iago). For this big ticket, solid role, Khan has aced the dialect, body language, and mannerisms of his and displayed a range of emotions—anger, jealousy, and hatred—in a manner we have never seen before. His ability to manipulate and control people like puppets, instantly hooks us to the narrative. Despite knowing how the plot unfolds, we were still rooting for the bad guy because that’s just how convincing he was. 

Vaani Kapoor (August 23)

Chandigarh Kare Aashiqui (2021)

 

This was a performance that surprised a lot of people as her role as a transgender who faces a lot of difficulties while growing up and keeps her sexual identity a secret was as ground-breaking as it gets for audiences. Far from anything that she'd done before, Kapoor was able to effortlessly bring out the depth and nuances that the character demanded from her. With the film talking about the stigma surrounding sex change and the taboos associated with it, Kapoor sure did a fabulous job in making sure that the message hit home.  

Rajkummar Rao (August 31) 

Bareilly Ki Barfi (2017)

There is no way you can take your eyes off Rao in the movie. The ultimate ‘Badass Babuaa’ plays the third wheel in this entertaining love triangle. From a simpleton who sold saris to becoming the biggest problem for his close friend’s marriage, the character arc has an extreme shift and Rao plays both the characters with utmost honesty and effortlessly. This shy and cute sari salesman is a complete scene stealer in every frame with Ayushmann Khurrana and Kriti Sanon with not just his dialogue delivery, but also his body language.  

Newton (2017)

Despite being six years old, Newton is one of the most-relevant movies you will see in recent times. While the movie aims to make one stand up and take notice of the subject, Rao’s power-packed performance makes it an extraordinary film. He plays the role of an honest, diligent government officer who has to ensure fair voting takes place in a Naxalite-hit area in India. Everything that he says and does is filled with honesty and his goal to make a difference for the better is easily channelled into frustration as he sees the commotion and corruption around him. Just to see his and the rest of the cast's, including Pankaj Tripathi, Sanjay Mishra, and Raghubir Yadav, brilliance, you shouldn’t miss watching this one.