Actors That Took Bollywood by Storm in 2012

Akshay Kumar: Khiladi Kumar batted as many as five hits. He had six outings this year - "Housefull 2", "Rowdy Rathore", "Joker", "Oh My God" and "Khiladi 786". Except for "Joker", all the Akshay-starrers raked not only earned profit, but some even entered the 100 crore club. From doing hardcore action stunts to tickling the audiences' funny bones or donning the garb of 'god', Akshay happily brought forth different aspects of his personality through different roles and viewers lapped it up.

Ajay Devgn: After "Singham" and "Golmaal 3", Rohit Shetty gave Ajay a distinct style in "Bol Bachchan" - his witty one-liners and Hindi to English translations, took audience on a laughter ride. In "Son of Sardaar", he donned the garb of a sardaar and walked away with accolades, again. Both his films went on to earn over 100 crore at the box-office.

Irrfan: His gripping portrayal of an athlete-turned-gangster won many hearts in the biopic titled "Paan Singh Tomar". The two-year wait proved fruitful as the film not only did well at the box-office but also brought critical acclaim for Irrfan from all over the world. It can be said that no one other than Irrfan could play the role with so much conviction that people could feel the emotions.

Manoj Bajpayee: The 2012 brought sunshine for Manoj, who was in the oblivion for some time. His power-packed performance as a small town gangster in Anurag Kashyap's successful "Gangs of Wasseypur" wowed both critics and audience alike. He even excelled as freedom fighter Surya Sen in Bedabrata Pain's much talked about "Chittagong" that focused on the Chittagong uprising.

Nawazuddin Siddique: He was there, but nobody noticed the talented actor with unconventional looks till "Gangs of Wasseypur" happened. His acting capabilities as gangster Faizal Khan in the film made him a star. Nawaz also proved his mettle as an actor with "Kahaani" and "Talaash".

Sanjay Dutt: After playing positive roles and doing comedies, Sanjay revived Bollywood's larger than life villain with his role as Kancha Cheena in "Agneepath" remake. He sent shivers down the spine as the ruthless, cold-blooded Kancha Cheena and his dreadful make-up did the trick. Later in the year he took a U-turn and tickled the funny bones of the audiences in "Son Of Sardaar".