Vikrant Massey became a TV heartthrob in the 2010s but he was meant for bigger things as he set out to carve his own niche in Bollywood. From dramas like A Death in the Gunj and 12th Fail to streaming hits like Mirzapur and Criminal Justice, Massey is on his way to become a household name and we’ve curated his best movies and TV shows to watch in this streaming guide.
What are Vikrant Massey’s essential movies to watch?
While Massey initially began his Bollywood stint with supporting roles, his performances and career choices have mostly been top-tier. So, the period romance Lootera and the dysfunctional family comedy Dil Dhadakne Do might only feature Massey in limited capacities but have endured as modern Bollywood classics.
Massey’s supporting roles can also be found in acclaimed arthouse picks and social message dramas like his portrayals of supportive romantics in the feminist satire Lipstick Under My Burkha and the biopic of acid attack survivor-turned-activist Laxmi Agarwal in Chhapaak. On the flipside, he has also played more morally grey and sly characters in the tragicomedy Ramprasad Ki Tehrvi and the social drama Dolly Kitty Aur Woh Chamakte Sitaare.
As a lead actor, Massey’s pursuits include genre-bending experiments like the space comedy Cargo and Konkana Sen’s stellar directorial debut A Death in the Gunj. The latter proved to be one of his breakout roles with Massey playing a mentally fragile student finding his identity amidst a chaotic Anglo-Indian family in the 1970s.
Massey’s most popular lead role would be that of the dreamy-eyed IAS exam aspirant Manoj Kumar in 12th Fail, a performance that won him a Filmfare Award for Best Actor (Critics’).
Where to get started with Vikrant Massey’s TV shows
An outsider who made his way into the Hindi film industry after a slew of auditions, Vikrant Massey wasn’t an overnight success. So, to get into his filmography, it’s worth revisiting some of the TV shows that earned him early fame.
Balika Vadhu, the Colors TV original, is a case in point. The social drama explored the perils of child marriage in Rajasthan with Massey appearing later in the series as one of the supporting characters’ romantic interest Shyam Singh.
Another social drama that Massey dabbled in later was Qubool Hai, the Zee production that attempted to take on social stigmas and patriarchy within a conservative Muslim family. But with Massey giving up his TV career to try his hands at acting in films, eventually gave way to bigger and better shows on streaming platforms.
A quintessential watch will be the first season of Amazon Prime Video’s trendsetting gangster saga Mirzapur. Revolving around the blood-stained politics and crime of the titular Uttar Pradesh town, Mirzapur found Massey playing Vinay "Bablu" Pandit, a promising student who is pushed to a criminal conspiracy along with his hot-headed brother Guddu (Ali Fazl).
Over the years, Massey’s streaming titles included an emotional portrayal of a falsely-accused jail inmate in the first season of Criminal Justice, a Hotstar original remake of the acclaimed HBO crime drama The Night Of, and a guest appearance as yet another wholesome romantic Nawab Khan in the Prime Video hit Made In Heaven.
Why is 12th Fail Vikrant Massey’s best movie to watch?
Subtle emotional cues, acting with his eyes, and bringing an inspirational rags-to-riches story to life. What’s not to love about the underdog saga 12th Fail? Vidhu Vinod Chopra’s direction provided ample ground for Massey to shine with his subtle brand of emotionality.
Where can you stream Vikrant Massey’s movies and TV shows?
Massey’s older TV work can be found on streaming platforms like Jio Cinema and ZEE5 while most of his later movies and shows are also originals on Netflix, Prime Video, and Hotstar.
