Masaan: Kaushal’s portrayal of Deepak, a young boy from the Dom community in Varanasi, who falls in love with an upper-caste girl, earned him critical acclaim and a lot of attention from the industry. The film won several awards, including the FIPRESCI prize at the 2015 Cannes Film Festival, and Kaushal’s performance was widely praised.
Raazi: In 2018, Vicky Kaushal appeared in the critically acclaimed film Raazi, directed by Meghna Gulzar. Based on Harinder Sikka’s novel ‘Calling Sehmat,’ the film is a fictionalized retelling of an undercover operation that took place prior to the 1971 Indo-Pakistani war. Kaushal played the role of a Pakistani Army officer named Iqbal Syed, who is unknowingly married to an Indian intelligence agent, Sehmat Khan, portrayed by Alia Bhatt. The film received widespread praise for its nuanced portrayal of patriotism, sacrifice, and love in the face of danger and uncertainty. Kaushal’s portrayal of Iqbal Syed was particularly lauded for its depth and authenticity.
Manmarziyaan: In this Anurag Kashyap film, Vicky Kaushal plays a quirky part-time disc jockey named Vicky who is in love with Rumi (Taapsee Pannu) but refuses to commit to marriage. He gets second thoughts when Rumi decides to marry Robbie (Abhishek Bachchan).
Uri: The Surgical Strike: Vicky Kaushal’s role as Major Vihaan Singh Shergill in Aditya Dhar’s directorial debut ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ won him not only critical acclaim but also his first National Film Award. The film depicts the Indian Army’s retaliation to the 2016 Uri attack, as Kaushal leads a group of soldiers into Pakistan-occupied Kashmir to conduct a surgical strike on terrorists. With gripping action sequences and a powerful performance by Kaushal, ‘Uri: The Surgical Strike’ became one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films of 2019.
Sardar Udham: Vicky Kaushal’s portrayal of revolutionary Udham Singh in the Shoojit Sircar-directed historical drama left a lasting impact on audiences. Kaushal’s outstanding performance won him the Filmfare Award for Best Actor. His portrayal of Udham Singh showcased a different form of patriotism, one that involved fighting for justice and standing up against oppression.