I just want to talk about how I secretly like Sid M. again. But I also think this is an important award! Effort should be rewarded. Most important part about this post is that actual end quality does not matter, it’s about the distance between the start and the end. Like, Ranbir is still a better actor/dancer/everything than Sid M, but has he improved at all from where he started?
I’m gonna throw out some nominees for “Most Improved” and “Most NOT Improved”. Don’t feel locked into them, and don’t even feel locked into the categories where I nominated them (if you want to move Ranbir from “least” to “most” improved, go for it!)
Most Improved Male:
Sid M.
Tiger Shroff
Karthik Aaryan
Sushant Singh Rajput
Harsh Kapoor
Abhishek Bachchan
Shahid Kapoor
Ranveer Singh
Ayushmann Khurrana
Aditya Roy Kapoor
Least Improved Male:
Arjun Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor
Imraan Khan
Varun Dhawan
Salman Khan
Most Improved Female:
Katrina Kaif
Deepika Padukone
Anushka Sharma
Kareena Kapoor
Shraddha Kapoor
Sonakshi Sinha
Least Improved Female:
Aishwarya Rai
Priyanka Chopra
Parineeta Chopra
Alia Bhatt
Bhumi Pednakar
I am not very subtle, my choices are the first ones in each category because they are the first I thought of:
Most Improved Male:
Sid M. He is still not a great actor, but he has tried every genre of film, he has worked hard at learning dancing and fight coordination, he even mastered an accent for his last film, and there has been a slow but steady increase in his acting ability over the past 8 years.
Least Improved Male:
Arjun K. He started at like an 8 in terms of acting and charisma and so on. And over the past few years, has somehow dropped down to a 5. Even his dancing has gotten worse! How is this possible?
Most Improved Female:
Katrina. Since her launch she has learned Hindi, mastered belly dancing, and become the kind of actress whose performances I honestly look forward to. For a model who started out having her dialogue dubbed, that is amazing.
Least Improved Female:
Aishwarya Rai. From the start she was magnetic onscreen, graceful, dignified, precise. But it’s been over 20 years, and I’m just not seeing much difference from her present day performances and her very first ones.
dontcallitbollywood 
Most improved Male: Probably Shahid. I mean, he also has the benefit of having a longer career than everyone on that list except Abhishek, but I don’t think many people imagined the Ishq Vishk boy growing up to have enough gravitas to pull off a Hamlet. Ranveer is a more understated case- a lot of people thought he was excellent when Band Baaja Baaraat came out (having mastered the Delhi dialect and accent almost to perfection despite being a Bandra boy), but I don’t think even those people expected him to have the sheer range he’s known for today.
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I was thinking about not including Shahid for that reason, but on the other hand the fact that he got this dream launch at 21 and then kept changing and improving himself is worthy of note. Most actors work hard the first 5-10 years of their career and then coast, but Shahid just keeps getting better.
I almost didn’t include Ranveer because I was one of those “he was so good at the start, how much did he improve?” people. But BBB to Gully Boy really is a leap, from a very good charming rom-com hero, to an almost completely non-verbal tormented artist performance.
On Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 12:14 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I’ve three contenders for best improved, all three are named already (Sid, Ranveer, Shahid). I would give the award to Sid to encourage him to continue to improve.
I’ve two for least improve, Arjun and Ranbir, and would give it to Ranbir because he has the potential to make it better.
Kat would be my prime-choice for most improved. Cudos to her. And for least is also the same you chose (Aish), with the same reasoning.
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I like your encouragement for Sid theory. He is working so hard for such small rewards. most people don’t even notice how improved he is, and in a film like Jabariya Jodi he mastered a whole accent and then the film itself didn’t live up to his work. Shahid was in the same boat for a while, but for the past ten years or so people have been noticing what he is doing. And Ranveer got immediate reward for his effort. I guess I would think of Shahid and Ranveer as the kids in class who went from a C to an A, their parents and everyone are giving them plenty of praise, but the F to C student isn’t getting nearly as much credit even though he worked just as hard.
Aish is frustrating, because I feel like she is that student with potential! With the right director and right part she can be really good. But she just doesn’t apply herself and seem to get any better over all.
On Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 12:49 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Watch Raincoat! She’s fantastic in it.
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Yes, and I love her in Guru! But then she just goes back to where she was before. It’s like that C student who occasionally does A grade work which shows that she can do it, she just isn’t willing to work that hard on every test.
On Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 1:07 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I love Arjun but I think he and Parineeti don’t deserve to be on “Least improved” list and they should have their own “Worsen the most” category.
Most improved male: Definitely not Sid and not Karthik Aaryan. Harsh has made only two movies in 3 years and I don’t see him much different or improved. My vote is for Shahid- from chocolate sweet boy to an actor who can make difficult and dark roles.
Also Saif.
Most improved female: I thought about Kat immediately because she was the best thing in Zero and I didn’t expect that. But now I think Kareena improved much more, bacause man, how bad she was in her early films.
Least improved male: Ranbir, because he doesn’t ven care.
Least improved female: I’m tempted to say Alia, but maybe it’s because I’m biased.
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So glad I’m not the only person who sees Alia as “least improved”! I love her as an actress, and she is very very good, but Kalank really shocked me with how poorly she fit the character and how little she seemed to be trying. You can’t just stagnate as an artist, it will all fall apart, even if you are very very good.
Kareena really is amazing now. But then, I feel like she’s been amazing for a while now? Like, at least since Tashan. So I would still say Kat, because Kat is still getting better movie by movie while Kareena leaped forward and then slowed down.
I thought about adding Saif! And then I removed him. But I’m glad I’m not the only person to think of him. Also, why don’t you love Sid M? He tries so hard!
On Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 2:58 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Hrithik belongs on the most improved list because good lord his early performances were epically bad. Not KNPH but MPKDH and even K3G were stinkers. It wasn’t until about Dhoom 2 that he seemed to have consistently figured out what worked.
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I would have disagreed until this year, but I think War showed that he is still growing and challenging himself. It was a great role for him right in his safe place, but he did it better and slightly different than his other roles. Like, he got better at doing stupid action even since Dhoom 2.
On Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 3:35 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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So, I’m giving actual students grades right now and as usual worrying myself to distraction about being fair. So as a result I’m feeling really soft on everyone.
I agree with Sid as most improved! He could have ruined Ittefaq but I found him quite believable. Also, he’s so pretty he could just be in a bunch of action films and call it a day, but he’s trying to do more challenging stuff.
For the same reason, I’m tempted to go with Varun as least improved. He started out so interesting and now it looks like he’s made a career shift. I guess he’s trying to stay relevant after Kalank and Sui Dhaga? Doesn’t mean he’s bad, he’s just not improving.
Minority opinion: Deepika is most improved female actor. I think I disliked her early performances more than most people did, so she’s the one who surprised me the most. I haven’t watched Katrina’s latest, though, so I could be wrong.
Least improved: Parineeti. Aish really tried, with Jazbaa, to get out of her comfort zone and of course it stank on ice and I think she ran back to her usual stuff. Parineeti was so interesting out of the gate, but floundered immediately.
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Interesting for Varun as least improved! He really tried with Badlapur and October, but he also did kind of lazy work in Judwaa 2 and Kalank.
Yes, what happened with Pari??? Immediately different and interesting and challenging, and then everything was gone.
On Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 7:43 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Yeah, have to go with Shahid too, but you knew that.
For women, your Aish and Alia comments make me feel like the kind of roles they get a crack at should be factored in. So many actresses just get the stand there and look pretty roles. I saw a terrible early Tabu movie, such a waste. How many years before people realized she could actually act?
This is mean, but I found Madhuri in Bucket List really bland. I haven’t seen her other most recent releases so maybe that was a one off.
Where’s John Abraham on your lists?
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What drives me crazy with Aish is that she has been given lots and lots of chances and most of the time fails to live up to them. Most recently, Fanney Khan could have been a fun little film and Aish was so unbearable to watch that she sank it. And then she does a Guru or a Raincoat and proves she actually CAN do the work, just doesn’t. With Alia, I’m not sure what to think. She really challenged herself at the start, but her Kalank performance was just no good. The character was so nonsensical it would have been a lot of work to make it work, and she failed. With other movies like Udta or Highway she’s blown me away in a really challenging part, but she had the script to fall back on. Kalank would have meant branching out and going beyond the script to force her character to work and it just wasn’t there. I do think both Alia and Aish had oodles and oodles of chances so far to do more than just be pretty, and they failed.
It seems like with most heroines, they get a half decent role pretty quick and if they prove themselves, they can mix in pretty fun movies with the more serious stuff. Alia’s second film was a tour d’force performance in a complex role. Aish’s very first film was the same (a double role even!). And then their careers just went up and down from there. You got me interested in Tabu, she won her first National Award at 25, only 2 years into her serious Hindi career. She had plenty of lame roles as well, but she got plenty of opportunities.
John Abraham DEFINITELY improved!!!! In his own way. He challenged himself as an actor of and on, also as a dancer, and a comedian. And then as a producer. Maybe it’s that he improved in multiple different directions?
On Fri, Jan 24, 2020 at 10:54 PM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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I was wondering about John and also Arjun R? Did he improve or is he just getting better parts?
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Arjun R. has definitely improved. If you doubt, try to watch Dil Hai Tumhaare. But I think his midlife crisis kind of stopped that improvement. Like the first 10 years of his career saw these big leaps forward, but now it’s all weird clothes and new baby and stuff.
At least, that’s what I think.
On Sat, Jan 25, 2020 at 12:54 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Madhuri in Bucket List was terrible. I didn’t like her in Kalank either. In my opinion she shouldn’t have returned to movies.
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I know it’s blasphemy for some but Madhuri is usually terrible in my opinion. She’s beautiful and dances really well but she was never a great actress.
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But she was good in Dedh Ishqiya and Aaje Nachle! Maybe it’s that they aren’t making Madhuri movies any more? She is great at the glamorous over the top kind of thing that was everything in the 90s, but now with the smaller “realistic” stuff she just looks weird. Maybe she has improved along one specific line of performance but not in a broad range and the industry has moved past that one specific line?
On Sat, Jan 25, 2020 at 3:05 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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Love this post!
Most improved male: Shahid. He’s almost unrecognizable in his very early work as a typical college student to his dark portrayals in Haider and Udta. I didn’t bother to see the latest mysoginistic film of his
Least improved male: Arjun Kapoor
Poor guy not only can’t act very well, but he can’t catch a break with a good script. I wonder how many more chances he’ll get? I say poor guy bc it’s so clear he’s a super nice guy who hasn’t had an easy life!
Most improved female: Katrina. She’s always had the potential but as she’s gotten more comfortable with Hindi, she seems to have gotten more bold with complex character choices that can show her skill. Slowly but surely
Least improved female:
Sonam. I’m sorry but she’s a hammy, untalented actress in my book. From her flat debut to hamming it up in Zoya and Veere. In ELKDTAL, I found her character unbearably dull which is how she interpreted the shy and oppressed character. I know you liked it though and I’m convinced she had a terrific director in Neerja bc she simply cannot act!!
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I forgot to include in least improved:
Aditya Roy
SS Rajput
Jacqueline
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Yes, I thought the EKLDTAL role was wasted on Sonam too. And she annoyed me in Khoobsurat. I did like her in Delhi 6, and I thought she was OK in Veere Di Wedding. Hard to see a clear line from worse to better, it’s dependent on the role and setting and who she’s playing against.
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Raj and DK confirm that SRK is doing a movie with them. Watch from 35:25. They said they were not planning on saying anything but since it’s been leaked so many times, they might as well now. They also say they’ve had many meetings with SRK and that he has told them not to feel compelled to take his suggestions and do what they want to do.
If it ends up happening, I’m super-excited. I loved all their films. Even their TV series The Family Man was fun. I think a movie with Hirani is also happening – he has been spotted with SRK often lately- but I never like Hirani movies so I’m not much interested in that.
As for most improved actor: Deepika. She was really awful and now she’s not so awful.
Least improved: Parineeti. She is going in reverse. When did she become so bad?
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Sorry for hijacking this thread so to keep in on topic.. most improved actor – SRK!! I mean he was always good but he gets better and better.
Also he just made a hilarious twitter post, which also is hinting at an upcoming announcement
https://twitter.com/iamsrk/status/1221033148609220609
For those that don’t know Hindi, first he repeats a line from Raees – “koi dhandha chota nahi hota” meaning “no business is small.” And then he changes his voice and says “kya dhanda dhanda kar raha hai, kuch kar nahi raha” – rough translation “What is this business business…you are not even doing anything!”
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Thank you for the translation!
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Hindi Most improved: Shahid Kapoor. If other industries included then Surely Fahad Faasil, from one the worst debut acting ever to now.
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Most improved is probably Shahid and least improved is definitely Arjun. Coming to the girls, most improved is Deepika. She was kind of forgettable in Om Shanti Om in terms of her performance and now look at her. Least improved is probably Jacqueline; I still can’t stand her.
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I’m so glad Shahid is getting the credit he deserves!
On Sat, Jan 25, 2020 at 11:36 AM dontcallitbollywood wrote:
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