In recent years, we have seen the growth of political dramas in Indian movies and the entertainment industry boldly showcasing lesser-known facets of Indian politics through their storylines. To play the role with perfection, the actors sometimes must undergo massive transformation – both physically and mentally to do justice to the role and portray the character effortlessly on the screen.

So here is the list of five actors who have done a fantastic job of crowning their characters on screen:

Amitabh Bachchan In Sarkar – In Ram Gopal Verma’s Sarkar, Amitabh Bachhan pulled of the role in style. The story is loosely based on the journey of Balasaheb Thackeray. The veteran breathed life into the character with his acting, style, and dialogue delivery. In the movie, he played the character of a man who is a powerful patriarch and turns his back on his son, Vishnu who committed a heinous crime.

Manoj Bajpayee in Rajneeti – Manoj Bajpayee is famous for making unpopular roles popular with his powerful acting. In the movie Rajneeti, the actor played the role of Veerendra Pratap, who is an ambitious and power-driven politician and can go to any extent to achieve his goal. Manoj Bajpayee through his character brought forward a relevant facet of politics that left audiences in awe.

Huma Qureshi in Maharani – Inspired by Rabri Devi, the ex-Chief Minister of Bihar, Huma Qureshi plays the role of Rani Bharti in the series Maharani. She is seen in a simple look of a housewife and to stay true to the character, the actress has adopted the gestures, language, and accent of the politician.

Kangana Ranaut in Thalaivi – In the movie Thalaivi, Kangana Ranaut is seen as playing the role of late Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J. Jayalalithaa. To fit in the role, the actress gained 20kgs for the film. Her efforts are seen throughout the movie where we can see the resemblance of Jayalalithaa’s gestures and facial expressions with the actress.

Mahie Gill in Raktanchal 2 – In MX Player’s upcoming original series Raktanchal 2, Mahie Gill plays the role of Saraswati Devi which is seems to bear a striking resemblance to a former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister. In the show, her dress sense is very similar to one of India’s leading female politicians – Mayawati and is seen donning brown/ pastel colour salwar-suits.

Inspired by true events of the early 90s when the entire dynamics of UP politics was about to change, the new season is set in the backdrop of revenge, deceit, and power games at the behest of its four main protagonists – Ramanand Rai (Ashish Vidyarthi), Vijay Singh (Kranti Prakash Jha), Waseem Khan (Nikitin Dheer) and Saraswati Devi (Mahie Gill). In the promo, Mahie Gill is seen saying “Kuch aarop safai nahi, tyaag patra maangte hai” that sends shivers down your spine, and we can’t wait to see how her role unfolds in this season of the political drama.