36 Years In Bollywood & We Still Can't Put A Name To His Face! Will Pavan Malhotra Get His Due?

How often when you think of Jab We Met, you yelp your praises for Kareena and Shahid's magnificent performances? Almost always, right? But how many times do laud Pavan Malhotra's stellar performance as over-the-top Punjabi uncle alias Geet's uncle? You have seen the man in a lot of movies. His wonderfully nuanced performances never go unnoticed. But his name doesn't get as much recognition he deserves. Why?

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The man, in his career spanning over 36 years, has done more than 50 films and over 13 TV shows, yet we fail to put a name to his face. When will he get his due credit?

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He played one of the best villains in Black Friday, the movie that gave recognition to many talents in the industry including Kay Kay Menon and Nawazuddin Siddiqui, but Pavan, despite playing one of the best villains in a Hindi movie got sidelined. He was quite effortless in the role of gangster Tiger Memon.

Fun Fact: Did you know Badhaai Ho fame Gajraj Rao was in Black Friday too?

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He is not only talented, he is also engaging when he is on screen. People remember his characters more than his name, and he says that's success for him. For instance, you remember Farhan Akhtar¡¯s coach in Bhag Milkha Bhaag, right

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Did you know, he won a national award for his debut Salim Langde Pe Mat Ro. In the role of Salim Langda, we won over not only the audiences but a lot of directors including Anurag Kashyap who later offered him Black Friday.

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He has played the role of underworld dons in five different movies, each time portraying a different don and bringing out different shades of a gangster on screen. Remember his Tiger dance in Buddhadeb Dasgupta's National Film Award-winning film Bagh Bahadur? In Brothers In Trouble and Bhindi Bazar (Mamu), he aced his roles too.

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Even in the role of a simpleton cycle repair guy In Nukkad, he made his presence felt. In potboilers like Shah Rukh Khan starrer Don and Rustom, he, in the role of Narang and police officer respectively, played eye catching supporting roles.

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In Shah Rukh Khan and Mahima Chaudhary starrer Pardes, he played the role of Sharafat Ali, SRK's band member. In Abhishek Bachchan and Sonam Kapoor starer Delhi-6, he plays one of the feuding brothers Jaigopal. In Shahid Kapoor starrer Badmaash Company, he plays the endearing Jazz Mamu.

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In Children of War, he gave another noteworthy performance as a rapist Pakistani officer. Punjab 1984 is another hit he delivered.

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He started his career with lead roles but ended up playing supporting roles.

Not only that, he has done several TV shows as well that include Sony TV's Aisa Desh Hai Mera, Colors TV's Lagi Tujhse Lagan, Partho Mitra's Patang on DD Metro. In shows like CID and SRK's Circus, essayed some delightful roles.

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Whether the film was a hit or a flop, Pavan Malhotra has outshone in whatever role he has played. Even in an average movie like My Name is Anthony Gonsalves, he stands out only because of his acting skills.

He is one of those actors who are great but doesn't get fame. Most of us don't ever know their names. There are many like Pavan including Kumud Mishara, Rajesh Sharma, Vipin Sharma, Yashpal Sharma and Brijendra Kala among others. Isn't it high time that they should all get their due?