Sushmita Sen, Manoj Bajpayee, Dia Mirza: 11 Bollywood Actors Who Made Smashing Web Debut

1) Arshad Warsi

After showing his versatility with starkly different performances, from the iconic Circuit in the Munna Bhai series to Babban in Ishqiya, Arshad Warsi has yet again proved his acting prowess with Asur, a Voot Select original. Arshad, who plays a layered and intense character of CBI official Dhananjay Rajpoot in the series has become the talk of the town ever since Season 1 of Asur came on floors, with the audience waiting for Season 2 already. Just the ideal web debut one can dream of.

2) Sushmita Sen

Sushmita Sen started her career in Bollywood as the lead actress in Mahesh Bhatt's Dastak (1996), right after bagging the Miss Universe title in 1994. After a long break from mainstream cinema, Sushmita Sen surprised everyone with the official announcement of her debut web series Aarya streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The verdict is out and Sushmita Sen hasn't disappointed her fans; no doubt ‘Aarya' is one of her most convincing performances as she fronts the titular character who takes charge of her family's pharma firm, opium plantation and drug warehouse after her husband is killed.

3) Dia Mirza

The gorgeous Dia Mirza has not been seen on the big screen for a while now, but the former beauty queen surprised everyone with her intense performance in Sonam Nair's 'Kaafir' on ZEE5. Dia is seen playing a Kashmiri woman trapped between the politics of India and Pakistan in her digital debut which got her a lot of appreciation.

4) Neha Sharma

This pretty actor who has been seen alongside Emran Hashmi in Crook, made her web debut with the recently launched courtroom drama, Illegal on Voot Select. Within a day of the series' premiere, Twitterati went gaga about Neha's powerful portrayal of a lawyer, Niharika Singh who is fighting the complexities of the Indian legal system. Superstar Hrithik Roshan also tweeted praising Neha for her convincing portrayal of the ‘mad lawyer'.

5) Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline surprised everyone with her unexpected portrayal of a woman whose husband has been framed and imprisoned for serial murders in the Netflix thriller, Mrs Serial Killer. Directed and produced by Shirish Kunder and Farah Khan respectively, the film got mixed reviews, but Jacqueline was praised for her bold performance.

6) Piyush Mishra

An actor who does not believe in mediocre performances, Piyush Mishra justifiably delivers a stellar performance as Janardhan Jaitley in the Voot Select Original, Illegal. The veteran actor known for his love for theatre, plays the role of a senior lawyer who founded one of the best law firms' in India and simply excels in adapting the mannerism of a cold, self-assured and condescending man.

7) Karisma Kapoor

Probably one of the most awaited web debuts this year was Karisma Kapoor's in the ALT Balaji Original, Mentalhood. Karisma made a comeback into mainstream entertainment after 7 long years and stole the audience hearts all over again with the role of Meira Sharma, a small town mother trying to navigate through this jungle of being a quintessential ‘Mumbai Mom'.

8) Manoj Bajpayee

The Family Man starring Manoj Bajpayee in the lead needs no introduction. Like always, Manoj Bajpayee has left an ever-lasting impression with his remarkable and relatable characterization of Srikant Tiwari, a middle-class man who also serves as a world-class spy. Srikant tries to balance his familial responsibilities with the demands of the highly secretive special cell of the National Intelligence Agency that he is working for in this original series streaming on Amazon Prime Video.

9) Sharman Joshi

Sharman Joshi chose to make his digital debut with Baarish, recently premiered on ALT Balaji. The actor plays the role of a rich, yet humble businessman, alongside television actress Asha Negi. The critically acclaimed series with one of the most authentic performances is a tale of love one can't afford to miss.

10) Ashvini Bhave

Beloved Marathi actor Ashvini Bhave made a solid come back this year with Voot Select's third original series The Raikar Case. Ashvini is seen essaying a pivotal role in this thought-provoking edge of the seat whodunit. Along with a nuanced performance by Ashvini, the series features critically acclaimed star cast including Atul Kulkarni, Neil Bhoopalam, Kunal Karan Kapoor, Parul Gulati, Lalit Prabhakar, and Reena Wadhwa.

11) Huma Qureshi

Huma Qureshi's digital debut with Netflix's Leila premiered amidst a lot of excitement, following the crushing response the show's trailer received online. The plot of the series is based in the forgotten margins of the segregated communities of a dystopian future where a woman is searching for her daughter who she lost upon her arrest years ago.

Catch these brilliant performances from a talented bunch on your favourite streaming platforms