Pavan Malhotra's big praise for Yami Gautam, Kartik Aaryan, Sanjay Mishra

Actor Pavan Malhotra, with four decades in the industry behind him, believes that good acting can still surprise and challenge even those who have spent years in front of the camera. Speaking about some of the performances that have impressed him in recent times, the actor had high praise for Yami Gautam, Kartik Aaryan and Sanjay Mishra.Malhotra, who worked with Yami in Oh My God 2!, recalled closely observing the actor on set and was particularly impressed by her professionalism and attention to detail. “Yami Gautam is so beautiful and such a good actress. I was playing a judge in Oh My God! And I would watch her. Whether it was a master, mid or close frame, if she moved for one thing, she would do the same for others. On the sets, she didn't become over-friendly with anyone. She would come on time, do her work very professionally and never forget her lines. When you have someone so sincere, the work also gets better,” he told India Today exclusively.Malhotra was also quick to applaud Yami for winning the National Award for Best Actress for Article 370. He believes the recognition is well deserved and feels audiences should revisit the film to understand the quality of her performance.“Yami has won the National Award, and she is most deserving. If you have not seen Article 370, please watch it. She has made her place. She climbed the ladder slowly, and here she is today. Wait for Haq next year. She has done such a good job,” he said. The actor also praised Kartik Aaryan for his performance in Chandu Champion, which earned him the National Award for Best Actor. Malhotra also felt that Randeep Hooda, who directed the film and acted in it, deserved a special mention.“Even the boy who got it — Kartik in Chandu Champion — what a performance! On top of that, our Randeep Hooda, who also directed the film, did such a good job as an actor as well. I feel he should have got a special mention,” he said. Malhotra was equally happy when Sanjay Mishra’s name was announced among the National Award winners. For him, Mishra represents the kind of actor who can disappear into vastly different characters.“And when Sanjay Mishra’s name was announced, I was very happy. They are all very deserving actors. He is so good and can do every kind of role. Look at him in Kadvi Hawa. Such actors win every character,” he said.He continued, “As an actor, you are very happy when you see such performances. You think, ‘What a performance!’ But sometimes you also think, ‘Will I be able to do this?’ There is such a high level of work happening that it makes you feel you have to sharpen your knife,” he said.The actor has spent much of his own career making sure that he does not repeat himself on screen. From Salim Langde to Bagh Bahadur, and from his Punjabi films to characters in Jab We Met, Mubarakan and Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, Malhotra has consistently attempted to distinguish one character from another.“If I play Salim Langde, Tiger Memon and Bindi Bazaar’s uncle, all three are underworld characters from the same area, but they are three different people. Whether it is Jab We Met’s sardar, Mubarakan’s sardar, Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’s sardar or the Punjabi films that I have done, they were all different characters. Just because you have a beard and a turban, it doesn’t mean the character is the same. The situation, the story and the character have to be different,” he said.He recalled how his work in Punjabi cinema also allowed him to explore very different characters. Talking about Punjab 1984, Malhotra remembered the film’s impact and praised his co-stars Diljit Dosanjh and Kirron Kher.“My first two Punjabi films were very different. Punjab 1984 — after seeing that film, Diljit Dosanjh started getting roles in Hindi films. He was very good, and Kirron Kher was brilliant. It was a very good film. Then, after 14 days, I was playing a completely different character,” he said.Malhotra also spoke about Bagh Bahadur, which followed Salim Langde and gave him yet another opportunity to inhabit a completely different world.“I did Salim Langde, and immediately after that, I did Bagh Bahadur. Both were completed within a year and went on to win the Best Film National Award. From the first scene to the last scene, it was a completely different character. God has been kind, and you have to do your work with honesty,” he said.The impact of Bagh Bahadur, he added, has stayed with him decades after its release. “Even today, if someone mentions Bagh Bahadur, especially in Calcutta, people call me ‘Bagh’. That is the impact of a character. The film was released in 1989 and is still remembered,” he said.For Malhotra, that enduring quality is what ultimately makes cinema special. He compared films to a library — a place where great work remains accessible regardless of when it was made.“I always say cinema is like a library. If you take a kid to a library and show him Guru Dutt’s films, or films that have made 200, 500 or 1,000 crores, what matters is what remains there. Mother India, Mughal-e-Azam, Do Bigha Zamin — these films are still there. After 20 or 30 years, you can go back to that library and watch them,” he said.He also singled out Aamir Khan’s performance in Secret Superstar, “More recently, look at Secret Superstar or Taare Zameen Par. I loved Aamir Khan in Secret Superstar; he is not a friend of mine, but the way he played the character was genuinely good. Some actors have their own style, but the way he plays characters, I appreciate him for that,” Malhotra said.He also expressed respect for Akshay Kumar’s willingness to experiment and take risks. "I also respect Akshay Kumar for the same reason. He is trying different stories. At least he is trying and taking a risk,” he said.Malhotra believes that the biggest problem with contemporary filmmaking is the tendency to play safe and rely on elements that may not necessarily serve the story.“People want to play safe. Filmmakers sometimes feel they have to put six songs in a film or forcefully add sex scenes, even when they are not needed. But if you are making a good film, you don't have to keep thinking, ‘Put this and that.’ Everything should connect to your story,” he said.It is this approach to storytelling that makes him value his collaborations with filmmakers such as Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra and Amit Rai.“That’s why I love working with directors like Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra, Amit Rai and a few others. They know what they are doing and how they want their film to be made,” he added.- EndsPublished By: Priyanka SharmaPublished On: Aug 15, 2026 18:16 IST