The period of 2025 was undoubtedly a crucial one for the OTT platforms as the actors delivered totally powerful and extraordinary performances across the board in the series and films. The male actors did not limit their roles to just one genre but were performing from the very intense and riveting prison dramas and political thrillers to the light-hearted comedies and sports stories showcasing their versatility and depth. The following are the male performances that made it to the top 10 list on the OTT platforms in the year 2025 which were really spectacular.
Zahan Kapoor – Black Warrant (Netflix)
Zahan Kapoor, in his debut role, presents an outstanding performance of a young and optimistic prison warden at Tihar Jail. His character arc as he gets exposed to brutality, dishonest practices, and moral uncertainties is the emotional core of this enthralling prison saga co-created by Vikramaditya Motwane and Satyanshu Singh.
Rahul Bhat – Black Warrant (Netflix)
A husky voice ака Rahuls Bhat brings to life a very heartless and impure prison administrator. His acting reveals the stealthy evil and irony of an individual that has utterly yielded to a corrupt system.
Jaideep Ahlawat – Paatal Lok Season 2 (Amazon Prime Video)
Once again, a tough police officer Jaideep Ahlawat, who has already shown resilience, takes the lead role and impresses. In this political thriller, he portrays an officer who stays loyal to his profession even under a rotten system, with no one giving him credit, and being constantly pressured.
Sparsh Shrivastav – Dupahiya (Amazon Prime Video)
In the delightful comedy of Sonam Nair, Sparsh plays the role of Bhugol, a small-town dreamer whose untimely action triggers a series of ludicrous situations, and he stands out. The actor, who was primarily associated with dramatic roles, astonishes the audience with extraordinary comic timing.
Pratik Gandhi – Saare Jahan Se Achha (Netflix)
In a captivating espionage thriller, Pratik Gandhi stars as a top Indian spy who sneaks into Pakistan. His expertise and naturalness in performing show the various aspects of the character such as restraint, tension, and vulnerability and they are all expressed perfectly through the dialogue delivery during the intense political and diplomatic conflict.
Gagan Arora – Lafangey (Amazon MX Player)
Gagan Arora depicts one of the three low-income people who are having a hard time getting a job. His character’s insecurity rises even more as his girlfriend goes up the ladder professionally, making it a very human and emotionally connected portrayal.
Mayur More – Black, White And Gray (SonyLIV)
Mayur takes on the role of the son of a driver, whose love life creates big problems for him, in this creative mockumentary. His complex acting creates a situation where the viewers are uncertain about the character’s innocence which is being overshadowed by the accusations of serious crimes.
Raghav Juyal – The Bads Of Bollywood* (Netflix)**
In Aryan Khan’s biting Bollywood satire, Raghav Juyal shines through even as he is cast in a supporting role. He portrays the main character’s closest friend and infuses the role with his energy as well as his humor thus charm every scene with his little but powerful presence.
Jeet – Khakee: The Bengal Chapter (Netflix)
The fearless cop character played by Bengali superstar Jeet aims to be the reason for the underworld’s falling influence in Kolkata. In this tough crime-political thriller, his hard-to-ignore and powerful presence is a solid anchor.
Mohammed Zeeshan Ayyub – Real Kashmir Football Club (SonyLIV)
This motivating sports story has Zeeshan Ayyub playing a despondent journalist from Kashmir who aspires to create a football team in the area. His performance, full of emotion, brings to light the quality of persistence in spite of obstacles created by the government and doubts from the society.
The artists together contributed to the definition of OTT entertainment of the year 2025, demonstrating that streaming services remain a medium of extraordinary storytelling and learn acting.
