With his OTT period piece Jubilee, filmmaker Vikramaditya Motwane transports us to the world of 1940s India. From its scale to the production design, the costume and hair to the ensemble cast, Amit Trivedi’s soothing tracks to the way it is shot, Jubilee is a clear winner that also offers insights into the socio-economic-political setting of the Hindi film industry of the pre- and post-Independence era. Here are some of our favourite performances by a bunch of young actors from the Prime Video web series.

Sidhant Gupta as Jay Khanna

Sidhant Gupta’s Jay Khanna is going to be one of the year’s breakout performances. However, model-turned-actor Sidhant isn’t a new boy on the block. The 33-year-old from Jammu has been a heartthrob since his television stint Tashan-E-Ishq in 2015 and Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 9 in 2016. He was last seen in the Hindi film Operation Romeo.

In Jubilee, Sidhant plays a man who dares to dream big despite obstacles. A happy-go-lucky theatre artist from Karachi, Jay Khanna does well for his family-owned Khanna Theatre Company until partition happens. He lands up at a refugee camp in Mumbai with his parents and young brother, and finally decides to make something out of his feeble resources and answer his calling — filmmaking.

From his potential for childlike affability to his earnestness as someone besotted in love, his ability to display the zeal needed to stay true to his passion to a kind of structured rage when cornered by societal circumstances, Sidhant embodies Jay with a body language that reminds us of film legends like Dev Anand and Raj Kapoor.

In the later episodes, a new side of Jay Khanna shows up — a man who is able to build his own studio from scratch. Sidhant brings about a change in Jay’s personality as he tastes success, with a spring in his step but with his innocence intact, and heading towards a deepening conflict between the personal and the professional.

Aparshakti Khurana as Binod Das and Madan Kumar

Ayushmann Khurrana’s younger brother Aparshakti Khurana plays Binod Das, a plain-looking, loyal lab assistant at Roy Talkies, an illustrious film studio helmed by Srikant Roy (Prosenjit Chatterjee). Binod not only aspires to become an actor but also desires to make it big as a cinema star. An ambitious Binod sharpens his skills in the background every single day and waits for his turn to present himself in light. Driven to desperation, Binod creates an opportunity for himself as he is ready to go to any length, even if it means having blood on his hands.

Aparshakti is brilliant in binding together the emotions, helplessness and complexities of an actor who becomes a star overnight. Binod ends up becoming superstar Madan Kumar but cannot get away from his inner conflict. The melancholy in Aparshakti’s eyes and his anxious body language can sometimes be unsettling, leaving us unsure about his next move. This leads up to the second part, where Madan Kumar has transformed from a loyal follower of his boss to a star so consumed by his stardom that it clouds his judgment.

Wamiqa Gabbi as Nilofer Qureshi

The beautiful and talented Wamiqa Gabbi plays Nilofer Qureshi, a nautch girl who finds her way from Lucknow to Mumbai after independence. Wamiqa breathes life into Nilofer as a feisty, confident go-getter who lives life on her terms. In terms of focus and ambition, Nilofer is a lot like Binod Das. More than once, she refuses to be exploited and judged by the world. She lets someone into her world only when she wants it, especially if she finds it convenient to reach her goal. However, with Jay Khanna, she establishes an unconditional and honest bond, which is one of the best parts of Jubilee. But despite her strong personality, Nilofer falters in matters of the heart at times, which backfires on her when she seeks love.

Nandish Singh Sandhu as Jamshed Khan

Nandish Singh Sandhu is unrecognisable as Jamshed Khan in Jubilee. From his slow gait in a long black coat smoking to his heart’s content to sitting on the Roy Talkies’ lawn, checking out the vibe of the place from the corner of his eyes, Vikramaditya Motwane utilises Nandish like never before.

Nandish plays Jamshed Khan, a young and handsome talented theatre star whom Roy Talkies chases to mould as Madan Kumar, an archetypal Hindi film star. On the contrary, even after a successful screen test, he decides to return to doing theatre in Karachi and renounce it all to live a basic life with his ladylove until destiny makes other plans.

Shweta Basu Prasad as Ratna Das

As the ever-smiling, endearing wife of Binod Das, Shweta Basu Prasad’s Ratna lights up every frame in her limited screen time. Ratna oozes warmth, innocence, joy and support for her life partner. In the scenes where she has no dialogue, Shweta becomes a beaming wife who remains in the shadow of her newly-annointed superstar husband. With Binod taking his stardom too seriously, Ratna’s life begins to fall apart in the second half, and Shweta’s morose face underlines the sharp contrast between Ratna’s increasing sadness and her initial happy self.