Returned, with interest

What does it take to make a comeback in Bollywood? When you’re older but also wiser. Four actors who popped up on screen after long spells fill us in

- Karishma Kuenzang

“It’s all in there. Find it. Dig it out.” That’s one of the lines Harman Baweja delivers as JCP Harshvardhan Shroff in the Netflix series Scoop (2023). The 42-year-old actor, who started out as a hero and then disappeared, dug deep to rediscover his acting skills in the 2023 crime drama. It won praise from critics and Anurag Kashyap, who called his performance a “breakout”.

The film media loves comebacks. They’ll spotlight anyone who’s been away for a few years and has decided to return. Some performers find it irksome. Others use it to shine in ways they couldn’t before.

Sharmila Tagore surprised audiences as a matriarch who confessed to having an affair with a woman in Gulmohar (2023). Chandrachur Singh played Sushmita Sen’s husband Tej Sareen in the crime thriller Aarya (2020-). Bhagyashree has played supporting roles in Thalaivii (2021) and Radhe Shyam (2022). See how the journey back has played out.

Harman Baweja

Last big role: Dishkiyaoon (2014).
Returned with: Scoop (2023)

With film director Harry Baweja and producer Pammi Baweja for parents, Harman Baweja would have found it easy to stay behind the scenes. But he wanted to act, and made his debut in Love Story 2050 (2008), which bombed. It took 15 years for Baweja to deliver a standout performance as the sleazy cop JCP Shroff in Scoop.