2015 has been a very, very strong year for actors and a brilliant year for Pakistani cinema as well. A lot of movies appeared on the big screen, while only some could make a strong impact at the box-office. Movies like Jawani Phir Nahi Ani, Bin Roye and Wrong Number set the cash registers ringing at the box-office. On the other hand, Manto and Moor tasted commercial as well as strong critical support.

There were sensational actors who made a robust impact on the screen by giving impeccable performances. And yet, sadly enough, only threemen could make it to the list of the crème de la crème of 2015.

3. Adnan Jaffar - Jalaibee

Adnan Jaffar splendidly held the otherwise tasteless Jalaibee together with his gripping performance as Dara. Jaffar is an actor par excellence. Due to his impeccably strong screen presence in Jalaibee, he has found a position among the top performers of 2015.

With lead actors making no impact at all, it was Jaffar who stunned all and sundry with his acting finesse in Jalaibee. He brought a ceaseless ferocity to his role and triumphed by not hitting even a single indulged or false note.

2. Shaz Khan - Moor

Spectacularly set mise en scène is often mistaken for sound acting as well. But, it takes courage for a performer to let go the vanity and go deeply internal on the screen.

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This is why Moor was a stiff acting face-off between Shaz Khan and Hameed Sheikh. With their acting skills, the onscreen father-son duo gave an endearingly robust performance. Khan added multiple layers of complexity to his character with top-notch facial expressions and transformative gestures. When faced with a complex situation, Khan realisedthat there is a certain level of morality ingrained within him.

He just can’t let it go. It’s a genuine and a persistently strong performance.

1. Sarmad Khoosat - Manto

The performer of the year title may well be given to Sarmad Khoosat, who baffled and moved everyone with his stunningly depressing portrayal of writer Saadat Hasan Manto in his directorial venture Manto. Khoosat sparkled in a role that allowed him to display histrionics. I believe there are no sufficient words of praise to justify his calm, restraint, composure and outbursts on screen.

It’s an honestly searingperformance - a performance that allows the actor to do more than just act. Khoosat’s dedication to this biopic comes through in each frame that he appears in. This is the bravest, consistent and finest performance of 2015.

Special Mentions

Vasay Chaudhry is a highly sought after writer and performer. In this year's biggest commercial hit Jawani Phir Nahi Ani, Chaudhry stood out among the ensemble and registered a rock solid performance with pitch-perfect comic timing.

On the other hand,Hameed Sheikh gave a competent performance in Moor. He was a complete revelation. His role was that of a sensitive individual torn with grief of loss. Sheikh played this extremely difficult role with gloriouselan and made his lines more vulnerable to pain with immaculatedialogue delivery.

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