12 Bollywood celebrities who struggled before they became famous
Last updated on - Jan 29, 2018, 18:38 ISTShare fbsharetwsharepinshare
01/1312 Bollywood celebrities who struggled before they became famous
Bollywood celebrities have always surprised their audience time and again. The fame and name is part of the business, but they have also struggled before making it big in the film industry. From Amitabh Bachchan to Parineeti Chopra everyone has struggled during their initial days. Big B of Bollywood who is the legend of Bollywood has worked for a shipping company. While Ranveer Singh who was praised for his marvelous performance in 'Padmaavat' used to work in ad agencies while Nawazuddin Siddiqui has worked as a watchman for more than a year. While our king khan of Bollywood had to sleep in railway stations during his initial days, hence here are some stars who struggled a lot before making it big in the film industry.
02/13Amitabh Bachchan
The angry young man of Bollywood was an execute in a shipping company before he became the legend of Bollywood. He first gained popularity in the early 1970s for films such as ‘Zanjeer’, ‘Deewaar’, and ‘Sholay’. Amitabh Bachchan has won numerous accolades in his career, including four National Film Awards as Best Actor and many awards at international film festivals and award ceremonies. He has won fifteen Filmfare Awards and is the most nominated performer in any major acting category at Filmfare, with 41 nominations overall. In addition to acting, Bachchan has worked as a playback singer, film producer, and television presenter. Bachchan is an alumnus of Sherwood College, Nainital. He later attended Kirori Mal College, University of Delhi. He has a younger brother, Ajitabh. His mother had a keen interest in theatre and was offered a feature film role, but she preferred her domestic duties. Teji had some influence in Amitabh Bachchan's choice of career because she always insisted that he should take the center stage.
03/13Rajinikanth
Shivaji Rao Gaekwad, but popularly known as Rajinikanth, is an Indian film actor and politician, who works primarily in Tamil cinema. He began acting in plays while working in the Bangalore Transport Service as a bus conductor. In 1973, he joined the Madras Film Institute to pursue a diploma in acting. Following his debut in K. Balachander's Tamil drama 'Apoorva Raagangal’ (1975), his acting career commenced with a brief phase of portraying antagonistic characters in Tamil films. The Government of India has honoured him with the Padma Bhushan in 2000 and the Padma Vibhushan in 2016 for his contributions to the arts. At the 45th International Film Festival of India (2014), he was conferred with the Centenary Award for Indian Film Personality of the Year. At the age of six, Rajinikanth was enrolled at the "Gavipuram Government Kannada Model Primary School" where he had his primary education. As a child, he was studious and "mischievous" with a great interest in cricket, football, and basketball. It was during this time that his brother enrolled him at the Ramakrishna Math, a Hindu monastery (math) set up by Ramakrishna Mission. In the math, he was taught Vedas, tradition, and history, which eventually instilled a sense of spirituality in him. In addition to spiritual lessons, he also began acting in plays at the math. His aspiration towards theatre grew at the math and was once given an opportunity to enact the role of Ekalavya's friend from the Hindu epic Mahabharata. His performance in the play received praise from the audience and Kannada poet D. R. Bendre in particular. After sixth grade, Rajinikanth was enrolled at the Acharya Pathasala Public School and studied there till completion of his pre-university course. During his schooling at the Acharya Pathasala, he spent a lot of time acting in plays. In one such occasion, he performed the villainous role of Duryodhana in the play Kurukshetra (Anand iya Vaalka).
04/13Shah Rukh Khan
Shah Rukh Khan who is known as the king khan of Bollywood as surely made it big in the film industry. But he has also struggled to be the king of romance. He worked as a concert attendant, and even sold tickets at the booking window of a Mumbai theatre on the opening day of his 1994 film ‘Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa’. He also tried his hand at restaurant business in Delhi as well. He had only Rs 1500 when he came to Mumbai. He sometimes had to sleep on railway platforms as well while he shifted. The actor had once also said, "I have seen a lot of poverty. I was scared of being poor. I don't like to be poor and it is this fear that makes me work hard. I don't let go any chance or opportunity to earn a living.” In his youth, he acted in stage plays and received praise for his imitations of Bollywood actors, of which his favourites were Dilip Kumar, Amitabh Bachchan, and Mumtaz. After the death of their parents, his older sister, Shahnaz Lalarukh, born in 1960, fell into a depressed state and Khan took on the responsibility of caring for her. But later Shah Rukh Khan frequently appears on listings of the most popular, stylish and influential people in India. He has regularly featured among the top ten on The Times of India's list of the 50 most desirable men in India.
05/13Boman Irani
Boman Irani was a waiter and a room service attendant in one Mumbai’s posh hotel. He also helped his mother to run their bakery shop. He then took to photography and joined theatre. He is an Indian film and theatre actor, voice artist and photographer of Parsi Irani descent. He is widely known for his comedic and villain roles in Bollywood films such as ‘Don’, ‘Munna Bhai MBBS’, ‘3 Idiots’, ‘Happy New Year’, ‘PK’ and ‘Dilwale’. He finished his schooling at St. Mary's School, Mumbai. Irani was dyslexic and had ADHD and had a lisp. He got over his lisp eventually. He studied a 2-year waiter course at Mithibai College in Mumbai. After his polytechnic diploma course, he joined the Taj Mahal Palace & Tower and worked there as a waiter and in room service. He gradually got promoted and finally worked as a waiter at the rooftop French restaurant, Rendezvous. He worked at the Taj Mahal for two years.
06/13Akshay Kumar
The Khiladi of Bollywood also struggled a lot before making it big in Bollywood. He served as a chef and a waiter. Now he is an Indian-born Canadian actor, producer, martial artist, and stuntman and television personality. Apart from acting, Kumar has also worked as a stunt actor; he has often performed many dangerous stunts in his films, which has earned him the sobriquet "Indian Jackie Chan". When he began his acting career in the 1990s, he primarily starred in action films and was known for his appearances in films of the Khiladi series as well as other action films such as ‘Mohra’, ‘Main Khiladi Tu Anari’, ‘Sapoot’ and ‘Angaaray’. Later, Kumar also gained fame for his drama, romantic and comic roles. He earned critical acclaim for his portrayal of a hysterical professor in ‘Sangharsh’ and a criminal in ‘Jaanwar’. His performances in romantic films like ‘Dhadkan’, ‘Andaaz’ and ‘Namastey London’; drama films like ‘Waqt’ and ‘Bhool Bhulaiyaa’; comedy films like ‘Hera Pheri’, ‘Mujhse Shaadi Karogi’, ‘Garam Masala’, ‘Bhagam Bhag’ and ‘Singh Is Kinng’ were all well received. In 2007, he starred in four consecutive commercially successful films.
07/13Kangana Ranaut
Kangana Ranaut’s parents initially did not approve her decision of entering into Bollywood. She used to only eat bread and pickle during the initial period. She went to Delhi and became a model and she was just 16 and then went on to do theatre and then later she went to Mumbai to become an actress. Kangana Ranaut initially aspired to become a doctor at the insistence of her parents. Determined to build her own career path, she relocated to Delhi at age sixteen, where she briefly became a model. After training under the theatre director Arvind Gaur, Ranaut made her feature film debut in the 2006 thriller ‘Gangster’, for which she was awarded the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut. She received praise for portraying emotionally intense characters in the dramas ‘Woh Lamhe’, ‘Life in a... Metro’, and ‘Fashion’. For the last of these, she won the National Film Award for Best Supporting Actress and a Filmfare Award in the same category.
08/13Parineeti Chopra
Parineeti Chopra was a marketing intern in Yash Raj Films studio before pursuing acting as a career. Chopra initially aspired to pursue a career in investment banking, but after obtaining a triple honours degree in business, finance, and economics from Manchester Business School she returned to India during the 2009 economic recession and joined Yash Raj Films as a public relations consultant. Later, she signed a deal with the company as an actress. Parineeti Chopra made her acting debut with an acclaimed performance in the 2011 romantic comedy Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, winning the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and a Best Supporting Actress nomination. She followed it by garnering widespread critical acclaim for her starring roles in the box office hits— ‘Ishaqzaade’ (2012), which won her the National Film Award – Special Mention, ‘Shuddh Desi Romance’ (2013) and ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’ (2014). The first two of these also earned her two nominations for the Filmfare Award for Best Actress. After a three-year hiatus from full-time acting, she starred in the blockbuster comedy Golmaal Again' (2017), one of the highest-grossing Indian films of all time.'
09/13Ranveer Singh
He worked as a copywriter in ad agencies. He is the recipient of several awards, including two Filmfare Awards, and is among the highest-paid actors in the country. After completing a bachelor's degree from Indiana University Bloomington, Singh returned to India to pursue his career in films. He made his acting debut in 2010 with a leading role in Yash Raj Films' romantic comedy ‘Band Baaja Baaraat’. The film emerged as a critical and commercial success, earning Singh a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut. Singh rose to prominence with starring roles in the acclaimed romantic drama ‘Lootera’ (2013), the tragic romance ‘Goliyon Ki Raasleela Ram-Leela’ (2013), the action-drama ‘Gunday’ (2014) and the comedy-drama ‘Dil Dhadakne Do’ (2015). Singh's acclaimed portrayal of Bajirao I in the historical romance ‘Bajirao Mastani’, one of the highest-grossing Bollywood films and for which he won several accolades including the Filmfare Award for Best Actor, established him as a leading actor in the Hindi film industry. He was also appreciated for his marvelous performance in ‘Padmaavat’.
10/13Sidharth Malhotra
The actor entered into acting at the age of 18. Dissatisfied with the profession, he went on to work as an assistant director to Karan Johar in the 2010 film ‘My Name Is Khan’. He made his acting debut with a leading role in Johar's comedy-drama ‘Student of the Year’, for which he received a Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut nomination. Sidharth played an aspiring businessman in the critically praised comedy-drama ‘Hasee Toh Phasee’ in 2014, following which he starred as a hardened criminal in the romantic thriller ‘Ek Villain’ and an aspiring author in the family drama ‘Kapoor & Sons’. The latter two rank among Malhotra's highest-grossing films. Interested to pursue an acting career, he successfully auditioned for a film to be directed by Anubhav Sinha. However, the film was shelved. In 2016, Malhotra starred as a mathematician who travels in time, thereby learning the value of family life, in the romantic comedy ‘Baar Baar Dekho’, co-starring Katrina Kaif. He will be seen in 'Aiyaary' along with Manoj Bajpayee
