Today we associate them with the jet setting, worldly high fliers. But little do we know that the very stars who currently endorse products worth millions, actually started out from not so elite backgrounds. They might be stars now, but the struggles they faced would surely make a fine Bollywood blockbuster!
1. Rajinikanth
The reigning superstar of south whose movies break records each time they release, the Thalaiva Raijnikanth used to be a bus conductor in Bangalore. He’s the only Indian actor to be featured in the CBSE syllabus in a lesson titled ‘From Bus Conductor to Superstar’ dedicated to him.
2. Amitabh Bachchan
The man who revolutionized Indian cinema, Amitabh Bachchan once worked as a freight broker in Kolkata! With movies like ‘Shamitabh’ , ‘Piku’ and ‘Wazir’ this year, we can only thank the film Gods for whatever reason made him turn to acting as a career, or we might just have missed his brilliance!
3. Shahrukh Khan
Today his movies and concerts rake in the big billions. But not many know that the Badshah of Bollywood was once a concert attendant! Always proud of his humble beginnings, his breakthrough came in the form of his superhit debut film ‘Deewana’. And the rest, as they say, is history!
4. Akshay Kumar
Not many know that the superstar who today serves Bollywood hits that set the cash register ringing, once waited tables at a restaurant in Bangkok! Khiladi Kumar had his dreams realized with ‘Khiladi’, which people widely consider his debut. His story truly shows that life has a way of turning the tables on us at most unexpected moments!
5. Kangana Ranaut
Hailing from a small town in Himachal Pradesh, Kangana dropped out of school to carve a place for herself in the glam world. After venturing into modeling, she landed herself a three film deal with the Bhatts at the age of 17. But ‘Fashion’ was the movie which catapulted her into the big league. After that she went on to give hits like ‘Tanu Weds Manu’ and more recently ‘Queen’.
6. Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Undoubtedly one of the finest Bollywood actors of this generation, Siddiqui worked as a watchman in Delhi. Though initially he got tidbit roles in movies, his 2012 ‘Gangs of Wasseypur’ was what got him noticed. After that there’s been no looking back for him.
7. Ayushmann Khurrana
A part of the television industry since long, Ayushmann got his big break in the form of the unconventional ‘Vicky Donor’. A story about a sperm donor, it got rejected by a few actors before finally Khurrana was cast as the main lead. Released in 2012 it not just brought Ayushmann to the forefront, but also went on to become a super hit!
8. Randeep Hooda
Undeniably one of the fittest and most good looking Bollywood actor, this Haryanvi boy quit a cushy marketing job in favour of making his mark in the film industry. Though he started out with ‘Monsoon Wedding’ in 2001, he got noticed in his 2010 flick ‘Once Upon a Time In Mumbaai’, where he played the role of an ACP with aplomb!
9. Boman Irani
He was once a waiter and room service staff at Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel! How hard it is to believe, that the one who gave us blockbusters like Munna Bhai MBBS, 3 Idiots and recently PK, hails from such modest beginnings!
These self-made stars truly give an entirely new meaning to the phrase ‘life is a fairytale’! So to all those people who were losing hope at facing failure, dream big and dream on guys! For if one can do it, we all can do it!