Bollywood Star Celebrities who made it pretty much on their own. In an industry where every other day you hear a celebrity star kid being launched, these guys and girls actually wrote their own success stories.
Everybody talks about Bollywood being a highly competitive (at times brutal) industry, where everybody would make you believe that you have to have a Godfather in order to succeed.
Though most of them do have the necessary backing even before they enter the the industry, there are a few who have managed to do well for themselves in the Industry, on the basis of their hard work and determination.
No silver spoon, no chacha, mama or papa for them; no famous parents, no influential godfathers (though they were not really ‘commoners’)!
Here are some of the most successful Bollywood stars who made it big on the basis of their hard work, talent, and of course a bit of luck!
Shah Rukh Khan
How many of you, who have seen him on television (not as a host but when he made his debut) really thought that he would become what he’s today? No doubt he was energetic and had a style of his own when we saw him for the first time on the Idiot box (tv serials – Fauji and Circus), but its really a long path from there to becoming the Badshah of Bollywood! His journey from rags to riches is indeed an inspiring one. SRK’s father fought for India’s independence, and passed away when SRK was only 15. This is definitely one success story that will be told for years to come in Bollywood!
Akshay Kumar
Most Bollywood fans probably already know this; Akshay Kumar worked as a chef (and has even worked as a waiter) at a restaurant in Bangkok before he came to Bollywood. Rajiv Bhatia (his real name) left it all as he felt his calling was somewhere else. A few modelling assignments got him hooked, and soon Akki started featuring in hit films; the rest is history! Akshay Kumar’s father was an Army officer, while his mother is a homemaker.
Priyanka Chopra
Another army connection here; Priyanka’s parents were both physicians in the Indian Army. No wonder Pee Cee wanted become a software engineer or a criminal psychologist in her earlier days. Winning the Miss World pageant paved the way for he in Bollywood. Today she’s not just a National Award-winning actress, she’s also an international music artiste (seems to be making all the right moves), and all this without any filmi-godfather.
Deepika Padukone
Her father is badminton champion ‘Prakash Padukone’, but it seems Deepika was destined for Bollywood & not sports! Taking advantage of her height, the Bangalore girl took to modeling quite early, soon she got a Kannada film ‘Aishwarya’, after which ‘Om Shanti Om’ happened. She’s is currently among the top actresses in Bollywood today (and the most successful too).
Vidya Balan
She was born into a middle-class Tamil Brahmin family in Kerala, later on her family moved to Mumbai where the actress finished her education (graduate in Sociology). Vidya was passionate about films from a very young age. That’s why her parents backed her to pursue a career in Bollywood. She started with TV commercials, music videos and the popular TV show ‘Hum Paanch’. Her filmi-career, however, took some time to take-off and she really had to struggle for some time. Today, a National Award-winning actress, she has several good projects lined up for herself.
Anushka Sharma
Yet another army connection here; Anushka grew up in an Army background and never really aspired to become an actress in her earlier years. But aspirations changed with time; she started off as a model, and ended up bagging a lead role in Aditya Chopra’s film, ‘Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi’. Rest we all know!
Kangna Ranaut
Here father is a businessman and mother a school teacher. She came to Mumbai to establish herself as an actress, which she pretty much achieved with sheer hard work.
Bipasha Basu
Modeling happened by accident for the Bong beauty (she used to dream of becoming a doctor). Before films, she did a number of private albums and advertisements; Ajnabee was her debut film. An actress with a fab body, she also has her own fitness DVDs now!
Shilpa Shetty
Shilpa Shetty’s parents are both entrepreneurs in the pharmaceutical industry, with no connections in Bollywood. The attractive actress started her career as a model, and soon got her first break in the film ‘Baazigar’. She’s one of those few actresses who can dance really well! Her win in the reality show ‘Celebrity Big Brother UK’ made her quite popular overseas as well. Today, she’s a successful entrepreneur herself, and is seen as a judge on few reality shows on Television.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Aishwarya Rai wanted to become a physician or an architect (her father was a marine biologist while her mother is a homemaker) but ended up enrolling herself for a supermodel contest at the age of 18! When most of us are busy attending lectures, she’s was already a supermodel (remember her Pepsi commercial?). She also went on to win the Miss World title after which Bollywood happened naturally, and then there was no looking back for her.
Katrina Kaif
Katrina was pursuing a degree in engineering in London (her mother worked at an NGO), when she realized that her true calling was films. She did manage to find roles for herself in her earlier films all by herself, but later on did find backing from her ex-boyfriend, Salman Khan.
Arjun Rampal
One of the most successful supermodels of the country (at a very young age); he was discovered by designer Rohit Bal at a Delhi discotheque. However, it took him a very long time to get a break & make a name for himself in Bollywood.
Ranveer Singh
Bandra boy Ranveer, before getting his big debut ‘Band Baaja Baraat’, had done his fair share of struggle doing various jobs including working as a copy writer in an ad agency. It was pure by chance that a casting agent decided to send his pictures to Aditya Chopra, and the rest we all know!
