Bollywood is a very difficult industry to break into. Very few manage to make the cut, and even less manage to hold on to their stardom.
Not all actors are able to deal with the unpredictable nature of this profession. While there are some actors who would go to any lengths to get their filmi career back on track, there are some actors who have realised that Bollywood it not where they want to be.
Here we take a look at those actors who decided to quit the rat race and change lanes.
Dino Morea
Dino Morea began his career with modelling. He then switched to Bollywood and featured in several films, attaining fame with the thriller Raaz. However, for some reason, his career didn’t really take off (probably he gave up too soon).
So he decided to instead focus on the hospitality business. Dino now owns a chain of restaurants in Mumbai.
Kumar Gaurav
Kumar Gaurav made an impressive debut with the film ‘Love Story’ in 1981 (the film had some amazing songs). While many thought he would achieve stardom, on the contrary, his career soon reached a dead end.
Instead of wasting his time in Bollywood, Kumar pursued an alternate career. He now owns a successful travel business in Maldives.
Preity Zinta
Preity Zinta made her debut in Bollywood with Dil Se and went on to feature in several Bollywood films. At her peak, she was an A-lister in Bollywood and featured in several blockbusters including Veer Zaara, Dil Chahta Hai, Kal Ho Naa Ho, Koi Mil Gaya, Lakshya. Unfortunately, female actors have a limited shelf life in Bollywood, and soon the film offers started declining.
Preity took the sports route and now owns the IPL team Kings XI Punjab and co-owns South-African T20 Global League cricket team Stellenbosch Kings.
Imran Khan
Imran Khan made his acting debut in Bollywood with the film Jaane Tu… Ya Jaane Na which was a commercial success. At one time, he was considered a competitor of Ranbir Kapoor. Unfortunately, his films started flopping at the box office, and soon he decided to take a break from Bollywood, and has totally disappeared from the limelight.
While Imran owns a popular restaurant in Mumbai, he is still not ready to give up on Bollywood. There are rumours that he is considering direction as an action, and may make a comeback as a director.
Twinkle Khanna
Twinkle Khanna made her debut with the film Barsaat in 1995, which did well at the box office. She did several films including Badshaah, Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega, Yeh Hai Mumbai Meri Jaan. However, not satisfied with the way her career was progressing, Twinkle quit the film industry in 2001. Twinkle is now a successful films producer, interior designer, author and a newspaper columnist.
Soha Ali Khan
Soha Ali Khan made her Bollywood debut with the film Dil Maange More in 2004. Her work in films like Khoya Khoya Chand, Rang De Basanti, Tum Mile and 99 was appreciated by many. However, Soha was not happy with her career in Bollywood. After marrying actor Kunal Kemmu, Soha quit Bollywood in 2015.
She is now a writer and has authored a book titled The Perils of Being Moderately Famous.
