Sushant Singh Rajput’s recent suicide has sparked debates about nepotism and the closed culture in Bollywood. Many suspect that Sushant was ostracized by the industry which led to his untimely death, an example of the cruel fate imposed on outsiders in the film industry.
Yet, as hard as it might be, there are people who succeeded in making it big in Bollywood with no prior connections. Here is a rundown of 10 outsiders of Bollywood:
Shah Rukh Khan
Khan appeared in several television serials during 1988-1990. His film debut was the commercially successful Deewana. He found considerable success playing vilains in films such as Darr, Baazigar, and Anjaam . Throughout his career in Bollywood, he won eight Filmfare Best actor Awards, the highest by any actor and had smashing success in the Boxoffice as well.
He is fondly referred to as the Baadshah of Bollywood.
Sushant Singh Rajput:
Sushant, who made a name for himself on the small screen, especially with Pavitra Rishta, where he played the lead role, received his breakthrough role in Abhishek Kapoor's Kai Po Che, based on Chetan Bhagat's bestselling book The Three Mistakes of My Life. He later went on to star in commercially and critically successful films Chhichhore, MS Dhoni: The Untold Story and Kedarnath.
Kangana Ranaut
Kangana was born on in Bhambla, near Manali. Her father is a businessman and contractor, her mother is a school-teacher.
Her career began at the age of 16. In 2005, she was discovered by film-maker Anurag Basu, cast her for a lead role in Gangster. Since then, Kangana Ranaut has won three National Awards for her performance in Fashion, Queen, and Tanu Weds Manu Returns.
Irrfan Khan
Irrfan Khan’s journey began with side roles in small screen television series. His Bollywood debut was in Haasil where he played a negative role.
Irrfan Khan went on to become not only a revered actor in Bollywood but also a widely sought-after actor in Hollywood. He starred in films like, Piku, Jurrasic World, The Lunchbox, Hindi Medium, Angrezi Medium and others.
Vidya Balan
Vidya first played a nerdy character in Hum Paanch, a role that won the audiences' hearts. Vidya later appeared in a few films in the Bengali, and South industry, however her breakthrough role was in Parineeta in which she was cast alongside Dutt and Saif Ali Khan.
Today, Vidya is respected across the board for her impeccable acting and dedication to her craft. She has starred in films like The Dirty Picture, Kahaani, Begum Jaan, Mission Mangal and others.
Akshay Kumar
From working as a waiter in Thailand to acting in only action films to featuring in only comedy dramas, Akshay Kumar’s career has taken many turns. Currently, he is working in films that tackle complex social issues.
His notable films are PadMan, Mission Mangal, Toilet: Ek Prem Katha and others.
Ayushmann Khurrana
Early in his career, Ayushmann was a video jockey. He became more of a familiar face after participating in a reality show. He made his Bollywood debut with Vicky Donor and then became a household name.
He has films like Badhaai Ho, Andhadhun, Shubh Mangal Saavdhan to his credit.
Rajkummar Rao
After finishing graduation, Rao was mostly doing theatre work in Delhi. He has an academic background in acting. His debut film was Dibakar Banerjee's Love Sex aur Dhokha in 2010. Later, he starred in films like Kai Po Che!, Shahid, Citylights, Aligarh.
Rao is a National Film Award-winning actor and the recipient of three Filmfare Awards.
Randeep Hooda
Born in a small village called Daseya in the Rohtak district of Haryana, Hooda earned a Bachelor’s degree in Marketing & Human Resource Management.
His film debut in Monsoon Wedding was followed by a four-year long wait for another opportunity to come his way, despite delivering a powerful debut performance. He was finally cast as the lead in a gangster film named D, which shone a light on his acting capabilities. Hooda has recently appeared in the Netflix blockbuster Extraction alongside Chris Hemsorth.
Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Born in Budhana, a small town of Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh, Nawaz’s father is a farmer. After graduating from local college, Nawaz worked as a chemist. Later he moved to Delhi and worked as a watchman.
He did theatre and Television work that went mostly unnoticed. However, the lack of recognition did not damage the actor’s morale. He persevered and went on to play major roles in films like Black Friday, New York, Peepli Live, Kahani , Gangs of Wasseypur and Gangs of Wasseypur - Part 2.
