What These 12 Celebs Were Doing Before Their Bollywood Debuts Will Inspire You To Dream Big!

Life can be unpredictable. You might think you have your career trajectory all planned out but then you end up doing something completely different with your life. There are many celebs in Bollywood who have had a similar fate. While their success, acting prowess and aura will make you wonder if they could ever have an alternate career, Bollywood wasn’t, in fact, their first career choice! Here’s a list of 12 Bollywood celebrities who were working in different industries before making it big in the movies:

1. Ranveer Singh

The powerhouse of energy, Ranveer Singh has amassed a huge fan following. He is the man behind blockbusters like Padmaavat, Bajirao Mastani, Ram-Leela, Simmba and Gully Boy. His passion for movies makes it hard for us to imagine him doing any other job but acting in Bollywood films wasn’t exactly his plan. He used to work in advertising as a copywriter with agencies like Ogilvy and Mather and J. Walter Thompson.

2. Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar’s comic timing, dance moves and thirst for action sequences convinced his fans that he was born to be an actor. But that’s not how Akki had his life planned. Before making an entry in the entertainment industry, Akshay served as a chef and waiter in Bangkok. A black belt in Taekwondo, Akshay studied martial arts in Bangkok. He returned to India and worked as a martial arts teacher.

3. Amitabh Bachchan

Legendary actor, Amitabh Bachchan, who is known for his incredible diction and voice, was rejected by Doordarshan when he auditioned to be a radio jockey back in the day. Interestingly, Big B’s first job was at a company called Shaw Wallace, a shipping firm, as an executive. Later, he worked as a freight broker for a shipping firm called Bird and Co.

4. Parineeti Chopra

Parineeti Chopra won the hearts of the audiences when she played Dimple Chadha in Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, her debut film. But her plan was never to become an actress. A triple honours degree holder in Business, Finance and Economics from Manchester Business School, Parineeti always wanted to become an investment banker in London. But as fate had it, she returned to India due to lack of jobs in the UK and joined Yash Raj Films as an intern in their marketing and public relations team. Director Maneesh Sharma asked her to audition for a role and, well, we all know the rest.

5. Nawazuddin Siddiqui

One of Bollywood’s most versatile actor, Nawazuddin Siddiqui was born in a farmer’s family in Uttar Pradesh. He had eight siblings to support so he took a job as a chemist. Later, he moved to Delhi and developed an interest in theatre as he worked as a watchman there for about two years. He then ended up joining National School of Drama. And the rest, as they say, is history.

6. Sonakshi Sinha

Known for playing the quintessential desi girl, Sonakshi Sinha has come a long way in Bollywood. The actress, who can’t imagine herself doing anything else but Bollywood films now started off her career as a costume designer for movies like Mera Dil Leke Dekho in 2005. Did you know she’s a graduate in Fashion Designing?

7. Ayushmann Khurrana

Before making the entire country fall in love with him with his stint in Vicky Donor, Ayushmann Khurrana participated in MTV Roadies. Post winning the reality show, he worked as a radio jockey with Big FM in Delhi and later as a video jokey with MTV. The actor has a major in English Literature and a master’s degree in Mass Communication from the School of Communication Studies, Punjab University.

8. John Abraham

John Abraham, a man who makes all the ladies go gaga over him with his looks, had no plans of becoming an actor. He worked as a media planner for Enterprises-Nexus and later tried his hand at modelling to earn his daily bread. But as luck would have it, he landed a role in the erotic thriller film Jism in 2003 opposite Bipasha Basu.

9. Bhumi Pednekar

The Toilet: Ek Prem Katha actress was working an assistant to Shanoo Sharma, casting director at Yash Raj Films before she bagged the role in Dum Laga Ke Haisha opposite Ayushmann Khurrana.

10. Arshad Warsi

Can you imagine any other actor playing Circuit? I am guessing no! Known for his impeccable sense of humour, Arshad had a different career path altogether. He was a door-to-door cosmetic salesman and worked in a photo lab. He was always passionate about dancing and hence joined Sami’s dance group in Mumbai. This began his career as a choreographer in Bollywood. But looks like he was made for the big screen and not behind the camera.

11. Boman Irani

Just like there can’t be another Circuit, there couldn’t be a better Dr Asthana or Virus. Boman Irani has amazed the audiences with his acting skills and played some iconic roles in movies. Not many know that he was a waiter and a room service attendant in Mumbai’s Taj Mahal Palace Hotel before getting his big break in Bollywood. He also used to help his mother run their ancestral bakery shop.

12. R. Madhavan

R Madhavan is the heartthrob of the South Indian industry and Bollywood too. The actor didn’t really dream about becoming an actor. Before trying his luck in movies, Madhavan was a trainer for public speaking and personality development skills. 

Stunned, aren’t you? 

Image: Instagram

POPxo is now available in six languages: English, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Marathi and Bangla.

AWESOME NEWS! POPxo SHOP is now Open! Get 25% off on all the super fun mugs, phone covers, cushions, laptop sleeves, and more! Use coupon code POPXOFIRST. Online shopping for women never looked better!