Fortune favors the bold, they say. Bollywood is a place where many dreams come true and many hearts break every day, every moment. Here are the success stories of our beloved actors who never gave up. Actors who struggled and never quit from their dreams.

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Siddiqui made his Bollywood debut in the year 1999, with a small role in the Aamir Khan starrer Sarfarosh. He then appeared in Ram Gopal Varma’s Shool (1999), Jungle (2000); and Rajkumar Hirani’s Munnabhai MBBS (2003). But none of these movies brought him much recognition. He did a short film, The Bypass in 2003, where he appeared with Irrfan Khan. Beyond that between 2002–05, he was largely out of work and lived in a flat that he shared with four other people, and survived by conducting occasional acting workshops.

Anurag Kashyap’s gangster epic Gangs of Wasseypur brought him much deserved the limelight. His story of struggle and hard work is a tale of inspiration. Everyone should learn from him, his will of never giving up.

Arshad Warsi 

Before we got to know him as a bollywood actor, he was a choreographer. He once got the opportunity to choreograph in a movie starring Jaya Bacchan. From there he got his first offer to act in Amitabh Bachchan’s production company, Amitabh Bachchan Corporation’s first production Tere Mere Sapne in 1996. Before that, he had made a small appearance as a dancer in a song in Aag Se Khelenge. Next, he was a part of Madhur Bhandarkar’s directorial debut Trishakti (1999). The film took 3 years to finish but performed poorly at the box office. His only film appearances of 2001 were in Ghaath, followed by Mujhe Meri Biwi Se Bachaao (2001) and Jaani Dushman: Ek Anokhi Kahani (2002). Most of these failed to do well at the box office, hence didn’t bring him any recognition. 

In 2003, he rose to fame as Circuit to Munna Bhai in Rajkumar Hirani’s comedy Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. which turned out to be a huge box office success. This movie gave him much critical acclaim and a nomination at the Filmfare Award for Best Supporting Actor.

Remo DSouza

Remo DSouza is a name in Bollywood that everyone knows these days. But his fame and fortune is a result of hard work and determination. His acting debut was in a movie called Aflatoon (1997) starring Akshay Kumar. Remo’s role was a supporting character and nobody remembered him. He then did many small roles in movies like Meenaxi: A tale of 3 cities, and also did background dancing in some movies.

His big break as a choreographer was Saathiya in 2002. Since then there has been no looking back. He worked as a choreographer in many movies and finally made his directorial debut in 2011 with the movie F.A.L.T.U.

Shahid Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor had a difficult childhood. His parents separated when he was three, and he continued living with his mother. They moved to Mumbai when he was 10, where he joined Shiamak Davar’s dance academy. Through Davar, Kapoor appeared as a background dancer in the films Dil To Pagal Hai (1997) and Taal (1999), in which Davar served as choreographer. During this time, He appeared in television commercials for the brands Pepsi, Kit Kat, and Close-Up. He also featured in music videos for several performers, including the band Aryans and the singer Kumar Sanu.

His Bollywood dream came true when he got the leading role in the movie Ishq Vishk, which became a great hit. His years of struggle finally paid off.

Irfan Khan

Khan moved to Mumbai, where he acted in numerous television serials, including Chanakya, Bharat Ek Khoj, Sara Jahan Hamara, Banegi Apni Baat, Chandrakanta, Shrikant (Doordarshan), AnooGoonj on Doordarshan, Star Bestsellers (Star Plus), and Sparsh. Earlier, he had acted in a teleplay on Doordarshan named Laal Ghaas Par Neele Ghode where he played Lenin. Theatre and television kept him afloat until Mira Nair offered him a cameo in Salaam Bombay! (1988) though his role was edited out in the final film.

In the 1990s, he appeared in the critically acclaimed films Ek Doctor Ki Maut and Such a Long Journey (1998) and various other films which went unnoticed. I

After many unsuccessful films, things changed when London-based director Asif Kapadia gave him the lead in The Warrior, a historical film completed in 11 weeks on location in Himachal Pradesh and Rajasthan. His first Bollywood lead role came in 2005 with film Rog. His performance was praised by critics, and since then he has been rising to fame and fortune. Kudos to his will and talent.

Also Read: Movies To Watch This Weekend