Yes, Bollywood is a cutthroat and at times unfair industry, but it also provides a solid platform for young actors and actresses from all over the country who travel to Mumbai to try their luck.
It’s no secret that people from all over the world flock to Mumbai in search of job, and Bollywood has seen outsiders steal our hearts with their skills and brilliance because they lacked godfathers in the industry on whose shoulders they could survive.
Many people from Bihar have come to Mumbai and made their presence felt through their unwavering commitment and sheer hard work.
Bihar is known for producing successful UPSC candidates, but it did the same for Bollywood with these five individuals joining the profession and convincing people that true talent can come from any background:
1. Sushant Singh Rajput
Sushant Singh Rajput may have left this world, but he has left behind a legacy that allows us to appreciate his enormous talent.
He was born in Patna and later came to Delhi for higher study, only to discover that he had a passion for acting, and he went on to make a name for himself via his intelligence, dedication to his trade, and film roles.
It is difficult to find talent who is as invested in other academic fields than his craft.
2. Manoj Bajpayee
Manoj Bajpayee revealed to Humans of Bombay that he has wanted to be an actor since he was nine years old.
“I’m a farmer’s son who grew up in a Bihar village with five siblings and attended a hut school. We lived simply, but whenever we visited the city, we went to the theatre. I admired Bachchan and aspired to be like him. “I felt acting was my destiny when I was nine years old,” he remarked.
Manoj has worked hard to get to the top, and his break in Bollywood came with Satya. We are fortunate to have such talent in the field to demonstrate that aspirations do come true.
3. Pankaj Tripathi
Many aspiring actors look up to Pankaj Tripathi and swear by him.
He was recently appointed by the Bihar government as the brand ambassador for Khadi Mall. He managed to create some really outstanding personalities, such as Kaleen Bahia from Mirzapur, using simply his faith in his craft.
Pankaj Tripathi, a farmer’s kid from the little village of Belsand in Bihar’s Gopalganj district, made it big in Bollywood and now has a following of followers and lovers.
4. Sanjay Mishra
Sanjay Mishra was born into a middle-class family in Darbhanga, Bihar, and began his acting career in 1991 with a role in the TV series Chanakya.
He wanted to make a living as an actor in Mumbai, but his brilliance in acting allowed him to carve out a niche for himself.
5. Akhilendra Mishra
Akhilendra Mishra is unquestionably one of Bollywood’s most underappreciated actors, and he deserves to be recognised. He is also from Bihar and has a science master’s degree.
His father, on the other hand, was never enthusiastic about his son’s desire to pursue a career in acting. “We as youngsters had the utmost regard for our parents, especially our father,” he told Outlook Magazine back then. We never went directly to our fathers to ask for anything. Our mothers were always the conduits. I used to go to her every day and tell her that I wanted to attempt acting, but she pushed me away, saying that if I couldn’t become an engineer, how could I possibly become an actor?
“I summoned the confidence to approach my father and ask him personally after receiving no favourable response from her. He agreed, much to everyone’s astonishment. I suppose he had no idea how far things would go.”
Mishra has appeared in a number of successful films, including Lagaan, Gangaajal, Kaabil, and Sarfarosh.
These men have made it large in this competitive industry because of their talent, and we admire their perseverance. Let’s hope their inspiring stories inspire more small-town dreamers to pursue their goals.
