In Your Face, Bollywood! 12 Actors Who Were Told They Won't Be Able To Make It Big But They Did

There are several great actors waiting for that one chance to prove their talent. Not everyone gets that, and those who do, nearly didn't.

In an industry obsessed with looks, often people are rejected despite their stellar acting talent.

Here's a list of actors who were told that they won't be able to make it big in Bollywood, but they did!

1. Anushka Sharma

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When she made way into the industry, a lot of people thought that Anushka Sharma was was "too plain' looking and was even labelled "plain jane". In fact, Karan Johar admitted that he wanted to sabotage her career. "I completely wanted to murder Anushka Sharma¡¯s career because when Aditya Chopra showed me her picture, I was like ¡®no no, you no need to sign Anushka Sharma. There was another lead actor whom I wanted Adi to sign," he said.

Sonam Kapoor was also shortlisted for the role of Taani in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. In fact, Aditya Chopra told her she was second on the list. Anushka however nailed the audition and got the role. And rest, as they say is history.

2. Amitabh Bachchan

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Nobody liked Amitabh Bachchan's deep baritone voice. Years later, that became his USP in the entertainment industry. Do you know Big B was rejected by All India Radio because nobody liked his "voice"? He later started his career as in 1969 as a voice narrator in Mrinal Sen's film Bhuvan Shome. Mrinal Sen also thought he won't be able to make it big. Sen, in fact, once said, "His voice is ok ¡­ but he will never make it as an actor." The irony is that Big B is 80 years old and he is still one of the highly respected actors.

3. Irrfan Khan

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Hailed as the master of method acting, Irrfan Khan started his career with television. He had once revealed that he wasn't even paid because "they thought my acting was so bad." Can you believe? Eventually, he made way into films, proved his mettle with every role he played and even left a long lasting impact in Hollywood.

Also Read: Hollywood Pays Tribute To Irrfan Khan - The Man Tom Hanks Hailed As 'Coolest Guy' In The Room

4. Shah Rukh Khan

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Even Shah Rukh Khan was told he was ugly and not hero type. "There's a wonderful director friend of mine, and he met me and he said, 'you are so ordinary and ugly looking'. Yeah, he told me on my face." SRK said that he believed that. That is one of the reasons he did the neagtive roles that other heroes rejected. "The reasons I agreed to do roles which the other guys were saying no to (for whatever their mindset was), a Darr or a Baazigar, was because I thought I¡¯m not good-looking enough to be a hero, so let me just get a villain¡¯s job. I didn¡¯t do it because I was gutsy or because I knew I could pull it off, I¡¯m such a great actor," he was quoted as saying by NDTV. However, Yash Chopra, his father figure, saw a romantic hero in him. Today, he called the king of romance and the king of Bollywood.

5. Rajkummar Rao

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Rajkummar Rao was told he couldn't play a lead role because he wasn't fair enough for a hero's role. "He [casting director] really liked my test but told me, ¡®Acting is fine, but I can¡¯t give you a lead part because leading heroes are supposed to be fair and muscular. But do you want to play a small character in my film?'" he was quoted as saying by DNA. Today, he has turned the tables around and proved himself as one of the best actors in tinsel town.

6. Vidya Balan

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Even Vidya Balan, the woman who has single-handedly led films like Kahaani, Parineeta, The Dirty Picture among others, wasn't considered for lead roles. "I was carrying the anger of rejection, the judgment around my body, the criticism around my dressing. I¡¯ve been called ¡®jinxed¡¯ down South. I rejected my body all my life. I worked hard at accepting myself," she told Filmfare.

7. Nawazuddin Siddiqui

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Nawazuddin Siddiqui faced many rejections because of his dark-skin tone. "I don¡¯t look like a film actor. Yeh kya karega? That¡¯s how I was initially welcomed," he told HT. But he proved the world that looks don't matter, but acting prowess does.

Thank U 4 making me realise dat I cannot b paired along wid d fair & handsome bcz I m dark & not good looking, but I never focus on that.

¡ª Nawazuddin Siddiqui (@Nawazuddin_S) July 17, 2017

8. Ranveer Singh

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Aditya Chopra who launched Ranveer Singh had told him in the second meeting, "You¡¯re not Hrithik Roshan, toh tu acting kar lena (so you please act)." The actor revealed this in an interview with Bollywood Hungama. Later, he told Navbharat Times, "Ahead of the release of my first film, I went to the theatre to watch some other movie. My poster was up there and two guys were discussing the poster. 'Who is he, he does not look like a hero,' they said. I heard it."

9. Priyanka Chopra

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PC has not only made a name for herself in Bollywood, but she is a star in the West as well. One of the very few actors who have been able to make a career in Hollywood, Priyanka Chopra's capabilities were questioned initially when she started her journey as an actor in Bollywood. "I have always been told that ¡®Yeh thodi na kar payegi¡¯ and ¡®you won¡¯t be able to do it¡¯. I have always heard that but I just keep walking forward and keep doing my work," she was quoted as saying by ETimes.

10. Madhuri Dixit

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One of the most bankable stars of the 90s, Madhuri Dixit who has delivered some iconic performances in several cult films was told that she doesn't look like a heroine. " People used to say that I don¡¯t look like a heroine because I was a very young girl, from Maharashtrian roots, very petite. Everybody has those myths about what should a heroine should look like," she told RJ Siddharth Kanan in an interview.

11. Adil Hussain

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Known for his role in films like English Vinglish, Life of Pi, Lootera, Kabir Singh and shows like Delhi Crime and Star Trek: Discovery, Adil Hussain was told that he can't act because he wasn't fair. "Tu toh kala hai tu acting kaise karega?", he revealed on Neelesh Misra's show.

12. Katrina Kaif

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Katrina Kaif was rejected by filmmakers in her initial days for her "foreigner-like looks". Everyone thought she won't be able to make it big and could only do supporting roles.

In an interview with Bollywood Bubble, Katrina had revealed she "got thrown out, not thrown out, let¡¯s say replaced in a film called Saaya which was an Anurag Basu film with John Abraham and Tara Sharma. After shooting one shot, not one day but just one shot. At that time I thought my life was over. I thought my career was over."

Reportedly, John had denied working with her as she couldn¡¯t fluently speak Hindi. Later, they starred together in New York. While Katrina was skeptical about working with John, Salman convinced her to let bygones be bygones.

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