Indians who broke the shackles of poverty to emerge as wealthy celebrities

Celebrity life may be filled with a lot of glitz, glamour and money. And while most of the celebrities we know had it easy, there are some who had to take on more arduous roads to reach their destination. Accordingly, here are a few Indian celebrities who came from significantly poorer backgrounds and had to work really hard to beat all odds and become what they are today.

Shah Rukh Khan

 Shah Rukh Khan

The Badshaah of Bollywood did not have his celebrity life handed to him in a silver platter. Rather, he had to work very hard to attain success in the industry. King Khan came from a very humble family background and decided to make the star crossed trip to Mumbai over 25 years ago with nothing but 1500 rupees in his pocket. Hard work and dedication helped him attain the super stardom with which many associate him today.

Rajinikanth

 Rajinikanth

India’s very own super star who has a considerable fan following that goes way beyond borders, Rajinikanth started his life as the very simple Shivaji Rao, a bus conducted and coolie. His stint in filmdom started with small roles in Kannada plays. The real stardom visited him later on in the form of a National Award for his debut movie Apoorva Ragangal. The rest they say is history.

Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan

The Shehenshah of Bollywood did not have it easy either. Amitabh’s tryst to become the super star he is today took several decades. When the actor landed up in Mumbai from Allahabad to try his luck at acting, all he had for shelter were the benches on Marine Drive.

Boman Irani

Boman Irani

From waiting at tables to working as a room service staff, Boman Irani had done it all before becoming the critically acclaimed actor that he is today. Boman also used to work as an aid in his mother’s bakery shop when the filmi bug bit him and he started pursuing it earnestly by enrolling in photography and theater classes. Then ‘Munnabhai MBBS’ happened and there was no looking back after that for this Parsi actor.

Akshay Kumar

Akshay Kumar 1

Our very own Khiladi had to literally fight his way to the top. Before he became a film star, Akshay Kumar used to be a dishwasher and waiter in Bangkok. He followed it with a brief stint as a cook, which gave him no more than 1500 rupees and only a cold floor to sleep on. Training in martial arts helped him enter the glamor industry after which he left the lives of the cook, dishwasher and waiter behind him.

Summary

Many people think that Bollywood celebrities have everything easy in life. Truth is, even they needed to slog out. The celebrities mentioned above are some of those who had to go through a lot in order to achieve the super stardom status they enjoy today.

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