Bollywood Celebs who started from Theatre

Theater has been a source of talent for Indian Entertainment industry since long ago. Starting from the iconic Prithviraj Kapoor theater has given dozens of talented actors- both veteran and new to the Bollywood.
Let’s take a look at some of the most famous Bollywood celebs who started their journeys from theater –

IRRFAN KHAN

What a journey this man has had! Though he is a well-known face in Bollywood now, the way he had to take to reach this point was quite a long one. Irrfan Khan went to National School of Drama (NSD) in 1984 with a scholarship. After graduating, he worked in both theater and television for a while before he eventually started getting more roles in the movies.

KANGANA RANAUT

She debuted at the age of 17 with little help and made a name for herself. But before that Kangana Ranaut spent quite some time in theater alongside modeling. She was just 16 and already a talented actress who could do any role seamlessly.

RAJINIKANTH

Not so much Bollywood but who can deny his popularity all across the nation? Rajinikanth has taken the entire South film industry in his stride since he started acting in the movies over 40 years ago. But this megastar was active in theater scene before his debut on the big screen.

SHAH RUKH KHAN

While studying in Delhi University, Shah Rukh Khan worked tirelessly in theater and was a part of a theater group as well. He then came to Mumbai, where after being the part of the television for a while he made his debut in Bollywood.

MANOJ BAJPAI

He was an actor even as a child and worked for a long time in theatre before eventually heading for Bollywood. He is also the co-creator of a theatre group Act One.

NAWAZUDDIN SIDDIQUI

Alumni of NSD, Delhi which has given us numerous talents- Nawazuddin Siddiqui needs no introduction. After graduating, he actually worked in a theater group with Saurabh Shukla and Manoj Bajpai before entering into movies.

PARESH RAWAL

This veteran actor is still active in the theater scene and is used to acting in many languages.

RAJKUMMAR RAO

Before creating a place for himself in the Bollywood, Rajkumar Rao actively worked in Theater alongside completing his studies from Delhi University.

Apart from these names, veteran actors like Shabana Azmi, Pankaj Kapoor, Naseeruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak Shah, Supriya Pathak, Om Puri, Boman Irani and Anupam Kher also started their pursuit of acting through theater.