Yes, Bollywood is known to be a ruthless and at times, an unfair industry but it also gives a solid platform to aspiring talents who hail from all parts of the country and come to try their luck in the city of dreams, Mumbai.
It's no secret that people from different cities travel to Mumbai in search of work and Bollywood too, has witnessed talents coming from outside who ended up conquering our hearts with just their skills and talent as they had no godfathers in the industry on whose backs they could survive.
We have seen many people coming from Bihar to the city of Mumbai and making their presence known with their utmost dedication and sheer hard work.
Bihar might be known for giving the country successful UPSC candidates but it did the same wonder for Bollywood as well, with these five men joining the industry and making people believe that true talent can hail from any background:
Sushant Singh Rajput
Manoj Bajpayee
Pankaj Tripathi
Sanjay Mishra
Akhilendra Mishra
1. Sushant Singh Rajput
Sushant Singh Rajput might be gone from this world but he has left his legacy behind for us to appreciate the immense talent that he possessed.
He was born in Patna and later on, he moved to Delhi for his higher education only to realize that he had a passion for acting and he ended up making his presence felt with his intellect, dedication in craft, and his roles in movies.
It's indeed hard to find talent who's equally invested in other areas of academics than just his craft.
2. Manoj Bajpayee
In an interaction with Humans of Bombay, Manoj Bajpayee said that he aspired to become an actor since the age of nine.
“I’m a farmer’s son; I grew up in a village in Bihar with 5 siblings–we went to a hut school. We led a simple life, but whenever we went to the city, we’d go to the theatre. I was a Bachchan fan & wanted to be like him. At 9, I knew acting was my destiny,” he said.
Manoj has struggled his way to the top and he got his break in Bollywood with Satya. We are grateful to have such talent around in the industry to prove that dreams do come true.
3. Pankaj Tripathi
Pankaj Tripathi is someone who many aspiring actors follow and swear by.
Just recently, he was chosen by the Bihar government for the role of the brand ambassador of Khadi Mall. With just his conviction in his art, he managed to give us some very impressive characters like Kaleen Bahia from Mirzapur.
A farmer’s son from a small village called Belsand in the Gopalganj district of Bihar, Pankaj Tripathi made it big in the town of Bollywood and now has a legion of fans and admirers.
4. Sanjay Mishra
Hailing from a middle-class family living in Darbhanga, Bihar, Sanjay Mishra started his career in tinsel town with a role in TV series titled Chanakya in 1991.
He wanted to survive as an actor in Mumbai but with his brilliance in acting, he made a place for himself in the industry.
5. Akhilendra Mishra
Akhilendra Mishra is surely one of the most underrated actors that we have in Bollywood who we need to celebrate. He also hails from Bihar and holds a Masters degree in Science.
However, his father was never very confident with the idea of his son pursuing a career in acting. Recalling those days, he told Outlook Magazine, "We as children had the utmost respect for our parents, especially our father. We never went to our fathers directly to ask them for anything. It was always through our mothers. I used to go to her every day saying that I wanted to try my hand at acting but she used to shoo me away saying that if I couldn't become an engineer, how would it be possible for me to become an actor.
"After receiving no positive reply from her, I mustered up the courage and went up to my father and asked him directly. And to everyone's surprise, he allowed me. I guess he didn't know things would go so far."
Mishra has starred in hit movies like Lagaan, Gangaajal, Kaabil, and Sarfarosh. These men have managed to make it big in this cut-throat on the basis of their talent and we have immense respect for their struggles. Here is hoping their inspiring stories motivation other small-town dreamers to go ahead and make their dreams come true.