Bollywood is a strange place to be and there is no fixed formula for being a success here and destiny changes every Friday. There were instances in the past where someone became a big star just with his debut and for some, it takes years and many movies to make it big. In this article, we will discuss about seven actors whose debut movies were flops but later became big stars.
Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan is the name that needs no instruction who is probably the biggest star of Indian cinema ever but do you know that his debut movie was a big flop. Not only his debut movie but many movies of his didn’t fare well at the box office till Zanjeer happened. Amitabh Bachchan’s debut movie was Saat Hindustani directed by Khwaja Ahmed Abbas. The movie was set against the background of Goa liberation and Amitabh Bachchan played one of the saat Hindustanis. The movie was a critical success and won many awards including the National Awards but it failed at the box office.
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Ranbir Kapoor
Ranbir Kapoor, the scion of the Kapoor family made his debut alongside Sonam Kapoor in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s directorial Saawariya and everybody was optimistic about the movie. When the movie was released, it fared badly at the box office because of its unusual theme and people didn’t understand the movie at all. Another reason was that it clashed with Shahrukh Khan’s blockbuster movie Om Shanti Om. Despite having a flop debut, the acting skill of Ranbir was appreciated and he won the Best Debut (Male) Filmfare award that year.
Katrina Kaif
Katrina Kaif today is one of the top actresses in India who is in the top bracket of heroines even after spending more than a decade in the film industry. You will be surprised to know that she made her debut with the abstract movie ‘Boom’ directed by Kaizad Gustad. The movie also starred Amitabh Bachchan and Jackie Shroff but was a big flop. Katrina later found success with movies like Maine Pyaar Kyun Kia, Singh is King, and Partner.
Akshay Kumar
Today Akshay Kumar is one of the richest and most sought-after actors in Bollywood but his journey till here is not an easy one. Akshay Kumar does not belong to any film family nor had a Godfather in the industry. His first movie was Saugandh in 1991 and it was directed by Raj N Sippy. The movie also starred Rakhi Gulzar, Mukesh Khanna, and Shantiprya who was the female lead in the movie. It was a typical Bollywood revenge drama that fared very badly at the box office. Akshay Kumar found success with his third movie Khiladi directed by Abbas-Mastan.
Emraan Hashmi
During the mid-2000s Emraan Hashmi was a name to reckon with who gave many hits during this period. He debuted in Bollywood with Vikram Bhatt’s Footpath also starring Aftab Shivdasani and Bipasha Basu. It was an action thriller movie and was not a bad movie but it didn’t find any takers at the box office. Later Emraan Hashmi tasted success with Murder and Gangster and since then there is no looking back for him.
Salman Khan
Many will find Salman Khan’s name in this strange as his first movie Maine Pyaar Kia was a blockbuster but it was not Salman Khan’s first movie in Bollywood. His first movie was Biwi Ho Toh Aisi starring Farooq Sheikh and Rekha and Salman Khan had a supporting role in the movie. The movie was a flop but Salman Khan went on to act in Suraj Barjatya’s Maine Pyaar Kia and the rest is history.
Kareena Kapoor
Kareena Kapoor is one of the top heroines in Bollywood who captivated the audience with her beauty and acting for the last two decades but her debut movie, the most anticipated ‘Refugee’ opposite Abhishek Bachchan was a failure at the box office. The movie was directed by J.P Dutta who was freshly out of the success of Border and marked the debut of Abhishek Bachchan, son of superstar Amitabh Bachchan many thought of the movie as a potential hit but after a good opening, the movie was a big flop.
