Bollywood celebs live a luxurious life, but you cannot deny it costs a fortune to afford that life. While we know of the luxurious homes, bungalows, and rents celebs pay. Have you ever wondered what financial difficulties look for them?
Here’s how Bollywood celebs dealt with the financial crisis in their lives.
1. Shah Rukh Khan
SRK is one of the kindest and most generous celebs we know. Talking about his struggles, in the beginning, the actor said:
When I first landed in Mumbai from Delhi, I had tagged along with 3 other friends. We had no money to even buy food. We used to sleep on the sidewalk outside the Oberoi Hotel (now Trident) on the Queen’s Necklace. In the mornings we used to clean up in the hotel’s washrooms and pretend to be the hotel’s guests. When we had no money to go back to Delhi, I went to the local market and sold my Pentax camera for 1500 rupees, so we could buy our tickets back to Delhi.
2. Rajkummar Rao
Rajkummar Rao, who made his debut in Bollywood in 2010 with Love, Sex Aur Dhokha opened up about his struggling days and said:
When I came to the city, we were living in a really small house. I was paying ₹ 7000 of my share, which I thought was too much. I needed around ₹ 15-20000 every month to survive and there were times I would get a notification that I have only ₹ 18 left in my account. It used to be tough times for me. I come from a very humble middle class background and there was a time in school when I didn’t have money and my teachers paid my school fees for two years.
3. Akshay Kumar
Akshay is known to do a bucket full of films every year. However, before entering Bollywood, he pursued martial arts. The actor spoke about how he managed to earn money.
I had learned martial arts so that held me in good stead during my tough time in Bangkok. Since I was a martial-arts enthusiast I picked up on Muay Thai boxing and I used to participate in street fights to earn some extra cash. On many occasions, I got beaten up badly, but it was an honest and much-needed earning.
4. Rajpal Yadav
Rajpal Yadav talked about how he received help from his well-wishers. The actor shared how he would walk around Mumbai as he couldn’t afford public transport.
I feel everyone should keep their doors open for others. How would I be here if people didn’t help me out? The whole world was with me, I had my beliefs to keep me going, I knew that I had all the support I needed.
5. Amitabh Bachchan
Amitabh Bachchan once incurred a major loss and went bankrupt. Talking about his arduous experience, he said:
In the year 2000, when the entire world was celebrating the new century, I was celebrating my disastrous fortune. There were no films, no money, no company, a million legal cases against and the tax authorities had put notice of recovery on my home.
6. Jackie Shroff
Jackie, in an old interview, talked about the financial crisis in his life. He shared how he had to sell the furniture in his house to survive.
I remember how our furniture was sold off, one by one. Things I’d grown up seeing around us started disappearing. Then my bed went. I started to sleep on the floor. It was the worst feeling of my life.
7. Abhishek Bachchan
Abhishek Bachchan, in a recent interview, recalled how he chose to return halfway back from college to help Big B with the financial crisis.
I spoke to my father from college. My family was going through a difficult financial time. And I just felt like a son, although I might not have been qualified at that point in time, that I needed to be with my father. He had to borrow money from his staff to put food on the table. I just felt morally obliged to be with him. I called him and I said ‘You know dad, I think I want to leave college halfway and come back and just be with you, try and help you in whatever way. At least you’ll know that your boy is next to you and he’s there for you.
Read more: From Ranveer to Kriti Sanon, Here’s How Much Rent These 8 Bollywood Celebs Pay For Their Homes.