1. Adarsh Gourav

He trained in Hindustani classical music for nine years, and he was a frontman for metal and rock band named Oak Island. Though the band discontinued, they were featured on the show MTV Indies – Never Hide Sounds. He was also one of the finalists of Jharkhand Idol in 2005. So it’s safe to say that if he wasn’t an actor, he would have been a successful singer. 

2. Jaideep Ahlawat

A graduate from Film and Television Institute of India, Jaideep went to Mumbai straight after to become an actor in 2008. But did you know, he wanted to be an Army officer. But after not clearing his Sashastra Seema Bal (SSB) interviews, multiple times, Jaideep picked the profession we love him in. 

3. Angira Dhar

She won us over with her role in Bang Baaja Baarat and Love per Square Foot, but did you know that she actually preferred being behind the camera? She knows it all, from writing scripts to editing and shooting, she was even an assistant film director. When she was working in the TV production department at Channel V, she was offered a chance to be on-screen and thus started her journey.

4. Pratik Gandhi

Pratik loved acting but he actually got a degree in Industrial Engineering from Pune university. He spent his time working as an engineer in Reliance Industries during the day and made time to do theatre in the evening. He worked with the National Productivity Council in Satara, Pune and later also worked for a multinational corporation in Mumbai before his big break in the Gujarati film industry. 

5. Pankaj Tripathi

The man who has become a force to be reckoned with in Bollywood now, actually did not believe he would make it big. He helped his father, who was a farmer, through his childhood years and studied in Institute of Hotel Management, Hajipur. He did theatre and loved it but had a backup career in hospitality. He worked briefly for a Five Star hotel in Patna. But after about seven years in Patna, he moved to Delhi and begin studying in the National School of Drama, from where he graduated in 2004, at the age of 28. 

6. Vikas Kumar

Apart from having an MBA degree, Vikas has also been a language trainer for many Bollywood actors including Vidya Balan, Kalki Kochein, Jacqueline Fernandez, Arshad Warsi, Yana Gupta and Shenaz Treasurywala. We loved him in Aarya but the fact that he manages two careers simultaneously? Respect. 

7. Kubbra Sait

She began hosting shows at the age of 13, but she did have a backup career and worked as an accounts manager with Microsoft in Dubai. That was before she won India’s Best female Emcee Award in 2013, and now Kuckoo is an actor we can’t do without. 

8. Gulshan Devaiah

Being a NIFT graduate, Gulshan worked in the fashion industry for around 10 years before he started acting full time. He also taught fashion at Wigan & Leigh College, Bangalore. 

9. Brijendra Kala

Though he always wanted to be an actor and moved to Mumbai in 1992 to pursue a career in Bollywood, he actually ended up becoming a screenwriter. He wrote dialogues for several TV shows produced by Ekta Kapoor, including the iconic Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii. It wasn’t until 2003 that he got his big break and there has been no looking back since. 

10. Adil Hussain

None of us could have guessed this one. But Adil was actually a stand-up comedian for 6 years before joining the National School of Drama. His career finally took off in 1999, at the age of 36 and he has won our hearts many times since then. 

11. Saqib Saleem

His father being a restaurateur, Saqib helped out at their restaurant chain in Delhi, Saleem’s. On the other hand, he played cricket for Delhi and Jammu & Kashmir. But after moving to Mumbai, he took on a few modelling assignments before making his Bollywood debut in 2011. 

Who is your favourite actor?