20 Iconic Roles That Proved To Be Game Changers For Bollywood's Dying Stars

Just one blockbuster hit is enough to revive an actor’s declining career. Just like these films listed below that played a major part in reviving careers of some of the biggest stars in Bollywood.

1. Mohabbatein- Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan has made a mark for himself in Bollywood with hits like Don, Sholay, Paa, Piku and many more but, he too went through a bad phase. With films like Sooryavansham and Bade Miya Chote Miya, he was giving back-to-back flops. In desperation, he approached Yash Chopra and that’s when he was offered to play the iconic role of Narayan Shankar, the Dean of Gurukul in Mohabbatein.

2. Jab We Met- Kareena Kapoor

In the very beginning of her career, Kareena Kapoor starred in questionable films like Khushi and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. We never really got to know her acting potential until we saw Jab We Met. Her iconic role as Geet left an impression on all of us. The film went onto become the biggest blockbuster of 2007 and there has been no looking back ever since.

3. Dil Chahta Hai – Saif Ali Khan

During the 90s Saif Ali Khan was often considered for the typical rich romantic hero roles. And, with the kinds of scripts he was getting, it was difficult for him to change his image in Bollywood. But, thankfully he said ‘yes’ to Dil Chahta Hai which he wasn’t too keen on doing. The movie did wonders for his career.

4. Queen- Kangana Ranaut

Despite being part of blockbuster hits like Gangster and Fashion, Kangana did flop films like No Problem, Rascals and Shaka Laka Boom Boom. It was only after the success of Queen that she got noticed and filmmakers started taking her seriously. During an interview with Rajat Sharma she said that Queen was a game changer for her career.

5. Cocktail- Deepika Padukone

Deepika starred opposite Shah Rukh Khan in her debut film Om Shanti Om but, even then she was seen as just a pretty face. She also did many flop films like Chandni Chowk To China, Lafangey Parindey and Desi Boyz that didn’t do justice to her talent. But, her role as Veronica in the 2012 film Cocktail worked like magic. People started noticing her and she was being offered a plethora of roles.

6. Munna Bhai MBBS- Sanjay Dutt

Sanjay Dutt was a huge star in the late 90s but, after the criminal cases against him, he was left with no choice but to do B-grade films like Hathyar and Rudraksh with bad scripts. It was Munna Bhai MBBS, the film that was directed by Rajkumar Hirani, that changed his image and his career graph. Even the actor himself agrees.

7. Golmaal- Ajay Devgn

Ajay Devgn was typecaste by the directors due to his brooding personality and the audience eventually got bored of seeing him do the same type of films. But all thanks to Rohit Shetty’s Golmaal series, the actor’s career took an interesting turn.

8. Wanted- Salman Khan

There was a phase in Salman’s career where he was doing flop films like Hello, Janemaan, Main aur Mrs. Khanna and so on. But, in 2009 he decided to remake a Telugu film and made Wanted. The film was a huge hit and so was he.

9. Haider- Shahid Kapoor

Shahid started being typecast as a chocolate boy and he did films like Fida, Vivaah, Chup Chup Ke, Chance Pe Dance and many more that didn’t really help him change his image. It was the 2014 film Haider, an adaptation of Hamlet, that changed his career. He was loved and appreciated by the audience and filmmakers also started seeing him as a bankable actor.

10. Aamir Khan- Rang De Basanti

Aamir Khan took a 5-year-long sabbatical from film industry after the huge success of Lagaan. He tried to make a comeback with Mangal Pandey: The Rising but, the film flopped. It was the 2006 film Rang De Basanti that finally gave his career a boost.

11. Koi Mil Gaya- Hrithik Roshan

Despite his super hit debut in Kaho Na Pyaar Hai, Hrithik saw a series of flops with films like Main Prem Ki Diwani Hoon, Mujhse Dosti Karoge and Yaadein. Though, finally he proved his mettle with Koi Mil Gaya and his career sky-rocketed.

12. Devdas- Shah Rukh Khan

With super hits like DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, SRK’s romantic avatar consumed his career and it got to a point where he wasn’t being offered anything new and exciting. However, Sanjayleela Bhansali’s Devdas gave his career a new life.

13. Slumdog Millionaire- Irrfan Khan

At one point, Irrfan Khan was giving back to back flops with films like Chocolate, Billu and A Life In A Metro. The turning point in his career came in 2008 when he played the role of a police inspector in Slumdog Millionaire that went onto win several awards at the Oscars in 2009.

14. Gangs of Wasseypur- Nawazuddin Siddiqui

With flop films like Munna Micheal, Monsoon Shootout, Raman Raghav 2.0 and many more, Nawazuddin couldn’t make a mark in the film industry, despite being a great actor. The film that changed his life and career graph was the 2012 film Gangs of Wasseypur where he played the role of Faizal Khan.

15. Hera Pheri- Akshay Kumar

At one point, Akshay Kumar gave 16 flops back to back and he was desperate to get back on track. Then came the 2001 comedy film Hera Pheri that went onto become a cult classic. After that, he started experimenting with his roles and has been quite successful in doing so.

16. Kai Po Che!- Rajkummar Rao

We know him as one of the best actors in Bollywood today but, in his early days in the industry Rajkummar Rao tried to make an impact with films like Love, Sex Aur Dhoka and Ragini MMS that flopped big time. His career took a jump only in 2013 when he starred in the blockbuster film Kai Po Che! opposite Sushant Singh.

17. The Dirty Picture- Vidya Balan

After giving a few hits here and there, Vidya Balan’s career was going downhill with flop films like Kismat Konnection and Heyy Babyy. However, in 2017, Vidya Balan was offered Milan Luthria’s directorial film The Dirty Picture that changed her life forever.

18. Dhoom- John Abraham

Initially, John was still trying to make it big but with flop films like Madhoshi and Aetbaar, the actor seemed to have lost his way. Finally, it was the 2004 film Dhoom that turned out to be a career saving film for the actor.

19. NH10- Anushka Sharma

After a successful debut opposite SRK in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, Anushka starred in below average films like Badmaash Company and Patiala House where she often played the role of a bubbly small town girl. It was only after the 2015 film NH10 that the actor showcased her true potential and she started experimenting with her roles.

20. Satya- Manoj Bajpayee

Manoj Bajpayee gave a series of flops in the 90s with films like Droh Kaal and Dastak. None of the films did justice to his talent, it was the 1998 film Satya that brought out his true potential. During an interview the actor confessed that the film changed his life for the better.