The talent required for theatre and the pressure to give the perfect performance in one go is immense. These iconic actors used to perform in theatre before they went on to win the hearts of the Indian viewers through mainstream Bollywood.
1. Shabana Azmi
Shabana Azmi made her debut in 1974 and then went on to appear in 120 Hindi and Bengali movies. She has won five National Film Awards, five Filmfare Award and a Padma Shri award for her flawless acting. Some of the most honoured Shabana Azmi movies are Arth, Masoom, Fire, Makdee and 15 Park Avenue.
Source: Indian Express
2. Anupam Kher
Anupam Kher made his Bollywood debut in 1984 with the movie Saaransh since then he has appeared in hundreds of films and has won 2 National Film Awards and 8 Filmfare awards for his amazing performance in those. Some of the iconic Anupam Kher movies are Special 26, Baby, A Wednesday, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge and many more.
Source: IMDB
3. Naseeruddin Shah
Naseeruddin Shah made his debut in 1967 with a small role in the movie Aman but became active in mainstream cinema with the 1980 film called Hum Panch. Since then he has starred in over a hundred films and won 3 National film awards, 3 Filmfare Awards, Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri for the iconic characters he played. Some of his memorable movies are A Wednesday, Ishqiya, Jaane tu ya Jaane na, Iqbal and numerous more.
Source: IMDB
4. Boman Irani
Boman Irani's debut film was a 2003 film called Darna Mana Hai and had his first commercial success with Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. He went on to star in almost a hundred movies and won multiple awards for his memorable performances. A few of these performances include 3 idiots, P.K, Munna Bhai series, Happy New Year and many more.
Source: Times of India
5. Ratna Pathak
Ratna Pathak rose to popularity with Sarabhai vs Sarabhai. She went on to be a part of hundreds of iconic mainstream Bollywood movies like Thappad, Khoobsurat, Jaane tu ya Jaane na, Kapoor and Sons, Lipstick under my Burkha and so many more. She is now a prominent figure in Bollywood and has won multiple awards for her performances.
Source: Netflix, Still from Kapoor and Sons
6. Paresh Rawal
Paresh Rawal made his debut with the 1985 film Arjun. He was also part of the cast of the Doordarshan TV Serial, Bante Bigadte. It was the blockbuster movie called Naam that established him as an actor. Since then Paresh Rawal has played multiple diverse roles in a number of iconic movies. Hera Pheri, OMG, Sardar, Atithi tum kab jaoge and many more.
Source: Indian Express
7. Nawazuddin Siddiqui
Nawazuddin Siddiqui made his Bollywood debut with a small role in 1999 film Sarfarosh. Since his debut film he has done numerous mainstream shows and films like Sacred Games, Gangs of Wasseypur, Bajrangi Bhaijaan, Kahaani and many more. He has won 10 awards in recognition of his excellent performances.
Source: Dhaka Tribune
8. Huma Qureshi
Huma Qureshi's debut film was the iconic 2012 film Gangs of Wasseypur which was a great commercial success. She has gone on to star in almost twenty movies and won awards for her memorable performances. A few of these performances include Ishqiya, Bell Bottom, Badlapur and more.
Source: India Today
9. Konkona Sen Sharma
Not many know that Konkana actually started her career as a child artist in the Bengali film named Indira in 1983 she then went on to do theatre and gained commercial success and awards for her performances in Omkara and Life in a Metro. Some of her popular movies are Wake up Sid, Lipstick under my Burkha, Atithi tum Kab Jaoge and A Death in the Gunj.
Source: IMDB
10. Pankaj Tripathi
Pankaj Tripathi made his debut in 2004 with small roles in Run and Omkara. Since then he has given us many wholesome performances like Gunjan, Masaan, Ludo, Sacred Games, Stree and many more. He has won the hearts of the Indian audience with his charm and flawless acting.
Source: Indian Express
