5 Current SMALL TOWN Celebs Who Have Made It To Hollywood

From veterans like Naseeruddin Shah, Om Puri to the charismatic Deepika Padukone recently in Xander Cage, Indians do take a bit of pride when anybody hailing from our Hindi heartland makes it to the international cinematic arena. While a lot of stars have time and again made India proud by representing the country at cannes and other major international film festivals, the story becomes more inspiring when you look at the humble background all these people come from.

Who would have thought a tall young man from Allahabad would someday would have the Hollywood stalwarts wait for him in anticipation. When Big B made that brief appearance in The Great Gatsby a few years back, it was quite a story.

As we put small towns origination in perspective, there are quite a few current names who have made it to Hollywood despite hailing from small towns. Here are 5 of them:

Irrfan Khan

Irrfan being born in a small town in Rajasthan called Tonk became a pioneer of paving way for modern day actors to Hollywood. From breaking stereotypes to earning substantial roles in films like Inferno, Jurrasic World, Life of Pi to A Mighty Heart, Irrfan is today a global name opening doors of not just Hollywood but world cinema at large for Indian actors.  

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Nawazuddin was born in Budhana, a small village in the western part of Uttar Pradesh. The actor is seen in the furiously raving film, ‘ Lion ‘ that scored several Golden Globes nominations and now Nawazuddin Siddiquie is soon to be seen in a major TV show titled McMafia!

Ali Fazal

Ali was born in Lucknow to a middle class family, and grew up with his maternal grandparents. He made his screen debut with a small role in English film called 'The Other End of the Line’. His announcement to essay the titular lead opposite Judi Dench in the forthcoming 'Victoria and Abdul’ made headlines in India making him suddenly a frontrunner in the western world after a brief stint in popular franchise Furious 7! 

Priyanka Chopra

Priyanka Chopra, who is now going to be seen in ‘Baywatch’, has made an imprint in the Hollywood segment. Starting off from Bareily, to becoming Miss World and conquering Bollywood, The Quantico star is now on the advent of becoming a major Hollywood star. Priyanka has now earned her national celebrity status in the US making herself a renowned name across the country and industry!

Aishwarya Rai

Aishwarya was a bright student who trained in classical dance for five years during her teens. She belongs to a Tulu-speaking Bunt family in Mangaluru, Karnataka. She performed in ' Bride and Prejudice', 'The Mistress of spices' and ‘The Pink Panther 2’ making her Hollywood appearance count. 

Just as they say, small towns make for bigger stories!