7 Bollywood Actors Who Failed To Make It Big In Bollywood Despite Really Strong Debut Performances

Every day tens and thousands of people land up in the city of Mumbai with dreams of making it big in the Bollywood and all they chase is that one break that will launch them into super stardom. Some in this lot are genuinely talented actors and they do end up getting a break and wow the audience and critics alike.

But in Bollywood it is not about the first break and talent only. For having a good network of people, to solid PR, success in Bollywood depends on a lot of external factors. Thus not every actor whose is loved by audience ends up having a solid career in Bollywood.

Here are a few celebrities who did not go to too far in Bollywood even after a really strong and critically acclaimed debut.

Rajat Barmecha

Rajat Barmecha made his debut with Vikramaditya Motwane’s Udaan and was instantly noted for his flawless and strong portrayal of Rohan in this masterpiece of a film. But after all the international accolades and appreciations he was not seen more Bollywood projects.

Mahie Gill

She wowed everyone with her pitch-perfect portrayal of Paro in Anurag Kashyap’s dark adaptation of Devdas in DevD. She was appreciated and applauded by critics as well and we all thought we have found an actress of substance. But after a few parallel films, she almost vanished from Bollywood and has found her footing in Punjabi cinema.

 Imaad Shah

This kid has acting in his genes and it showed. Son of veteran actors Naseeruddin Shah and Ratna Pathak Imaad made his debut with Yun Hota To Kya Hota. His performance in small films like Dil Dosti Etc was also applauded for his nuanced portrayal of a complex character. But yet again Bollywood failed to tap his talent and he has been totally missing from big screen for a while now after his last film M Cream which most people do not even know about.

Patralekha

These days she is more popularly known as Rajkummar Rao’s girlfriend, but people who have seen Citylight can vouch for the fact that she is quite a competent actor. She was last seen in the horrible Naanu Ki Jaanu, but we all know that she is capable of much more and definitely deserves much more.

Gul Panag

After a successful stint at beauty pageants and ads, Gul Panag made her foray into Bollywood with Ashwini Chaudhry’s Dhoop. Though the film failed to work at the box-office, it was largely appreciated for the stellar performance of the cast including Gul. She later also appeared in more critically acclaimed films like Nagesh Kuknoor’s Dor and Navdeep Singh’s Manorama Six Feet Under, but failed to make a mark in Bollywood and soon faded into oblivion. These days she is actively involved in social work and has taken a farewell from Bollywood.

Tahir Raj Bhasin

He made an applause-worthy debut with Pradeep Sarkar’s Mardaani. His portrayal of a twisted criminal heading a human trafficking racket was brilliant and one might even argue that he posed a tough competition to veteran actress Rani Mukerji in terms of acting chop. But it is been quite sometime after  Mardaani and we have not spotted this heck of an actor in anything else. We sincerely hope that changes soon.

Gulshan Devaiah

His portrayal of the layered character of Chittiappa in That Girl In Yellow Boots was an unbelievably strong performance for a debut. He went on to give an impressive performance in films like Hunterr, Shaitan and more recently A Death In The Gunj. But apart from a small role in Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Ram Leela, mainstream audiences hardly have an idea about him or his brilliance. An actor of his caliber surely deserved much more.

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