Several actors have had stellar second innings in Bollywood. While for some it did wonders, for some it did not recreate the cinema magic. Here's looking at how celebs have fared with their second innings
Neena Gupta, Amitabh Bachchan, Imran Khan
An Instagram post simply asking for work led to the beginning of Neena Gupta's glorious second innings in the movie business. That post led to her being cast as Ayushmann Khurana's mother in the film 'Badhaai Ho'. In the film, Neena's character gets pregnant at an age when society expects her to embrace grandmotherhood. The film, which was recognised at the National Awards as well marks the beginning of Neena's second life in the movies. Following her stellar performance, she went on to feature in films like 'Goodbye', 'Masaba Masaba 2', Panchayat,'Unchai', 'Shubh Mangala Zyada Savdhaan', 'Kaagaz 2', and others.
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Neena Gupta was, however, not the first person to go out there and ask for work. Much before social media became a thing, legendary star Amitabh Bachchan too asked for work and requested filmmakers to cast him when he went through lean a phase and was also struggling financially. A rather difficult thing to believe, right?
Here's taking a look at some actors who had a successful second innings in Bollywood:
Amitabh Bachchan
The legendary megastar faced a major career slump in the late 1990s after his production company, ABCL, went into heavy debt. The star who featured in some of the biggest hits of the 70s and 80s has openly admitted that he had to approach filmmakers for work during that difficult period. He later made a strong comeback with the television show Kaun Banega Crorepati and films like Mohabbatein.
Sushmita Sen
The former Miss Universe made a place in people's hearts with her performance in films like Sirf Tum, Kyuki Mai Jhuth Nahi Bolta, Main Hoon Na, Biwi No.1 and many more. However, she later took a break from work. When she decided to return, she admitted that finding good work wasn’t easy. However, her performance in the web series Aarya (2020) marked a successful comeback after years of limited roles.
Bobby Deol
While today Bobby Deol has been enjoying a great phase in his acting career where he has embraced new roles, there was a phase when no one was offering him work. After enjoying significant success in the 1990s and early 2000s, Bobby's career hit a rough patch, with few film offers coming his way. He experienced a lull in his career, which led to a phase of personal and professional struggles. He revealed that he reached out to filmmakers, including Salman Khan, asking for opportunities to revive his career. This led to him being cast in Race 3 (2018), which marked the beginning of his second phase in Bollywood. Following this, Bobby received roles in films like Housefull 4 and ventured into the digital space with the Netflix series Class of '83 (2020) and the MX Player series Aashram (2020), which became highly successful.
Sushmita Sen
Former Miss Universe and actress Sushmita Sen took a hiatus from the film industry. When she decided to return she too went out seeking for work. She was offered the web series 'Aarya' where she played a determined and strong woman who takes over a cartel. Her dominant yet composed screen presence.
The misses of the second innings
Shilpa Shirodkar
After enjoying a successful career in the 90s, Shilpa Shirodkar took a long break from acting. When she wanted to return to Bollywood, she found it difficult to find roles. She publicly acknowledged that she had to reach out to producers to seek work. However, it did not much work in her favour. Now, Shirodkar is all set to give herself another chance with Bigg Boss 18. She will be participating on the show as a contestant.
Amrita Rao
The actress made a mark with her films like 'Ishq Vishk' (2003) and 'Vivah' (2006), but after a few years, her career slowed down. While she tried to make a comeback with Jolly LLB and Thackeray, her attempts did not bear fruit.
Esha Deol
The daughter of Bollywood legends Dharmendra and Hema Malini, had a decent run in the early 2000s with films like Dhoom (2004). After a hiatus, she attempted a comeback with films and short films but wasn’t able to recreate the success of her earlier career.
Imran Khan
The actor who made a stellar debut with 'Jaane Tu...Ya Jaane Na' was soon called the chocolate boy of the film industry. However, after Katti Batti in 2015, he disappeared from the scene. A year ago the actor expressed interest in making a comeback after several people on social media requested him to return. While the actor has spoken about his interest in returning to the movie scene, it is yet to translate into a project. The actor is currently active on social media and also attends interviews and other panel discussions where he often speaks about his journey in the film industry and also about mental health. The latest reports suggest that the actor plans on making a comeback with a project backed by his uncle Aamir Khan's film.
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