On World Television Day, here's a look at TV actors who transitioned to films and carved a niche for themselves.
There was a time when we wouldn't dare think of a world without television. But now, with the technological advancement and the coming-of-age, exquisite and content-driven shows and series readily available to stream on OTT platforms with minimum subscription prices, not to mention the plethora of films that one can watch anytime, anywhere, it seems like the days of the small screen are but numbered!
But, one shouldn't forget that it is the small screen that gave us several talented and popular stars who went onto making a name for themselves in the film industry.
Among them is superstar Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Balan, late actors Sushant Singh Rajput and Irrfan Khan, Ayushmaan Khurrana to name a few.
And so, on World Television Day, as we celebrate the existence of this wonderful medium that has entertained generations and is at it even now, here's a look at all those actors who debuted on the small screen and then went onto act in films.
Take a look.
1. Shah Rukh Khan
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An actor, producer, entrepreneur and television personality, it is a well-known fact that the Badsha of Bollywood began his career in the industry through television appearances in the 1980s. Before making his Bollywood debut in 1992's film 'Deewana', SRK did several television serials including Raj Kumar Kapoor directed 1989 series 'Fauji', Lekh Tandon's 'Dil Dariya', Aziz Mirza's 'Circus' among others. Later, in order to escape from the grief of his loving mother's death, Khan moved to Mumbai to pursue a career in films. And the rest is history!
2. Vidya Balan
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A Padma Shri and a National Award recipient, Vidya Balan is known to have brought about a drastic way in which mainstream Bollywood film heroines were looked at. With her female-centric, content-driven films that did not treat the heroine as a mere second to the male co-star to not caring about the generic notion about how a heroine should look, Vidya Balan carved a niche for herself and how! But her big break wasn't in the films first. Her journey began much before her first film 'Parineeta' on the small screen.
At the age of 16, Vidya starred in the first season of Ekta Kapoor's sitcom 'Hum Paanch' as Radhika, a bespectacled teenager. And that's how she began her career in acting. However, it was always mainstream movies that she wanted to concentrate on and so she did.
3. Late actor Sushant Singh Rajput
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Much before the late actor Sushant Singh Rajput made a name for himself in the Hindi film industry, he became a household name with his portrayal of Manav in Zee TV's 'Pavitra Rishta' that shot him to instant fame. However, he made his television debut with the romantic drama 'Kis Desh Mein Hai Meraa Dil'. He was also part of dance reality shows 'Zara Nachke Dikha' and 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 4'. Later, Sushant went on to make his film debut with 'Kai Po Che!'
4. Late actor Irrfan Khan
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In a career spanning over 3 decades, late actor Irrfan Khan did iconic films that earned him lots of praise, critical-acclaim and numerous accolades including a National Award and a Padma Shri. However, before the legendary star made his film debut with a small role in 'Salaam Bombay', Irrfan made a name for himself on the small screen with television serials such as Chanakya, Bharat Ek Khoj, Sara Jahan Hamara, Banegi Apni Baat, Chandrakanta, Shrikant, AnooGoonj among others.
5. Sharad Kelkar
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While Sharad Kelkar has made a name for himself in Hindi and Marathi film industries and is seen in various web shows of late, with his latest appearance in Akshay Kumar starter 'Laxmii' garnering him lots of praise, the actor made his acting debut in 2004 through television 'Aakrosh' which aired on Doordarshan. Later, he appeared in several television soap operas such as 'Saat Phere: Saloni Ka Safar', 'Bairi Piya' among others and hosted reality shows 'Rock-N-Roll Family' and
'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Challenge 2007', before making it big in the film industry.
6. Yami Gautam
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Yami Gautam first came to prominence with hit television commercial 'Fair n Lovely'. Then she appeared in telly shows Chand Ke Paar Chalo (2008–2009) and Yeh Pyar Na Hoga Kam (2009–2010) before venturing into films and making her big-screen acting debut first with 2009 South Indian film 'Ullasa Utsaha' and then Hindi film 'Vicky Donor' in 2012.
7. Prachi Desai
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Prachi started her acting career as the lead in telly serial 'Kasam Se' on Zee TV. She had an extended cameo in 'Kasautii Zindagii Kay', was a contestant on 'Jhalak Dikhla Jaa' (2007) all this before making her film debut in 2008 with 'Rock On!!'. She later also appeared in several episodes of popular serial C.I.D.
8. R Madhavan
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Maddy of 'Rehne Hain Tere Dil Mein' began his acting career with lead roles in Zee TV's Banegi Apni Baat and Ghar Jamai, and shot to fame with the character of Shekhar in Saaya.
He also went on to act Aarohan, Sea Hawks, Yeh Kahan Aa Gaye Hum and worked as a television anchor in Tol Mol Ke Bol amongst other television appearances. His first appearance in a feature film role came through a small role in 'Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin' (1996).
9. Ayushmann Khurrana
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A National Award recipient, Ayushmann Khurrana first appeared in television reality show MTV Roadies in 2004 and went on to win it. Later, he ventured in anchoring and then films.
10. Mohit Raina
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An Indian film and television actor, Mohit Raina shot to fame as Lord Shiv in popular television series Devon Ke Dev – Mahadev. However, his debut in TV was with a science fiction show Antariksh (2004). later, he also did 'Chehra' (2009) and 'Ganga Kii Dheej' (2010) to name a few shows. As far as films are concerned, he has done 'Uri: The Surgical Strike', 'Mrs Serial Killer' among others.
