*This blog was contributed by a reader and her views do not necissarily reflect those of MissMalini & Team. xoxo

There are many celebrities that made their way into Bollywood without a Godfather. Even the ones who belong to acting backgrounds have often proven themselves without any recommendation and gained huge successes with their debut films. It isn’t easy to start a career in Bollywood like that, especially without the famous Bachchan and Kapoor lineage. Here are a few we nod our heads to for their spirit and success!

1) Arjun Kapoor

Producer Boney Kapoor‘s son Arjun Kapoor entered Bollywood with his debut film, Ishaqzaade. Arjun had been contacted by a casting agent via Facebook. Audition dates were fixed and after many look tests Arjun was finalised for the film. Arjun had previously worked as an assistant director. He worked hard to shed most of his 150 kilo weight before he started his career and says, “I never imagined that I would ever act in a film.”

2) Nargis Fakhri

Nargis Fakhri, who has no connection with the film industry, rose to fame with Imtiaz Ali‘s Rockstar. Narghis is a model, and during her modelling days Imtiaz decided to audition her for his film. And the rest is history. Nargis’s debut was appreciated and she’s off to make her Bollywood dreams come true!

3) Parineeti Chopra

Fresh, innocent and a total fire-cracker Parineeti is a Youth Icon. She was a PR professional for a production house and made her debut with Ladies v/s Ricky Bahl. She bagged an award for the best debutant actress and then signed another Yash Raj film Ishaqzaade opposite Arjun Kapoor. Her performance in both was fab. People hardly even knew that Parineeti is Priyanka Chopra‘s cousin! She made it into Bollywood on her own steam.

4) Ayushmann Khurrana

Radio Jockey Ayushmann won the reality show MTV Roadies and started with a spate of reality shows. He made his film debut through Shoojit Sircar‘s Vicky Donor. Now suddenly Ayushmann has a huge fan following. Rumor has it that he’s even signed his second film which is also very different from the usual Bollywood masala we keep seeing. Curious to see it now!

5) Yami Gautam

Yami Gautam is a famous name in ad-world. She made her debut opposite Ayushmann Khurrana in Vicky Donor. Yami dreamt of being an IAS Officer, but maybe she was destined to act. Previously, she has worked in two films in the South but now she’s trying out Bollywood and it seems to like her!

We wish all these newbies loads of success and happiness 🙂 more power to ya!