Bollywood celebs who quit their corporate jobs to follow their passion

If you’re stuck in a dead-end corporate job and if you have a passion that’s has been locked away in a box, locked in a bigger box, in a closet, we know you need all the inspiration you can get to break away. Why not from these Bollywood actors who made that move? The acting profession has seen many artists who have worked odd-jobs before stepping into the glamorous (or not so much) world of films. But how many do you know who have worked the same corporate job as you, with the same professional degrees as you? Here are four odd balls from the film industry.

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Ranveer Singh

Ranveer Singh was well aware of his passion for performance while he was studying for a degree in Commerce and Economics. But he was also aware of the fact that entering the film industry was not easy and felt that it might be out of his reach. He therefore decided to pursue creative writing for which he studied in the United States. When he returned, he took up a job at an advertising agency although he had minored in theatre while in the States. He spent a few years working as a copywriter for agencies like O&M and J Walter Thompson, until he realised that his passion for acting could not be contained anymore.

Soha Ali Khan

With an impressive master’s degree from the London School of Economics, Soha Ali Khan worked as a banker at establishments like Citibank and Ford Foundation. But in her early 20’s she left this industry and lived with her brother, actor Saif Ali Khan, for a few years before she announced that she wanted to become an actress. No one was pleased with this decision as her mother always wanted her to pursue a career in law. But she “couldn’t help myself, I loved theatre, I loved acting,” as she noted in an interview with The Hindu. It was this love for theatre that encouraged her to leave a comfortable employment behind and pursue acting.

Ameesha Patel

With a degree in Economics, Ameesha Patel returned to India from Massachusetts to pursue a career in the same field. She worked as an Economic analyst at Khandwala Securities Ltd for a brief period until her academic brilliance (Gold medal honours at Tufts University) got her a job offer from Morgan Stanley, the multinational financial services company. She turned down the offer, however, and decided to join Satyadev Dubey’s theatre group, where she began her acting career.

Parineeti Chopra

Parineeti Chopra was the lucky one as her corporate job happened to overlap with her acting career. With a strong interest in investment banking, she obtained a triple honours degree in Business, Finance and Economics from Manchester Business School in the UK. When she returned to India, Priyanka Chopra introduced her to Yash Raj Films, where she applied for an internship with the marketing department. Subsequently, she worked as a public relations consultant for their PR team. It was only after being influenced by her cousin’s preparation for the movie 7 Khoon Maaf that her interest and respect for the profession developed and she decided to make the shift into the film industry.

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