Do you need contacts to succeed in the Bollywood industry

Does having a famous mother or father help or is it a hindrance?

Does having contacts in a certain industry always help? There is always this assumption that having contacts in a certain industry will get you higher,so could this be the case with Bollywood industry?

The Bollywood industry has had some legendary actors who have passed down their talents to their sons, daughters, nephew & nieces, giving them (the star child) that extra advantage and then you have some actors/actresses who have no family connections & have risen up in the Bollywood industry themselves and they have done just as well.

So does it matter about contacts in the Bollywood industry or does it just come down to the acting skills?

An advantage of having contacts in the Bollywood industry would be you are introduced to certain things or offered big films due to the contacts you have which would be less likely for a new up and coming actor/actress. A disadvantage would be expectations, standards would be a set a lot higher. A disadvantage would be it may be harder to establish your name in the industry. An advantage would be less pressure.

Here is a list of a few people who had no contacts in the industry but have done considerably well for themselves.

Priyanka Chopra – Chopra has become one of Bollywood’s highest paid actresses and a very popular celebrity in India. The actress has had many awards and nominations for her outstanding acting skills. In 2003, Chopra made her film debut in the film The Hero: Love story of a spy. The actress has starred in many famous films on the screens such as: Desi Boys, Don, Fashion, Krrish and Barfi & has gone on to be brand ambassador for huge brands inc Nikon & Guess.

Anushka Sharma –  Sharma started off as a model and no intentions of being an actress but I guess  that all changed when she became an actress. The actress made her debut in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi alongside ShahRukh Khan and then she stared in the hit film Band Baaja Baraat, for both films she received nominations at the Filmfare Awards. Sharma has been considered a promising actress in the Bollywood cinema industry.

Kangana Ranaut – Again the actress was into modelling but found her passion was in the movie industry. Ranaut’s debut film was the thriller movie Gangster which was made in 2006,she also won a Filmfare award for best female debut. The actress also starred in Fashion, Raaz and Krrish 3 & Queen .

That’s enough about a few of the females now lets go through some of the actors who made it big from starting from the bottom.

Ranveer Singh – After completing a degree at the Indiana University in Bloomington, Singh pursed a career in acting. 2010 was the year for Singh as he starred in the hit comedy Band Baaja Baaraat alongside Anushka Sharma. The actor also won a Filmfare award for his role in the movie. Singh has played many diverse roles showing the audience his tremendous talents. The actor has also starred in Lootera and the hit films Gunday And Goliyan Ki Raasleela Ram- Leela.

Irrfan Khan – Khan is one of the most respected actors in the Bollywood industry. Not only has he worked in the Bollywood industry but also in the Hollywood industry. Khan has also done many commercials and hosted tv shows…is there anything else this man can’t do?! Just to top it off the actor has been nominated for many awards and has won many of them. One rare award the actor has received is the Padma Shri award. Khan’s first debut in the Bollywood industry was the film Rog which was released in 2005. After this Khan had established his name well in the Bollywood industry and he was being casted in more films such as Life Of Pi, Slumdog Millionaire and Paan Singh Tomar.

Akshay Kumar – Kumar is a well known respected actor in the Bollywood industry and has been around for a long time. It all started in the 1990’s. Kumar’s debut film was Saugandh,1991 which was followed by the thriller film Khiladi in 1992. As years went by the actor had his ups and downs but in 2007 he reached a high success, the actor starred in four consecutive films. This then lead him to having a well established name in the industry. He has been nominated for Filmfare Awards many times but has only won it twice. However the actor has also been awarded the Padma Shri award by the Government of India.

So what do you readers think… Is not having contacts and starting from the bottom necessarily a bad thing?