Unlike diamonds, jobs aren’t forever.
Today these people have the fame, the power and the money and what looks like dream jobs to many. But not all of them were born into a privileged background or had were assigned their careers at birth. While some stars are born, others shine through with their hard work, determination and a belief in themselves.
We bring you some of the most famous faces of India, and a revelation into jobs they’ve held before making it big in their current careers. These stars will reaffirm that it is neither your background nor age that defines your destiny.
1. Amitabh Bachchan
The formidable and much respected Bollywood veteran was neither born into a film family or harboured bollywood dreams. Born to a poet father, Amitabh received a good education, earning a double degree in Arts.
He moved to Kolkata to intern at a shipping firm Bord and co. and earned his first paycheque of Rs.500. He moved to Mumbai where he struggled for a few years, before getting his first big break in the hindi movie “Deewar”.
2. Mahendra Singh Dhoni
The beloved captain of the Indian cricket team may seem like a natural at the crease, like he was born to be making history at the stadium. However before his cricketing career, Mahi, who comes from a humble background in Ranchi, was a Train Ticket Examiner (TTE) at Kharagpur railway station from 2001 to 2003. His colleagues remember him as a very honest, straightforward employee of the Indian Railways.
3. Arvind Kejriwal
The man who purports to be the common man’s face and voice, and has been courting controversy wasn’t always a man on a mission.
After graduating as an engineer from the IIT Kharagpur, Kejriwal worked for the Indian Revenue Service (IRS) as a Joint Commissioner in the Income Tax Department.
4. Akshay Kumar
This Bollywood Star and an action hero wasn’t always a Khiladi of movies. Before joining the film industry, Akshay Kumar had trained as a martial arts trainer in Bangkok, Thailand, where he also moonlighted as a waiter and chef for pocket money.
5. Jayalalitha
This larger-than-life political figure in Tamil Nadu, widely known for her tempestuous personal and professional life, unprecedented fan following and being a powerful figure in a male dominated industry, was in limelight for very different reasons. Before getting a taste of politics, Jayalalitha whose mother was an actress, was forced to get into movies at the age of 15. She had worked in a whopping 140 movies before being introduced to politics.
6. Rajnikanth
In a tale truly out of folklore, Rajnikanth is famously known to have been a bus conductor in Bangalore. After completing his 10th, he held brief gigs as a coolie and carpenter before getting a full time position as a BTS ( Now BMTC) Bus Conductor. More than 200 films old, and one of the highest paid actors in Asia today, the actor represents the dreams and aspirations of the common man and continues to have a fan following that is no short of an idol worship.
7. Rahul Gandhi
Believe it or not, even Rahul Gandhi before being flung into politics as a part of the Gandhi family has had his share of a normal career! After graduating from St. Stephen’s college, New Delhi, Rahul Gandhi has reportedly worked for Monitor Group, a management consulting company in London and for Mumbai based IT company Backops Services Private Ltd as a director.
8. Smriti Irani
Perhaps Smriti Irani was always meant for a bigger stage. One of the 3 sisters, Smriti Irani was a Miss India contestant in 1989. While she didn’t make the crown, she got a few modelling assignments and did a Mcdonalds serving job on the side for survival in Bombay. She was soon offered the lead role in the famous TV soap “Kyunki Saas Bhi Kabhi Bahu thi” which in its 10 year stint turned Irani into a household name. Post KSBKB, Irani joined politics, and under the tutelage of BJP has risen to be the Human Resource Minister of India and then as the Textiles minister.
9. Narendra Modi
No list of famous people who have had a completely different career in the past can be complete without including the biggest example of our Prime Minister.
As a child Modi helped his father sell tea at the Vadnagar railway station, and later ran a tea stall with his brother near a bus terminus. Reportedly he also had a keen interest in theatre and debate in school. He would soon get influenced by the RSS and spend a chunk of his teen years touring the country on various RSS missions and conventions, before formally plunging into politics in 2001.