Many Bollywood actors from Shah Rukh Khan to Akshay Kumar, struggled to make a living before they became superstars. Another such actor, who once had no money for food, has now become a star.
The actor we are talking about once had to be dependent on his wife for money, was rejected by casting directors, and later gave multiple 500 crore films. He is none other than Anil George aka Mirzapur’s Lala.
Anil George started acting from an early age. He was born in a Christian family and used to act in plays during his childhood. He told Dainik Bhaskar in an interview, 'I also spent my childhood like a normal child. We had plays at festivals like Easter and Christmas. My elder brother and sister used to participate in these plays. I also used to act following their footsteps. I used to do it just for a hobby, never thought that this hobby would become my destiny."
He further revealed that he wanted to become a cricketer and didn't realise until college that he was a good bowler. He wanted to play cricket for India but became a victim of politics. Anil said, "I wanted to play cricket for my country, but some people associated with this field did not let me move forward. They were afraid that I would overtake them, so they thought it better to kill my dream."
It was Tom Alter, who called Anil to Mumbai and gave him his first break in the television show Yug. However, even after that Anil's journey was not easy in the film industry. He revealed how he had no money for food and had to borrow from Tom Alter and said, "There was no place to stay and eat. Tom sir and my wife Nandy were the most supportive in this bad time. When there was nothing to eat, Tom sir used to give some money, which would survive a few days. At the same time, Nandi also helped me a lot financially. She was a nurse at AIIMS. He took care of all my expenses until I got work after marriage."
He also recalled facing several rejections. He used to take photos with great interest and go to the studio to ask for work, however, pictures did not reach any director or producer and were thrown in the dustbin. However, none of this could stop him from being a star.
He made his Bollywood debut in the movie Kabhi Pass Kabhi Fail and later went on to star in some of the most successful films like Uri: The Surgical Strike, Gadar 2, War, and more. The actor then starred in Mirzapur and became a star. He recently starred in Nag Ashwin's Kalki 2898 AD which also starred Prabhas, Deepika Padukone, Amitabh Bachchan, and Kamal Haasan in key roles. His performance in the film was much appreciated by the audience and the film went on to collect over Rs 1000 crore worldwide at the box office.
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