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7 Bollywood Actors Who’ve Got a Second Lease of Life as Web Stars

Arjun Rampal, Dia Mirza, Saif Ali Khan and other actors who are riding the OTT boom.

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Thanks to the OTT boom, several Bollywood actors who didn’t exactly have a crackling career on the big screen have now become stars on the internet. The explosion of content on the small screen has lead to a demand for talent and these Bollywood actors have made the most of it. A mix of an easily recognisable face, some amount of star power and the willingness to explore a new format have given them a second lease of life.

Here’s a look at 7 Bollywood actors who’ve now transitioned to the web space.

1. Emraan Hashmi

Emraan Hashmi’s last solo bonafide hit, Jannat 2, was way back in 2012. Since then the actor has had about 13 releases in 7 years, and only one of them, Baadshaho, was a success, but then again, Ajay Devgn got the top billing on that. Emraan’s dwindling fortunes on the big screen now fade into the background with his debut on Netflix’s Bard of Blood. Produced by Shah Rukh Khan’s Red Chillies Entertainment, the trailer of Bard of Blood has got a positive buzz and it looks like Emraan is breathing a sigh of relief. With no box-office pressure this time round, let’s hope Bard of Blood erases all memories of Emraan’s last dud Why Cheat India.

2. Arjun Rampal

Launched in 2001 by Rajiv Rai in Pyar Ishq Aur Mohabbat, Arjun Rampal was touted to be Bollywood’s next big thing in the new millennium. While his smouldering good looks could compensate for his acting skills, Rampal could never establish himself as a commercially viable hero. However, Rampal did impress us in Rock On and it was a refreshing change to see him give us negative vibes in the Shah Rukh Khan-starrers Om Shanti Om and Ra.One. While his last few films including Rock On 2, Daddy and Paltan didn’t rock the box-office, the Zee group found an ideal flight captain in him to pilot their high budget web show The Final Call.

3. Kunal Khemu

A promising child actor who was noticed in films like Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke and Zakhm, Kunal’s Bollywood stint wasn’t exactly a big success post his debut in Kalyug. Though an extremely talented actor, he’s mostly remembered for his comic turn in the Golmaal series and the quirky Go Goa Gone. Now, Kunal has turned to web shows starting with Zee 5’s series Abhay.

4. Saif Ali Khan

After 8 back to back flops, Bollywood producers weren’t willing to bet their monies on Saif Ali Khan. But Netflix and Phantom Films thought the Saif Ali Khan brand would be a great asset to the first Netflix original to be produced in India. Today, Sacred Games is easily one of the most popular shows on Netflix and Saif’s role as Sartaj Singh has won hearts. No doubt, Saif is a hugely talented actor and it would have been a shame to see him prematurely bow out of popular entertainment just because his last few films didn’t work. Thanks to Sacred Games, Saif has been able to keep himself in the mind space if the Indian audience - and hopefully Bollywood will rediscover his charm and versatility.

5. Sobhita Dhulipala

Sobhita Dhulipala who made a splash with the brilliant Made In Heaven web series on Prime Video has 3 flops in Hindi behind her. The former Miss India beauty pageant winner made her debut in Anurag Kashyap’s Raman Raghav 2.0 in 2016. The Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vicky Kaushal-starrer was a dud at the box-office, this was followed by a bit role in Chef, which also tanked. Sobhita then appeared in another Saif Ali Khan film titled Kaalakaandi, again a flop. The actor would’ve been written off, if it were not for her heart-warming presence in Made In Heaven, which got her all the deserved attention.

6. Dia Mirza

The former Miss Asia Pacific 2000 made her Bollywood debut with R Madhavan in Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein in 2001. While Dia has been in the film industry for almost two decades, she has never really been able to make an impact as an actor except in avatar as a supporting role in Rajkumar Hirani’s film’s Lage Raho Munnabhai and Sanju. Even if Bollywood didn’t do Dia justice with the kind of films it had to offer her, we can now watch Dia in a full-fledged leading role in the web series Kaafir. The show sees Dia play Kainaaz Akhtar, a woman from Pakistan Occupied Kashmir who accidentally crosses over into Kashmir and is held prisoner under the suspicion of being a militant. The show has got a positive response from viewers and we’re glad to have Dia back.

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7. Jacqueline Fernandez

Jacqueline Fernandez of Jackie as she is popularly known in the industry made her debut 10 years ago with Sujoy Ghosh’s Aladin. The film tanked at the box-office but Jacqueline through sheer perseverance stayed afloat. While Jacqueline has been a part of several popular hits including Murder 2, the Housefull franchise, Race 2 and Kick, the actor is yet to star in an author backed role on the big screen. Her last few appearances in films like A Gentleman and Race 3 have been forgettable but it looks like Jackie’s fortunes may finally change with a new web series announced by Netflix. Jacqueline will soon be streaming into our homes in a show titled Mrs Serial Killer. “When her husband is framed and imprisoned for serial murders, a doting wife must perform a murder exactly like the serial killer, to prove her husband innocent,” reads the logline of Mrs Serial Killer, sounds killer!

(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)

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Topics:  Saif Ali Khan   Dia Mirza   Emraan Hashmi 

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