Good actor or good looking actor?

It is said that actors cannot be stars and stars cannot be actors. It is known fact that good looking people are effortless contenders in Bollywood. In fact it gives an easy entry in Bollywood but it's not necessary that a good looking actor has to be a good actor. There are many charming stars in our film industry that are literally poor in acting. However, an interesting fact is that some unconventional looking actors, who were refused by filmmakers or by their costars at the beginning of their career made it big in Indian Cinema.

To begin with the King of Bollywood, Amitabh Bachchan, who has a big name in the industry, was initially rejected by producer-director BR Chopra. He reportedly told Amitabh Bachchan, who was a struggling actor then, to cut his long legs short if he was serious about making it in films. No one could have believed that this tall guy with unconventional looks and intense eyes would have made a long lasting career.

It was also reported that Big B with his friend, former Indian Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi went to a producer's office. The producer was so impressed by Mr. Gandhi's look that he wanted to sign Gandhi for lead role and refused Big B. Very few people know that Amitabh Bachchan had auditioned for a newsreader's job at All India Radio and he was rejected because of his voice. Ironically his voice had become one of his strongest assets.

Most of the producers were apprehensive to cast dark-skinned, unconventional looking actor, Mithun Chakraborty at the beginning of his career. Most of top actresses like Poonam Dhillon and Tina Munim refused to work with him. Finally, filmmaker Ravikant Nagaich introduced Mithun to mainstream Cinema. Despite his unconventional look, he bagged the Best Actor National Award for Mrinal Sen's Mrigaya. After that Mithun never looked back and soon he became the craze of the nation.

Very few know the fact that south super star Rajnikant was in several professions before he moved to acting. He was a carpenter then coolie and then conductor by profession. He was the first actor to be promoted from Villain to Hero in South Indian Cinema. He was a dark non-descript young man. With the kind of texture he has, no one would have thought that this average looking actor would become a Tamil superstar. He has created his own style and gave tough competition to his handsome contemporaries like Rishi Kapoor and Kamal Hassan.

Similarly, Smita Patil was an unconventional looking actress in Bollywood. Surprisingly a television announcer had discovered her talent and then she subsequently became a part of the silver screen. Her exceptional performances include Shyam Benegal's Manthan, Ketan Mehta's Bhavni Bhavai and Mirch Masala.

Nana Patekar had never thought of a successful career in Bollywood. But this mature actor developed his acting talent and became one of the finest actors in Bollywood. Just like Nana Patekar, Ajay Devgan is another fine performer in the industry. It was reported that Ajay Devgan faced many rejections from the producers before he bagged Phool aur Kaante. With unconventional looks and intense eyes, no one would have thought that he would have a long and successful career. But with his style of acting, he undoubtedly became a challenging actor for his contenders in the industry.

One would wonder how these actors have managed to make it big in the world of good looking people and the answer is their talent and ability to make things work even in the worst situations. Their confidence and dedication towards their work has always helped them to give their best.

Finally, one would hardly think of survival of unconventional looking actors in the presence of the charming stars. But the fact is that the actors like Ajay Devgan, Manoj Bajpai and Nana Patekar could easily outshine their charming co-actors by their remarkable onscreen talent. Needless to say, good looks give an entry into the filmdom but not to superstardom.