March 27 of every year is observed as World Theatre Day. The day is celebrated to honour and promote all forms of theatre and the actors who hon the craft. In Bollywood, we have several actors, who started their career by performing on stage and winning audiences' hearts with their versatile performances. Actors like Manoj Bajpayee, Rajkummar Rao and others who are successful Bollywood stars today, once upon a time started out as theatre artists.

Let’s take a look at 7 Bollywood actors who were theatre artists.

Manoj Bajpayee

Actor Manoj Bajpayee is one of the most successful celebs we have in Bollywood. Though he gave some stellar performances in the early stage of his career, it took him a while to get his due in the industry. With the web series 'The Family Man' (2019), Manoj Bajpayee was reborn as 'Manoj Bajpayee 2.0' and today he is ruling the OTT space. But did you know, he started his acting career with theatre? The National School of Drama, alum, did several plays before making his debut in Bollywood. With a one-minute role in 'Drohkaal' (1994), Manoj made his feature film debut and then starred in Shekhar Kapur's 'Bandit Queen' (1994). 'Satya', 'Kaun?, 'Shool', 'Raajneeti', and 'Gangs of Wasseypur' among others are some of the movies where he proved his versatality and won several accolades. Manoj has several projects in his kitty; one is 'Bhaiyaaji' that marks his 100th film.

Pankaj Tripathi

Pankaj Tripathi used to do minor roles in Hindi films and then 'Gangs of Wasseypur' happened where he played his first major screen role as Sultan. Later, he appeared in several films where he played substancial characters but it was with web series, 'Mirzapur' with which he became a household name. His role as Kaleen bhaiya earned him lost of love and appreciation. Pankaj is also an alumni of NSD and Manoj Bajpayee has been his inspiration. Earlier, he told Indian Express, “The stage (of the theatre) will always be very close to my heart. I do miss it, but I also love the kind of variety I can bring with the work I am doing currently doing.”

Rajkummar Rao

Rajkummar Rao is one of the most amazing talents in the Hindi film industry. Though he started his career with small roles, he made a mark in the indutsry with his hard work and dedication. Rajkummar also considers Manoj Bajpayee as his inspiration to become an actor. The 'Stree' actor participated in plays when he was in school. While studying at The Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma College, (University of Delhi), he was doing theatre with Kshitij Theatre Group and the Shri Ram Centre in Delhi simultaneously.

Jaideep Ahlawat

Jaideep Ahlawat rose to fame with the role of Hathi Ram Choudhary in the web series 'Paatal Lok' (2022). He has worked with several A-listers and delivered some stunning performances. Jaideep, who wanted to become an Army officer, became a member of a theatre company when he was in college. He did several stage plays in the states of Punjab and Haryana. Ahlawat then enrolled in acting at the Film and Television Institute of India (FTII) in 2008. Later, he moved to Mumbai and did several projects in Bollywood.

Sunny Hinduja

It took a while for Sunny Hinduja to make a name for himself in the showbiz. Though he started his Bollywood journey with 'Shaapit: The Cursed' in 2010, it was with the web show 'Aspirants' (2021), Sunny gained popularity. His character Sandeep bhaiya became everyone's favourite. Sunny received his formal education in acting from Film and Television Institute of India (FTII). He did several long and short plays. 

Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Yet another versatile actor in Bollywood, Nawazuddin Siddiqui started out as theatre artist before putting his steps into Bollywood. He might be one of the most sought-after actors today, but he has gone through a lot in the early days of his career in the industry. His big break was in Anurag Kashyap’s 'Gangs of Wasseypur'. Before getting enrolled at NSD, Siddiqui acted in 10 plays with a group of friends.

Shah Rukh Khan

How can we not mention the superstar of Bollywood, Shah Rukh Khan when we talk about theatre artist? One of the biggest and successful stars of the nation, SRK studied theatre arts and drama during his second year of college. He participated in numerous school plays in college. Khan studied acting under the guidance of theatre director Barry John in Delhi's Theatre Action Group (TAG). He then worked in television and then in Bollywood.

Naseeruddin Shah, Shabana Azmi, Manav Kaul, Jim Sarbh and Paresh Rawal among others also worked in several plays before stepping into Bollywood.