Actors work hard to carve a name for themselves in the highly competitive Bollywood industry. Celebrities gain fame and enormous fan following, and establish themselves in the industry. However, there are times when there’s a lull and a bad phase, and sometimes one role comes along that revives their career.

The films listed below played a major part in giving some of the biggest stars in Bollywood a new lease of life in the industry. Take a look at some iconic roles:

Jab We Met – Kareena Kapoor Khan

Kareena Kapoor made her acting debut with the 2000 war film Refugee, along with Abhishek Bachchan. She later went on to star in several films that barely had an impact, like Khushi and Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon. Viewers never got to know her true acting potential until Imtiaz Ali’s film Jab We Met. The film became a blockbuster hit in 2007, and her iconic performance as Geet left an impression on all of us.

Dil Chahta Hai – Saif Ali Khan

In the ‘90s, Saif Ali Khan was the go-to guy to play your typical rich romantic hero. He was stereotyped and the scripts that were coming his way were not challenging. Thankfully Dil Chahta Hai happened and that changed his life.

Queen – Kangana Ranaut

Despite being a part of blockbuster hits like Gangster and Fashion, Kangana Ranaut also gave back-to-back flop films like No Problem, Rascals, and Shaka Laka Boom Boom. It was only after the success of Queen that she got noticed and filmmakers started taking her seriously. 

Cocktail – Deepika Padukone

Deepika Padukone made her debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Om Shanti Om, however, she was seen as ‘just a pretty face’. She gave many flop films like Chandni Chowk To China, Lafangey Parindey, and Desi Boyz that didn’t do justice to her talent. But, her role as Veronica in the 2012 film Cocktail worked like magic. Directors finally started noticing her and she was offered a plethora of roles. 

Gangs of Wasseypur – Nawazuddin Siddiqui

Nawazuddin Siddiqui is now one of the versatile actors of Bollywood. He appeared in several minor roles for years until Anuraj Kashyap’s critically and commercially successful film Gangs of Wasseypur came his way. There was no turning back for him.

Haider – Shahid Kapoor

After being stereotyped as the boy-next-door, after doing films like Fida, Vivaah, Chup Chup Ke, and, Chance Pe Dance, Shahid Kapoor never got a chance to change his image. It was Vishal Bhardwaj’s 2014 film Haider, an adaptation of Hamlet, that improved this. He was loved and appreciated by the audience and filmmakers also started seeing him as a bankable actor. 

(Featured Image Credits: Instagram)