Actors From Gujarat Who Have Achieved Bollywood Stardom

Gujarat is a major source of talent for Bollywood. Several Gujarati performers have made a name for themselves in the Gujarati entertainment industry, while others made their way to Bollywood.

The FilmIndia App compiled a list of Gujarati actors, who have made their mark in Bollywood via their dedication and talent.

1) Paresh Rawal:  Paresh Rawal, who was born in 1955, made his Bollywood debut in 1985 with Arjun. He's the most versatile Gujarati actor in Bollywood, and that's saying something. He's appeared in almost 200 films as an actor. He was honored with the Padma Shri Award in 2014 for his exceptional dedication to t Bollywood and the several successful films he has been in.

A National Award-winning Indian actor and thespian, Paresh Rawal immortalized characters like Baburao Ganpatrao Apte and Teja in legendary comedies like Hera Pheri and Andaz Apna Apna (1994). It would be inaccurate to describe Rawal as a comedian despite the fact that he is best known for his humorous parts. For more than three decades, the veteran actor has played a wide range of characters in films of many genres, including comic, supporting, and even antagonistic roles. Films such as Naam (1986), Woh Chokri (1994), Raja (1995) and Tamanna (1997) are among the most notable roles given to Rawal by the actor.

Souten (1983), in which Rajesh Khanna, Tina Ambani, and Padmini Kolhapure starred, featured an uncredited role for him. With subsequent roles in films such as Lorie (1984) and Bhagwan Dad (1996), he gained notoriety for his performance of an evil smuggler in the crime drama Naam (1996), which was released the same year.

2) Sharman Joshi

He hails from a long line of Gujrati theater performers and specialists.

He has been in a slew of satirical films. He's also appeared in a slew of Gujarati plays as an actor. His father Arvind Joshi is a veteran of Gujarati theater, although his aunts and sisters have all worked in Marathi and Gujrati theater.

Sharman Joshi became well-known as a leading man in the film Style after appearing in various theatrical works in English, Hindi, Marathi, and Gujarati. Other notable performances by Sharman include those in films such as 3 Idiots and Ferrari Ki Sawari.

As a child actor, Sharman Joshi appeared in the 1999 biographical drama Godmother, starring Shabana Azmi in the lead role. Based on the biography of Gujarati mafia boss Santokben Jadeja, the film won Filmfare and IIFA awards, as well as National Film Awards in multiple categories. Sharman performed  alongside an ensemble cast in Lajja, his second film, although he played  a supporting role. In the film, which earned mixed reviews but received praise for the superb performances of the principal actors, he shared the screen with Manisha Koirala, Rekha, Madhuri Dixit, Jackie Shroff, Johnny Lever, Anil Kapoor, and Ajay Devgn. Style, Sharman's follow-up film, was the first time he appeared in a main role in a feature film.

His next film, the comedy drama Golmaal, was a total contrast to his serious part in Rang De Basanti, in which he played the victim card in a comic character. He was nominated for a Filmfare Award for Best Performance in a Comedy Role for his performance in the film, which was praised for its comedic timing.  The film was directed by Rohit Shetty. It had a mediocre start but ended up becoming a box office smash.

3) Aruna Irani

Across Hindi, Kannada, Gujarati, and Marathi-language productions, Aruna Irani has appeared in almost 500 films. In films like Bombay to Goa, Raja Babu, and others, she played crucial roles.  It's impossible to forget her tireless efforts in Gujarati filmmaking. Acting, articulation and awe-inspiring skills from the evergreen performer made all of her presentations flawless.

When she was just nine years old, Irani made her acting debut in the 1961 film Gunga Jumna, playing Vyjayantimala, a kid. Caravan, her breakout role, came after she had appeared in many minor roles in films like Jahanara (1964), Farz (1967), Upkar (1967), and Aaya Sawan Jhoomke (1969) and teamed up with Mehmood in films like Aulad (1968), Humjoli (1970), and Naya Zamana (1971).

4) Nirupa Roy

As a Gujarati  actor, Nirupa Roy, who was born in 1931, is widely regarded as one of the most illustrious. In  1946, Gujarati film Ranakdevi gave  Nirupa Roy  her acting debut. Amar Raj was  her debut Bollywood film. She has appeared in over 250 films over her career, which spanned from 1946 until 1999.

In 1946, a Gujarati newspaper ran an ad calling for actors, and Roy and her husband responded. Ranakdevi, a Gujarati film, was the first film in which she appeared. Amar Raj, her debut Hindi film, was released in the same year. Films such as Do Bigha Zamin were among her best-known works (1953). In films from the 1940s and 1950s, she primarily played mythological characters. She played  Parvati Devi to Trilok Kapoor’s  Shiva in Har Har Mahadev. The film was the year's highest grosser. Her idea of a goddess was quite powerful and people would visit her home and seek her blessings.

Because of her role as the mother of Amitabh Bachchan and Shashi Kapoor in the 1970s films, she became known as the poor, suffering mom. Deewaar (1975) and its conversations about mother and son are utilized as clichés.

5) Ratna Pathak Shah

Ratna Pathak Shah, a well-known Gujarati performer in Bollywood, was born in 1957 and became a household figure thanks to the hit series Sarabhai against Sarabhai. Even now, her portrayal of Maya Sarabhai remains notable.

Ratna Pathak Shah began her career as a stage actress, and she has since worked in Hindi, English, and Gujarati.

Ratna Pathak grew up in Mumbai, the city where she was born. Supriya Pathak, the younger sister of actress Dina Pathak, is also an actor. She attended J.B. Vachha High School and the National School of Drama, Delhi, for her education. It was in Shyam Benegal's Mandi that Ratna made her film debut in 1983, and she was met with critical acclaim.

A few Russian plays later, she and her husband, Naseeruddin Shah, co-founded the Motley Theatre Group. Herman Wouk's The Caine Mutiny Court Martial and the 1992 adaption of Julius Caesar are two of their best-known works. Besides Mirch Masala (1987) and The Perfect Murder (1989), she appeared in other films ). Ratna went on to play Maya Sarabhai in Sarabhai Vs Sarabhai (2005), which won her the ITA Award for Best Actress Comedy. She has appeared in a number of critically acclaimed films, including Yun Hota Toh Kya Hota (2006), Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (2008), Golmaal 3 (2009), and Ek Main aur Ekk Tu (2012).  She starred in Nil Battey Sannata (2017) .

Ratna Pathak Shah starred in Anubhav Sinha's Thappad