10 Indian actresses who didn’t really need an acting career to be rich and famous

Bollywood’s divas have no trouble making people drop some serious bucks for front row seats on their opening nights, but Bollywood only got lucky–these Indian actresses could have been earning top dollar doing something entirely different. Here’s a list of 10 women who could have been the leading ladies in a whole distinct career.

1. Deepika Padukone

A lot of actors talk of big game, but there’s only a few who really have game. And Deepika Padukone might as well be the literal embodiment of the phrase! Born winning the genetic lottery from her father, World badminton champion Prakash Padukone, Deepika’s not only dabbled but also honed that talent to become a state level athlete as a badminton player. But rather than seeing this passion to the finish, she chose to explore another one of her talents, and became the starling we know her as, today.

1. Juhi Chawla

Many of us have indulged in thefantasy of hearing Juhi Chawla hum a couplet someday? Turns out, she’s going to let us have our wish. The ‘QT’ from QSQT, after a rather fruitful acting career, took to classical singing and has been devoted to her riyaaz for over six years. In fact, she even debuted on the mic for a Punjabi film, back in 2011.

1. Isha Sharvani

This one is a no-brainer. Anyone who managed to catch even five minutes of her debut film Kisna, one would see that it is impossible for Isha Sharvani to walk, she can only glide. That arch of her back stays perfect even when she is lying down, thinking longingly of her Kisna. This grace could only be the product of years and years of practice, and our suspicion is bang on!Ishahas mastered many dance forms, particularly Indian contemporary and aerial dancing.

1. Sonam Kapoor

Sonam Kapoor’s waltzing into a gala makes the Red Carpet a notch more magnificent, but she could have been doing the hallways of the Parliament just as proud. After studying at the United World College of South East Asia to do her International Baccalaureate, she studied political science and economics from the University of Mumbai.

1. Genelia D’Souza

Turns out, for Genelia D’Souza, acting was just one of the many career paths she could have chosen, which all led to equally happy endings. When she was studying her bachelors in management studies from the University of Mumbai, her athletic side overpowered her glam quotient. She was all-in, and unsurprisingly enough, made it to the state level as an athlete andsprinter. She was also onto something big and was one of the fledgling stars at the national level, in the fledgling sport of football.

1. Nargis Fakhri

Nargis Fakhri grew up in a place where rapping is as important as lyrical heritage. Growing up in Queens, which was practically the birthplace of rap, Nargiz did her riyaaz all right and developed quite the flair for freestyle rapping. Her rapping performance for Hrithik’s Bang Bang challenge, and even caught up with Curtiss Jackson, popularly known by his alias – 50 Cent. While the contents of that meeting are unknown, it is safe to assume that an epic rap battle may have been hatched over a cup of coffee.

1. Preity Zinta

Deeper than her dimples goes her knowledge of the human psychology. Preity Zinta had set out on the educational lap of her journey with the aim of studying the most twisted of those minds with a bachelors and an intensive masters degree in criminal psychology, apart from holding an equally impressive qualification in a subject just as distinct and interesting – a BA Honours in English.

1. Parineeti Chopra

It is no secret that Parineeti’s foray into Bollywood was an accidental stroke of fortune, because she had her sights set on the financial markets, with a triple Honours degree in business, finance and economics from the Manchester Business School in England, and was gearing up to become an investment banker.

1. Minissha Lamba

Minissha Lamba would have been on my side of the screen documenting the lives and journeys of people, and would have done a mean job at it, might I add, much like the role she played in her film Shaurya, had she chosen to pursue journalism like she had planned. She even had a degree in English from the prestigious Miranda House to start her off.

1. Ameesha Patel

One half of the most unforgettable and successful debut couple on the silver screen, turns out, had already tasted success before. Ameesha Patel was a gold medalist in economics from the Tufts University of Massachusetts, and had already embarked upon the game of numbers as an economics analyst, with a Mumbai-based Investment banking firm, Khandwala Securities Ltd.

Let’s hope that someday, their Bollywood roles are as meaty and meaningful as the ones they could have played in real life. Our superstars would then get the best of both worlds!