Bollywood celebs have to work really hard to make their mark at the box office as well as in the hearts and minds of the fans. You might get into the industry based on your surname but there are enough examples to prove that if you’re not talented or you do not make the right choices right from the start, you’ll be set up to fail. That’s why it is important to make a debut that will get you noticed. As they say, ‘well begun, is half done’.
However, there are actors who made their Bollywood debuts with movies that were disappointing and bombed at the box office. Even though these stars eventually carved a niche for themselves, their terrible first movies did nothing to help their career along.
1. Katrina Kaif
We’re sure most people have forgotten the debacle that was Katrina Kaif’s debut movie, including Katrina Kaif herself. Boom was, to put it mildly, a disturbing movie and performed really really poorly at the box office and received mostly negative reviews. Probably the worst debut on this list. Do NOT watch.
2. Ranbir Kapoor & Sonam Kapoor
Star kids Ranbir and Sonam both made their debut with Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Saawariya which was a major flop. Nobody expected the kids of two huge stars to make their debut in a movie that bombed so bad. From their acting to the backdrop throughout the movie to the script, everything was underwhelming. The only thing you probably remember about this movie is Ranbir’s towel scene.
3. Esha Deol
Esha Deol failed to create a lasting mark in the minds of the viewers throughout her career in Bollywood. Keeping in line with that, her debut was just as bad. The poorly directed remake of one of my favourite movies, Sleeping With The Enemy, Koi Mere Dil Se Poocche only proved that Esha had a long way to go before she could boast of her acting prowess.
4. Salman Khan
Contrary to popular belief, Salman’s Bollywood debut wasn’t as a lead in Maine Pyaar Kiya but as a supporting actor in Biwi Ho To Aisi. The movie failed to do anything for the audience and Salman’s performance more or less went unnoticed.
5. Aditya Roy Kapoor
Let me just start by saying ARK is a hottie and he’s just getting better with age. But his debut movie as a supporting actor in London Dreams was a huge flop for obvious reasons like the script (or lack thereof) and the subpar performances.
6. Shahid Kapoor
We love to hate Shahid’s debut movie Ishq Vishk. It was extremely sexist and if you watch it today, it’ll be apparent that the movie divided women into two categories – the behenjis who you can’t date ‘coz they are touch-me-nots and the easy girls who’ll do ‘anything’ for their boyfriends. Yuck! Here are all the WTF thoughts we’re sure you’ll have if you watch it today.
7. Rani Mukherjee
Rani made her debut when she was 18 with Raja Ki Aayegi Baraat and if you ask us, she could have waited a while and made a better choice. If you need to know how flawed the movie’s plot was, let me just tell you that the punishment the court metes out to Rani’s rapist in the movie is to order him to marry her. As if that is a punishment for his crimes! Say what?
8. Priyanka Chopra
Think back and try to recall PeeCee’s The Hero: Love Story Of A Spy opposite Sunny Deol. Yeah, we can’t either. That’s all I need to say because, now, everything she does now makes an indelible impression.
9. Abhishek Bachchan & Kareena Kapoor
The career graphs of these two actors have been wildly different but they made their debut opposite each other in J.P. Dutta’s Refugee. Let’s just say that both the movie and their performances are all forgettable.
GIFs: Giphy
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