Before They Were Stars - Bollywood Edition Quiz

Answer: Amitabh Bachchan

Amitabh Bachchan made his film debut in the movie "Saat Hindustani" in 1969. The movie did not find much success and Bachchan was relegated to playing supporting roles in films like "Anand" and "Reshma Aur Shera". He struck gold playing the angry young man in "Zanjeer" in 1973 after which there was no looking back.

A string of hits followed including "Deewar", "Sholay" and "Kabhie Kabhie" - all of which are now considered classics. Apart from winning numerous awards and accolades for his acting, Bachchan has also been conferred with the Padma Shri, Padma Bhushan and Padma Vibhushan - honorary titles bestowed by the Government of India.

Answer: Smita Patil

Smita Patil was the daughter of a politician, and though she had graduated from the Film and Television Institute of India, her first job was as a newsreader with Doordarshan, the government owned television channel. It was in this role that director Shyam Benegal discovered her and cast her in his film "Bhumika". Smita went on to win the National Award for Best Actress for the film. She also delivered powerful performances in movies like "Arth", "Manthan" and "Aakrosh".

The other three actresses are associated largely with mainstream Bollywood movies.

Answer: Kajol

Kajol is the daughter of Tanuja, a former actress, and Shomu Mukherjee, a film producer. Her maternal grandmother Shobhana Samarth and aunt Nutan were also actresses. Coming from a film family, it was not difficult for Kajol to get her Bollywood break. Though her debut film "Bekhudi" sank at the box office, she managed to find a foothold in the industry and went on to become one of the most successful actresses of the 1990s.

Shah Rukh Khan, Vidya Balan and Sushant Singh Rajput all earned fame on television before making it big in the movies.

Answer: Rajnikanth

Shivaji Rao Gaekwad tried his hand at various jobs, including that of a carpenter and bus conductor before he made his way into the world of films. He took on the screen name of Rajnikanth for his cinematic career. He has acted in Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi films, though his biggest fan following has been in Tamil cinema.

Some of the well-known Hindi films in which he acted are "Chaalbaaz", "Hum" and "Bhagwaan Dada".

Answer: Kareena Kapoor

Kareena Kapoor belongs to the Kapoor family which has been part of Bollywood for more than three generations, starting with her great grandfather Prithvi Raj Kapoor. Her grandfather Raj Kapoor, grand uncles Shashi and Shammi Kapoor, parents Randhir and Babita, and elder sister Karisma have all acted in movies. Kareena made her debut along with Abhishek Bachchan in the movie "Refugee" in 2000. Since then her string of hits has included "Jab We Met", "Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham", "3 Idiots" and "Omkara".

Juhi Chawla won the Miss India title in 1984. Priyanka Chopra and Aishwarya Rai were runners up in the Miss India contest but went on to win the Miss World title.

Answer: Dilip Kumar

Dilip Kumar was born as Yusuf Khan in Peshawar in undivided India. His father owned orchards in Peshawar (now located in Pakistan) and Deolali (Maharashtra, India). Dilip Kumar was discovered in a canteen in the city of Pune by the actress Devika Rani who cast him opposite herself in the movie "Jwar Bhata". Kumar is regarded as one of the greatest actors of Hindi cinema and considered an idol by a number of later generation actors.

Answer: Parineeti Chopra

Parineeti Chopra is the cousin of actress Priyanka Chopra. Priyanka had already made her mark as an actress by the time Parineeti started working for Yash Raj Films. Parineeti initially took up an internship with the marketing department before moving on to handle public relations.

While handling the promotions for one of the studio's films, Parineeti was bitten by the acting bug and a mock audition with the studio head helped her land a three film contract. She made her debut in a supporting role in the film "Ladies vs Ricky Bahl" where she was noticed and appreciated for her performance.

She has since gone on to play the lead in several movies including "Ishaqzaade", "Shuddh Desi Romance" and "Hasee Toh Phasee".

Answer: Shahid Kapoor

Shahid Kapoor, the son of actors Pankaj Kapur and Neelima Azim, was part of choreographer Shiamak Davar's dance troupe. He can be seen among the background dancers in the song "Kahin Aag Lage Lag Jawe" from the movie "Taal" which was picturised on Aishwarya Rai. He also appeared in television commercials, most notably the one for Pepsi which also featured actors Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherji.

The other three actors are not known for their footwork, and it would be hard to imagine them as part of a dance troupe.

Answer: Banker

Soha Ali Khan is one of the three children of Mansoor Ali Khan Pataudi, a former Indian cricket captain, and Sharmila Tagore, a well-known actress. While her elder brother Saif Ali Khan had taken to acting right from the beginning, Soha obtained a Master's Degree in International Relations from the London School of Economics and Political Science.

She then worked with Citibank and the Ford Foundation before giving it up to try her hand at acting.

Answer: Akshay Kumar

Born Rajiv Bhatia, Akshay Kumar showed an interest in martial arts early on, and after gaining a black belt in Taekwondo he moved to Thailand to pursue the arts further. While in Thailand, he also worked as a chef. On his return to India, he started teaching martial arts where one of his students recommended him for a modelling assignment. This eventually helped him to make his way to Bollywood where he gained fame early in his career as an action hero.

The other three actors all belong to film families.