We are always intrigued to know how the stars rose to glam and most of the time, their journey begins via a reality show.
Since these shows experiment with variety of themes and formats, they provide the masala that keeps the audience glued to their screens. This in turn, makes the contestants of these shows rise to popularity!
Today we have compiled a list of contestants right from Roadies to Bigg Boss who made it real big in the industry.
1. Ayushmann Khurrana
It’s interesting to know how in 2004, Ayushmann Khurrana won the second season of the reality television show MTV Roadies and began a career as an anchor.
He’s now a full package. A singer, writer, TV host and an actor who is known for portraying ordinary men in offbeat films.
2. Rannvijay Singha
Rannvijay has come a long way after being the winner of Roadies Season 1 in 2003.
He’s been a member of the show since 2004, first as a gang leader and now as a host, and he’s still doing it. He also joined the auditions judging panel. He has also acted in London Dreams (2009) and Action Replayy (2010).
3. Bani J
Gurbani Judge, popularly known as Bani J, ended as the runner-up of Roadies Season 4 in 2006 and has rose to fame since then.
She experimented with VJing for TV shows as well as modelling gigs. Her next big break came when she appeared on Bigg Boss 10 as a contestant. She’s now a successful Indian fitness model. Her role as one of the lead actresses in Four More Shots Please! has also been widely appreciated.
4. Prince Narula
Prince Narula not only won Roadies 12 in 2015, but he also won Splitsvilla 8, Bigg Boss 9 and Nach Balliye 9 after that.
The young actor and model is also the mentor of MTV Roadies Revolution.
5. Yuvika Chaudhary
Yuvika first appeared on the reality show Zee Cine Stars Ki Khoj in 2004 where she was voted out in the quarterfinals.
Ever since, this Indian actress also appeared in Bollywood films such as Om Shanti Om, Summer 2007 and Toh Baat Pakki! She contested in Bigg Boss 9 and in 2019, she also participated and ultimately won Nach Baliye 9 with her husband Prince Narula.
6. Priyank Sharma
Priyank’s performance in Splitsvilla Season 10, Roadies Rising and Bigg Boss 11 has been highly appreciated.
He is now a model, dancer, choreographer and an actor.
7. Meiyang Chang
Chang rose to popularity in 2006 as a contestant of the singing reality show Indian Idol Season 3 in 2006.
He has also acted in the film Badmaash Company. Chang is currently an Indian actor, television host, singer, and to your surprise, he’s also a dentist by profession.
8. Shreya Ghoshal
Shreya won the television music reality show Sa Re Ga Ma in 2000 when she was sixteen in the year 2000.
Shreya Ghoshal is now a leading playback singer in India who has received four National Film Awards.
9. Anushka Manchanda
Anushka Manchanda made her musical debut as part of Viva, India’s first girl band that was founded on a reality show in 2002.
Anushka was also signed by the Berlin-based Das Imperium Talent Agency. Anushka’s life as a musician revolves on the stage, and she spends her season travelling the country and the world.
10. Vishal Karwal
After a short journey in Roadies 4, Vishal Karwal won MTV Splitsvilla 1 in 2008.
Vishal Karwal is now an Indian television-film actor. Dwarkadheesh Bhagwaan, Shree Krishn, Rishton Se Badi Pratha, Ek Hazaaron Mein Meri Behna Hai, and Rangrasiya are a few of the popular serials in which he has appeared.
11. Ashutosh Kaushik
Owing to the popularity of this Roadies season 5 winner in 2007, Ashutosh won Bigg Boss season 2 in 2008 as well.
With TV shows like Desi Girls, Savdhaan India, and Kitchen Champion, he even tried his hand at acting. He had also appeared in a few films in addition to TV.
12. Nora Fatehi
Today’s film sensation Nora was a contestant in Bigg Boss 9 in 2015 and Jhalak Dikhla Jaa 9 in 2016.
She is now a dancer, model, actress, singer, and producer who has worked her charm in the Indian film industry.
13. Sunny Leone
Bigg Boss Season 5 has been a milestone of her life in 2011. Post that Sunny Leone received an offer to act in the Pooja Bhatt film Jism 2 and in Ekta Kapoor’s crossover horror movie, Ragini MMS 2.
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She has participated in activism campaigns such as the Rock ‘n’ Roll Los Angeles Half-Marathon to benefit the American Cancer Society, as well as posing for a People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals poster (PETA).
14. Nitibha Kaul
Nitibha Kaul is best known since Bigg Boss 10 along with Manveer Gujar, Manu Punjabi, Lopamudra Raut, Rohan Mehra, Monalisa and other celebrities.
She entered the house as a commoner, but became a celebrity even before she left the house. She is now a famous content creator on social media.
15. Pravesh Rana
Pravesh Rana was a contestant of Bigg Boss in 2009 and has hosted several seasons of the reality show Emotional Atyachar.
Ever since he has hosted several award functions like Screen Awards, Indian Television Awards and the Golden Petal Awards. He has also acted in a few films, the latest being The Serpent on Netflix.
16. Amit Sadh
Amit Sadh was a contestant in the very first season of Bigg Boss in 2007. Prior to that in 2005, he also participated in the first season of Nach Baliye.
Ever since, he has risen to fame on the big screen with films and series namely Kai Po Che, Yaara, Sultan, Breathe: Into the Shadows etc.
17. Neha Kakkar
Neha Kakkar competed on Indian Idol Season 2 in the year 2006. She made her Bollywood debut as a chorus singer in the film Meerabai Not Out.
In 2019, Neha was listed among the most viewed women artists on YouTube with 4.2 billion views and in 2021, she became the first Indian singer to win a YouTube Diamond Award.