They are just two of the many celebrities who have tried to kickstart their Bollywood careers with a reality show. Did it work for them?
It’s no big secret that little-known celebrities take part in reality shows to increase their chances of finding a foothold in Bollywood. Isha Sharvani admitted it during the launch of Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa 5. She said that one of the reasons she agreed to participate was for better visibility: more people would notice her on the reality show than they have done during her stage shows. Shilpa Shetty Kundra is one of the few who succeeded, even though her reality show was in pardes. The controversy surrounding her participation in Big Brother UK and her resultant victory gave her Bollywood career a boost. But how well has this notion actually worked? How many reality show participants have gone on to better – and bigger – things in Bollywood?