10 Bollywood Celebrities Who Left Engineering Careers to Chase Stardom

Behind the glamour and fame of Bollywood, several stars have surprising academic backgrounds—some even started their journeys as engineers! Choosing passion over profession, these celebs made bold moves by giving up engineering degrees to pursue acting careers. Here’s a look at ten inspiring stars who traded technical classrooms for movie sets:

1. Ameesha Patel
Ameesha studied bio-genetic engineering at Tufts University in Boston for two years before shifting her major to economics. Eventually, she found her true calling in cinema with a debut in Kaho Naa… Pyaar Hai.

2. Riteish Deshmukh
Before his comedy chops lit up the screen, Riteish earned an architectural engineering degree from Kamla Raheja College in Mumbai. He even practiced architecture internationally before entering Bollywood.

3. Sushant Singh Rajput
A brilliant student, Sushant studied mechanical engineering at Delhi College of Engineering and was a National Olympiad winner in Physics. He dropped out to pursue theatre and later became a beloved Bollywood star.

4. R. Madhavan
Madhavan has a BSc in Electronics from Rajaram College, Kolhapur. He once represented India as a cultural ambassador in Canada before becoming one of India’s most versatile actors.

5. Sonu Sood
Known for his philanthropy and powerful roles, Sonu Sood holds an Engineering degree in Electronics from Yeshwantrao Chavan College of Engineering, Nagpur.

6. Kartik Aaryan
The Bhool Bhulaiyaa 2 star balanced engineering in biotechnology from Navi Mumbai with secret acting auditions until his breakthrough film Pyaar Ka Punchnama.

7. Taapsee Pannu
A Computer Science Engineering graduate from New Delhi, Taapsee worked as a software engineer before being discovered by Channel V. She later debuted in Telugu cinema.

8. Kriti Sanon
Kriti has a B.Tech degree in Electronics and Telecommunication from Jaypee Institute, Noida. Her stunning debut in Heropanti marked her shift from circuits to cinema.

9. Avinash Tiwary
Avinash left engineering mid-way to pursue acting. He trained under Barry John and at the New York Film Academy. His talent shines in films like Laila Majnu and Madgaon Express.

10. Vicky Kaushal
A graduate in Electronics and Telecommunications from Rajiv Gandhi Institute, Mumbai, Vicky began as an assistant director before impressing audiences with Masaan and more.

These celebrities prove that following your passion can lead to incredible success—even if it means walking away from a stable career path. Their stories are a testament to courage, creativity, and chasing dreams.