Meet actress who gave two superhit films with Sanjay Dutt, faced 100 rejections, lived in chawl for 25 years, quit Bollywood after…

Even after making superhit debut in Bollywood, this actress continued to live in chawl until she got married.

In the world of glitz and glam, many Bollywood actors have faced struggles to achieve superstardom. We have live examples of that, like Shah Rukh Khan, Jackie Shroff, Rajkummar Rao and Ayushmann Khurrana, who proved, especially for outsiders this industry is no easy feat. Here’s one such actress who underwent 100 rejections, live 25 years of her life in chawl, later delivered Rs 100 crore film and continued to star in several hits.

Who is Priya Bapat?

We are talking about none other than Priya Bapat, who is most popular for her work in Marathi cinema. She debuted in Mammootty’s National Award-winning film, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar, at the age of 14. She also appeared as a child artist in the Marathi film Bhet. In 2003, she made her grand Bollywood debut in Sanjay Dutt and Rajkumar Hirani’s Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. She did a supporting role in the film, which proved to be a commercial and critical success. She also made appearance in Lage Raho Munna Bhai, which grossed Rs 124 crore worldwide.

Priya Bapat lived in chawl for 25 years

Priya lived and grew up in a small chawl located on Ranade Road, Dadar. Reflecting on her 25 years of memories, Priya told Times of India in 2018, “I have spent almost 25 years of my life in that chawl. Until I got married, I stayed there. From celebrating Diwali together to playing games with my friends during childhood, this chawl has given me a lot of memories.”

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Even after making her debut with Mammootty and starring in a Rs 100 crore hit film with Sanjay Dutt, Priya continued to live in a chawl until she got married. She added, “The specialty of this chawl was that all the houses on a floor were connected to each other internally through doors. It was easy to move from one house to another without stepping outside. This system kept all the families on the floor connected. Nowadays, I feel the apartment system has created distance between people.” Now, she owns a luxurious house in Mumbai but still has a special place for chawl in her heart.

Priya Bapat faced 100 rejections until she got her first TV Ad

Priya’s journey in the entertainment industry was not an easy one. In an interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actress revealed that she faced 100 rejections before landing in her first TV advertisement. After giving two hits with Sanjay Dutt, the actress left Bollywood and worked in several Marathi films. Currently, she is one of the highest-paid actress in Marathi cinema reportedly charging Rs 8 lakh per film.

Meanwhile, Priya’s other notable works include various television shows and web series, such as City of Dreams, Rafuchakkar, Raat Jawaan Hai, and Zindaginama.