Bollywood is not just the world of glitz and glamour; it stands as a testament to those who dared to dream and struggled every waking breath to become a star. Many talented stars have come from the toughest spaces in the country to this glistening city, from Jackie Shroff, who spent 33 years of his life in a Chawl, to Priya Bapat, the actress who spent 25 years of her life in a Chawl.
Priya Bapat is an Indian actress who rose to fame with her work in Marathi cinema. The actress debuted as a child artist in Mammootty's National Award-winning film, Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar. After that, Priya worked as a child artiste in the Marathi film, Bhet. In 2003, the actress made her massive Bollywood debut in Sanjay Dutt and Rajkumar Hirani's Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. A film that made home in the hearts of everyone who watch it. The actress played a supporting role in the film, which proved to be a commercial success at the box office. She also made a special appearance in Lage Raho Munna Bhai, which grossed Rs. 124 crore worldwide.
Priya Bapat lived in a small Chawl located on Ranade Road, Dadar. The actress spent 25 years of her life in the Chawl. She reflected on her experience living in such conditions in a conversation with the Times of India in 2018. She revealed she lived in the same Chawl till the time she got married. She was quoted saying:
"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. The speciality 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."
Priya revealed that even after she made her debut with the legendary actor, Mammootty and her there after her Bollywood debut with Sanjay Dutt, she continued to live in the Chawl until she got married to her husband, Umesh Kamat. For the unversed, Umesh is an Indian model and actor. She also shared that despite owning a luxurious house in Mumbai, the Chawl will always be her first love.
Priya Bapat's journey had not been a cakewalk. In a prior interview with Bollywood Hungama, the actress revealed that she was rejected 100 times before landing her first TV advertisement. Priya has been a part of several television shows and web series. Some of these include City of Dreams, Rafuchakkar, Raat Jawaan Hai, and Zindaginama.
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