15 Bollywood Cute Child Artist: Then And Now

R emember some famous child actors from Bollywood? Well, they have grown-up to be hotties..!!

Child actors often play crucial parts in Indian films. Some of the finest Bollywood actors today started their acting careers as child stars. While many of them continued to woo cinema lovers with their power-packed performances, some of them chose to stay away and follow other paths.

Acting is an art that comes naturally to some people. No amount of classes can make somebody a better actor. Some people have it in them since their childhood.

Let's take a look at these young stars of bygone Bollywood era and what are they up to these days.

Sana Saeed

Sana played Shah Rukh Khan’s and Rani Mukerji’s bubbly daughter in ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ in 1998 and won our hearts. She then took up television offers as a child actor before turning to the big screen again as an adult, appearing in a supporting role in the successful ‘Student Of The Year’ in 2012.

The dusky actress was back in the limelight recently , when she was seen in reality shows like ‘Fear Factor: Khatron Ke Khiladi’ and ‘Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa’.

Omkar Kapoor

When Omkar Kapoor innocently danced to Chhota Bachcha Jaan Ke Humko in ‘Masoom’, audiences loved the little lad immediately. Master Omkar , as he was called, appeared in movies like ‘Judwaa’, ‘Hero No. 1’, ‘Judaai’ and ‘Mela’ to name a few, which earned him recognition as a talented child actor.

As years passed, Omkar has successfully returned with ‘Pyaar Ka Punchnama 2’ in 2015.

Pooja Ruparel

Pooja Ruparel played Kajol’s younger, practical and sensible sister Chutki in the evergreen romantic film ‘Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge’ in 1995. Pooja Ruparel’s first stint on the big screen was also in a Shah Rukh Khan film. She played an orphan Munna, crying and wailing, trying to melt the pompous King Uncle’s heart in the titular movie, which brought her fame.

Post the success of ‘DDLJ’, she took up several acting assignments and was recently seen in Anil Kapoor’s teleseries ‘24’ .

Parzan Dastur

He appeared in an oil brand’s commercial a long time ago, uttering only one word: Jalebi . He then featured in Karan Johar’s ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ and had only one dialogue, “Tussi Jaa Rahe Ho?” and made it memorable too.

That was when Parzan Dastur was noticed by several filmmakers . Currently, Dastur is busy honing his acting skills and is all set to return to films as an adult.

Anuj Pandit Sharma

Anuj got his first big-screen acting assignment from Rakesh Roshan’s Filmkraft Productions in ‘Koi…Mil Gaya’, in which he played Hrithik Roshan’s Sardar friend. Anuj then moved to television again, playing a teenager’s role in season two of ‘Parvarrish’.

Currently the 26-year-old is busy preparing himself for his big break in movies as an adult and we hope he returns with a bang!

Shweta Basu Prasad

She had made quite a good start in the film industry with her dual role in Vishal Bhardwaj’s ‘Makdee’, for which she received the National Award for Best Child Actor.

She also tried her hand at television before she headed South. Shweta got embroiled in a high-level prostitution racket in 2014 but made it back to films and was last seen in ‘Badrinath Ki Dulhania’ in early 2017.

Ayesha Takia

Alongside Shahid Kapoor, Ayesha Takia appeared in a health drink commercial as a child, due to which she bagged a chance to work in a video album for Dandia Queen, Falguni Pathak.

Currently away from the arch lights, Ayesha is married to Farhan Azmi and is a hands-on mom to their son.

Darsheel Safary

This actor, whose potential was tapped by none other than Mr. Perfectionist Aamir Khan, pulled off a great performance in ‘Taare Zameen Par’ as a child suffering from dyslexia.

News is now rife that Darsheel is all set to star in a film called ‘Quickie’ as an adult and we are waiting to see how well he has refined his acting skills!

Aftab Shivdasani

Not many know that Aftab was a ‘Farex Baby’ when he was only 14 months old, following which, he appeared in several television commercials. He then entered the film industry with Shekhar Kapur’s sci-fi film ‘Mr. India’ when he was 9-years old.

Aftab’s debut film as an adult was Ram Gopal Varma’s ‘Mast’ opposite Urmila Matondkar, which brought him laurels but not many films!

Aftab, now married to Nin Dusanj, appears in multi-starer, specifically sex-comedies: a genre he greatly dislikes!

Neil Nitin Mukesh

Born into a musically-inclined family, Neil Nitin Mukesh , grandson of legendary singer Mukesh, surprisingly started his career as a child actor way back in 1988. He was seen in brief appearances in his earlier movies.

He later pursued an education before returning to the arena as an adult in ‘Johnny Gaddaar’. Although his subsequent films bombed at the BO, Neil is currently exploring the darker side and is happy playing the antagonist in his films.

Aditya Narayan

Son of playback singer Udit Narayan, Aditya began his career as a singer in the film ‘Rangeela’ and then appeared as a child actor in Shah Rukh Khan’s ‘Pardes’. He was also seen in a couple of Salman Khan’s movies , post which he headed straight to the small screen as an anchor when he grew up.

Though his recent run-in with an airline official at the Mumbai airport makes us wonder whether he has grown up!

Imran Khan

He bared his bum on the big screen when he was young and didn’t even shy away from it! Imran Khan was first seen as a child actor in his uncle Mansoor Khan’s ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak’ where he played Aamir Khan’s childhood role and was cast in ‘Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar’ as Jr Aamir Khan again.

Post his stints, he returned to the US to learn the technical side of filmmaking, only to return to Mumbai to be cast as a lead actor in the commercially successful ‘Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na’ . He is now away from the cameras happily playing the family guy!

Neetu Singh

She started her acting career at the age of 8 in a film called ‘Suraj’ , but came into the limelight two years later with ‘Do Kaliyan’ .

Neetu Singh eventually chose family over films and decided to settle down with co-actor Rishi Kapoor, with whom she had fallen in love on the sets of their film.

Hansika Motwani

Hansika Motwani started as a child actor, appearing in many TV serials. She then shifted to the big screen, playing Hrithik Roshan’s friend in ‘Koi… Mil Gaya’ and then moved on to play main leads in the South Indian film industry, particularly appearing in Tamil and Telugu movies, opposite some of the biggest names in the business.

Hansika was the cutest child actor on the scene before she courted a few controversies and made a mark for herself down South.

Kunal Khemu

Kunal Khemu was most recognized as a child star from his roles in 'Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke' and 'Raja Hindustani'.

Did you know, he completed his education from Amity University, Noida?

Over the years, Bollywood has seen some memorable roles played out by child actors. Child actors have always managed to entertain the audience with some popular characters on TV or in films.

They have also managed to stay in the minds of the viewers even after so many years. While some of them grow up to excel on the small screen, some just disappear with time.