Bollywood is known for its glitz, glamour, and larger-than-life characters. But did you know that some of the leading ladies of Bollywood have some shocking qualifications? From degrees in law to majors in electrical engineering to 12th-class dropouts, here are 14 Bollywood actresses and their surprising educational qualifications.
1. Karisma Kapoor – Dropout
One of the highest-paid actresses of the 90s, Karisma entered Bollywood at the age of 16. As far as education is concerned, Karishma Kapoor attended Sophia College for a few months. She later revealed that she had to drop out of college to pursue acting as a means of financial support for herself and her sister, as they were being raised solely by their mother.
2. Parineeti Chopra – Triple Honours in Business, Finance, and Economics
Parineeti Chopra is not only a talented actress but also an academic genius. She holds a triple honours degree in Business, Finance, and Economics from Manchester Business School in the UK. Do you know Parineeti was an all-India topper in economics in Class 12? Beauty with brains!
3. Deepika Padukone – Dropout
Deepika Padukone completed her schooling at Sophia High School in Bangalore, India. Later, she enrolled in Mount Carmel College, Bangalore to pursue a Bachelor of Arts degree in sociology, but she dropped out in her first year to pursue a career in modeling and acting.
4. Sai Pallavi – MBBS
Sai Pallavi is an Indian actress who primarily appears in Telugu, Tamil, and Malayalam films. Sai Pallavi did her schooling at Avila Convent School, Coimbatore, and as well did her MBBS from Tbilisi State Medical University, Tbilisi, Georgia. Now, this is called beauty with brains!
5. Kriti Sanon – Engineer
Kriti Sanon may be known for her good looks and acting skills, but do you know she is an engineer? She completed Electronics and Communication Engineering from Jaypee Institute of Information Technology in Noida!
6. Alia Bhatt – Dropout
Alia Bhatt made her acting debut in 2012 with the film “Student of the Year,” and since then, there has been no looking back for her. She has gone on to deliver some power-packed performances in movies like “Highway,” “Raazi,” “Gully Boy,” and “Dear Zindagi.”. In the midst of success, she has been the focus of many controversies – a prominent one being nepotism.. As far as education is concerned, Alia Bhatt was educated at the Jamnabai Narsee School but dropped out of her twelfth grade to pursue acting.
7. Samantha – Commerce Graduate
Samantha Akkineni, the popular South Indian actress, completed her schooling at Holy Angels Anglo Indian Higher Secondary School in Chennai. After finishing her school education, she pursued a degree in commerce from Stella Maris College, Chennai. After completing her studies, Samantha worked part-time as a model and later entered the film industry.
8. Taapsee Pannu – Engineer
Taapsee Pannu, the powerhouse performer of Bollywood, completed her schooling at Mata Jai Kaur Public School in Ashok Vihar. After completing school, she pursued her passion for technology and studied Computer Science Engineering at the prestigious Guru Tegh Bahadur Institute of Technology. After completing her graduation, Taapsee began her career as a software engineer. However, her passion for acting led her to explore other avenues, and she eventually auditioned for Channel V’s talent show Get Gorgeous in 2008. Her selection in the show marked the beginning of her modeling career, which later paved the way for her entry into the world of acting.
Taapsee has come a long way since then and has proved her mettle as an actress with her brilliant performances in movies like “Pink,” “Badla,” and “Thappad.” The talented actress is set to add another feather to her cap with her upcoming movie “Dunkee,” in which she will be seen sharing screen space with Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan.
9. Shraddha Kapoor – Dropout
Shraddha Kapoor, the talented Bollywood actress, started her schooling at Jamnabai Narsee School and later moved to the American School of Bombay when she was just 15 years old. After completing her high school studies, Shraddha enrolled at Boston University to pursue her interest in psychology. However, fate had other plans for her, and she left her studies in her freshman year to pursue her dream of becoming an actress.
10. Kangana Ranaut – Dropout
Ranaut completed her education at the DAV School in Chandigarh, with science as her core subject. Despite being a studious student, Ranaut’s academic path took a detour when she failed a unit test in chemistry during her twelfth grade. She initially wanted to become a doctor, as per her parents’ wishes. However, after reconsidering her career prospects, she decided not to pursue medicine and instead, relocated to Delhi at the age of sixteen to find her “space and freedom”.
11. Jhanvi Kapoor
Janhvi Kapoor, the gorgeous Bollywood diva, attended the Dhirubhai Ambani International School in Mumbai for her schooling. But that’s not all, before making her debut in the film industry, she pursued her passion for acting and completed a course in Film Studies and Theatre from the world-renowned Lee Strasberg Theatre and Film Institute in Los Angeles. Apart from her education, Janhvi is also a trained dancer and has learned various dance forms, including Kathak and Bharatanatyam.
12. Pooja Hedge – Commerce graduate
Do you know Pooja Hegde is a former pageant queen, who won the prestigious title of second runner-up in the 2010 Miss Universe competition before taking the film industry by storm? She has predominantly appeared in Tamil and Telugu movies and made her Bollywood debut in 2016 with the movie “Mohenjo Daro” directed by Ashutosh Gowariker.
As far as education is concerned, she has a degree in Commerce from the prestigious Shrimati Mithibai Motiram Kundnani College of Commerce & Economics. Talk about beauty with brains! With her impeccable acting skills and stunning looks, Pooja Hegde has won over the hearts of the audience and will be seen next in Kissi Ka Bhai Kisi Ki Jaan opposite Salman Khan.
13. Kareena Kapoor Khan – Dropout
Kapoor completed her primary education at Jamnabai Narsee School in Mumbai and continued her secondary education at Welham Girls’ School in Dehradun. After graduating from Welham, she returned to Mumbai and pursued commerce at Mithibai College for two years. Her interest then shifted to law, and she joined Government Law College in Mumbai. However, after finishing the first year of the course, she decided to pursue her passion for acting. In hindsight, she regretted not completing her education.
14. Priyanka Chopra – Dropout
Priyanka Chopra is an Indian actress, singer, film producer, and former Miss World. She completed her schooling at La Martiniere Girls’ School in Lucknow and then moved to the United States to further her education. She later completed her high school education at the Army Public School in Bareilly. She then pursued her higher education at Jai Hind College in Mumbai but dropped out after winning the Miss World title in 2000. Therefore, she does not hold a formal degree from any university.
Some of these qualifications really left us shocked! What about you?