Here is a list of Child artistes who made it big in bollywood when they grew up, interestingly majority of them happen to be Star kids or those who have bollywood connections

We will start of with current teen sensation Hansika motwani









Hansika motwani

Hansika Motwani is the name that doesn’t need any introduction. She is a talented artist who performed some memorable roles in many pictures and the TV serials as a child artist. Born in Mumbai on August 1991, she is presently living with her mother. The multilingual and talented artist is still in her ninth class reading in Podhar International School. Her father Mr. Pradeep Motwani is not living with the family and she is living with her mother Mrs. Mona Motwani and Brother Prashant Motwani. She is a Hindi and Tulu speaking girl.


Aftab Shivdasani

He played the younger role of two of the best Indian actors - Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan. Aftab started with Mr. India (1987) (it also starred choreographer-director Ahmed Khan as a child artist). Subsequently he did many films like Shahenshah, ChaalBaaz, Awwal Number, C.I.D. and Insaniyat before making his grown up debut in Ram Gopal Varma's Mast.



Urmila Matondkar

Many people mistake Urmila's debut as a child artist to be Shekhar Kapur's Masoom (1983). It actually was Shyam Benegal's Kalyug (1980). Interestingly in her debut film, Urmila didn't play a girl but a boy. She played the son of Raj Babbar and Rekha and was named 'Parikshit'.

In Masoom she became a popular face as the eldest of the kiddo trio. Her song 'Lakdi Ki Kathi' is still one of the most popular children songs. Jugal Hansraj (another popular child artist) who played her kid brother in Masoom, was subsequently paired opposite Urmila in his male lead debut film 'Aa Gale Lag Jaa'. Nobody has a clue of the third sibling who was the cutest amongst all in Masoom.

In 1987 Urmila played Sunny Deol's younger sister in Dacait. More than a decade later she was paired opposite Sunny in his film Dillagi (1999).


Bobby Deol

Now this might come as a surprise. Do you ever remember seeing Bobby Deol as a child actor in any film? Well, that's because he just had a 10-second appearance in Manmohan Desai's Dharam Veer (1977) where he played a young Dharamendra. In the same gladiator costume that Dharamendra subsequently dons throughout Dharam Veer, Bobby looks enormously endearing while breaking a stone with a hammer in Dharam's introductory scene.



Aamir Khan

Ok, we all know by now that Aamir Khan appeared as a child artist in Yaadon Ki Baarat (1973). He looked cute in the 2-minute appearance in the title song where he raises his little finger to indicate nature's call. The film was directed by his uncle Nasir Hussain and Aamir played the younger role of Tariq, who again was his uncle.

But how many know that as a child artist, Aamir has also worked in a film called Madhosh (1974)? Two decades later, his brother Faisal Khan debuted in a film by the same name.

Some more interesting trivia! Which is Aamir's debut film as a grown up actor? No, it wasn't Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak (1988), as is the popular belief. He made his debut in Ketan Mehta's Holi (1984) which co-starred his Lagaan director Ashutosh Gowariker. So Mangal Pandey wasn't his first film with Ketan Mehta.


Padmini Kolhapure

As a child artist, Padmini Kolhapure has many films to her credit which include Dream Girl, Zindagi, Saajan Bina Suhagan and Thodi Si Bewafai. But her most noted roles include Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Insaaf Ka Tarazu and Gahrayee.

In Satyam Shivam Sundaram (1978) she played a young Zeenat Aman with a scar mark on her face. In Gahrayee (1980) she played a school girl possessed by a spirit in her body. In Insaaf Ka Tarazu (1980) she played Zeenat Aman's younger sister who is a victim of child molestation by Raj Babbar.

Interestingly she was paired opposite Raj Babbar in Kirayedaar, six years later.


Sridevi

Sridevi needs no introduction. But films where she featured as a child artist do.

This superstar of the 80s started as a child artist when she was just '4' years old. She appeared in a string of Tamil and Telugu films and in most of them she played mythological characters.

In 1979, she got her first break in Hindi cinema with 'Solvan Saawan' which was a remake of her 1977 Tamil film 'Pathinaru Vayathinile'


Sanjay Dutt

Yes, our very own Munnabhai faced the camera for the first time when he was just 12 years old. Sanjay Dutt was an item boy back then. In his father Sunil Dutt's film Reshma Aur Shera (1971), Sanjay Dutt danced in a qawalli song. And even as a child, his dance steps had the trademark Sanjay Dutt impact.

Now you know he isn't called Sanju 'baba' for no reason.



Rishi Kapoor

The tryst of child artists with Kapoor khandaan continues with Rishi Kapoor. In 1970 Raj Kapoor wanted an actor to play his younger version in Mera Naam Joker. Obviously he couldn't cast his regular young counterpart - Shashi Kapoor as he was an established lead actor by 70s. But there wasn't any reason to worry as acting ran in the blood of Kapoors.

So Raj Kapoor cast his second son Rishi Kapoor as the young Raj Kapoor in 'Mera Naam Joker' (1970). The 18-year-old Rishi was quite plump then but it perfectly fitted the character. In one of the funny scenes from the film, he even has his pants torn during a PT class due to being an overweight boy. Rishi had sufficient footage in the film as he featured in the entire first chapter of the episodic film.

But his USP in this film could have proved a setback to him when he would have made his debut in a leading role. So Rishi lost substantial weight and debuted as the young-and-energetic hero in 'Bobby' (1973).


Neetu Singh

Next from the Kapoor clan is Neetu Singh. But when she started as an actress she wasn't a member of the Kapoor family. She wasn't called Neetu Singh either in her debut film. Neetu Singh made her debut as 'Baby Sonia' at the age of 10 in the Mala Sinha - Biswajeet starrer 'Do Kaliyaan' (1968).

A remake of the classic Hollywood film 'The Parent Trap', 'Do Kaliyaan' gave Baby Sonia the chance to play a double role in her first film itself. She got vast scope to display her acting abilities in the role of twin sisters of diverse sensibilities - as Ganga and Jamuna. And if you though this was an itsy-bitsy child artist cameo; NO she was the title actor of the film. You have to see her melt your heart with her warm performance. After 'Do Kaliyaan', she continued as a child artist in films like Waris (1969) and Pavitra Paapi (1970) until she made her debut as an elder actress in Yaadon Ki Baarat (1973).




Shashi Kapoor

“Mere paas maa hain” - we all remember Shashi Kapoor mouthing this legendary line from Deewaar. That was in 1975. But much before that - and by that we mean 30 years back, Shashi Kapoor had made his acting debut at a tender age of 6 in Jayant Desai's Tabdir (1945). He continued working as a child artist in many mythological films (that were a regular in those times) like Bhakta Dhruva, Bhakta Gopalbhaiya, Bhakta Bilwamangal and Veer Babruwahan.

But his most noted performances as a child actor are in films like Aag (1948) and Awara (1951) where he played the role of Raj Kapoor's younger counterpart. As a child he also worked in 'Prithvi Theatre' - his father's theatre group.