Some like Farah Khan and Zoya Akhtar had sterling antecedents but it took a tough childhood and intermittent assignments on film sets to win the box office with Om Shanti Om and Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara; while Ashutosh Gowarikar auditioned for folk dances and failed with his debut film, Lagaan created cinematic history; and Anurag Basu had to first dance as a background extra and later overcome cancer to witness Barfi win hearts and awards. These and other ...
