Many of the small screen stars were not born into television. They are actually qualified differently and were working in their fields there when they were bitten by the acting bug.

The lure of the screen can indeed stretch far. There are thousands of acting hopefuls trying their luck day in and day out in the City of Dreams. For some, the gamble pays off, for others it just doesn't.

It may sound surprising, but there are many in Tellywood for whom acting happened just like that while they were busy pursuing other career options.

Anuj Saxena, for instance, is a qualified doctor who was running his successful family pharmaceutical business when the acting bug bit him.

Anuj got launched in a movie by Viveck Vaswani which sank without a trace following which he did a few insignificant roles in TV serials in the late 90s. He struck gold with Balaji Telefilms after he got selected for Kkusum and later in serials like Pratima and Risshton Ki Dor.

Even now Anuj juggles a successful acting career along with his business and his newly found production venture. "Actually, I am handling all of it quite well, " says Anuj smugly, adding that now he has become an expert in multi-tasking.

Haatim and Resham Dankh starrer Raahil Azam is another surprise. His first profession? "I am a qualified software engineer. I was working in Bangalore before I ended up in this profession.

I realised acting was my calling, " says Raahil who maintains that it was pure fascination and the will to do something different which landed him in this aasmaan.

Saakshi Tanwar, one of the famous bahus now, was a former computer software consultant. After graduation, Saakshi was preparing for entrance tests to the administrative services and mass communications when a close friend suggested that she audition for a film song- based programme on Doordarshan.

Meanwhile, her ‘traditional' career didn't take off when she failed to clear either of the tests.

"If I don't get through any exam in the first attempt then it is not meant for me, " says Saakshi. That's when the small screen happened for Saakshi Tanwar.

Even then, during her initial days, Saakshi tried to keep her other ‘interests' alive. She picked serials that didn't require much commitment so that she could continue with a computer course.

For a long time Saakshi divided her time between computer classes and acting. She was seen in Ehsaas, Dastoor, X-Zone, Bhanwar, Rajdhani among other serials, before the big one — Kahaani Ghar Ghar Kii — happened.

Surprisingly, in spite of her inclination towards a corporate career, Saakshi has been playing Parvati, a woman who takes all injustices in the world lying low so convincingly for years. Surely, that's what acting is all about!

Another actor made famous by Balaji serials, Ronit Roy, was into a different profession, too, before the greasepaint got to him. Ronit initially started out as an editor. The money was good and he continued as an editor even as his film career didn't take off. Until, of course, his television career gave him stardom, fame and money.

"I am a graduate in physical education, " claims Sharad Kelkar who plays Nahar Singh in the super successful Saat Phere. In fact, Sharad was working as a physical instructor before he got into acting on a full fledged basis.

Well, that explains Sharad's great physique and his popularity among female audiences. But seriously, there are certainly many other such small screen aspirants working silently elsewhere and waiting for things histrionic and glamorous to fall into place.