Bollywood actors who made their debut in daily soaps in 2014

Actor Jimmy Sheirgill has apparently been approached to play a coach in the upcoming kabbadi track of the popular TV serial, Diya Aur Baati Hum. According to a report on Pinkvilla.com, if Jimmy gives his nod, then he will essay the role of a coach who trains Aditi's team, played by Ridhi Dogra. A source was quoted saying that Jimmy's role would be for about a month, the report added.

While it remains to be seen of Jimmy will make his TV debut with this show, read on to know which actress will make her TV debut with Charulata.

According to a report on Mid-day.com, Amrita Puri will make her TV debut with Anurag Basu's Charulata.
The show is reportedly based on Rabindranath Tagore's novel by the same name and will be aired on Epic Channel. Amrita Puri was last seen in films like Kai Po Che! and Aisha. She has been quoted in the report as saying that being a student of literature, she is excited about the role as Tagore’s work is a legacy and part of history.
She elaborates that Tagore's stories are women-centric and progressive. Talking about her approach to the character, Amrita has been quoted as saying that while she is a method actor who likes delving into the character, Anurag is spontaneous and goes with the flow and hence she had to unlearn everything she knew to work with him.

Sohail Khan, who was seen as a judge on Comedy Circus, is all set to make his TV series debut with Vikas Bahl-helmed series about an aspiring actor. According to a Mumbai Mirror report, the show will go on floors in February 2015 as the Queen director is gearing up for a star-studded stint on the small screen. Reportedly, the filmmaker is planning a satire revolving around a 'filmy family' with the protagonist being an aspiring actor. And when it came to casting, he approached the Bollywood's leading 'Khan'daan. Yes, the other Khans, including Salman Khan, are said to have cameo roles in the TV series. This would also mark Salman Khan's TV series debut. The report quotes a source, “The show is about an aspiring actor who is trying to make it big in Bollywood, but fails repeatedly. However, since he belongs to a well-known family from Bollywood, he keeps getting launched and relaunched." The source added that the idea is to take on the film industry's notorious nepotism but with a humorous approach. When contacted, Sohail confirmed the news to Mirror saying, “Vikas is a dear friend of mine. He asked me if I am cool doing something on TV. I said yes. He's fine-tuning the concept and things will be confirmed by February next year."
While Sohail has chosen to debut on the small screen next year, there are many Bollywood actors who made their TV debut in the fiction space this year. Let's take a look.

Priyanka Chopra is all set to make her TV debut but before you let your imagination run wild, it is not for the Indian TV. According to a report in DNA, the actress has inked a deal with American Studio, ABC. Priyanka first met Keli Lee, the Vice President of Casting at ABC, at the SAMMA (South Asians In Media, Marketing & Entertainment Summit) conference and later stayed in touch through their agents. The two were headline speakers at the summit. Lee is a big name in the West for scouting talent and casting female leads in strong roles in shows like Scandal and Grey's Anatomy. Priyanka will be travelling to Los Angeles and staying there extensively for a few months to start her work on the project.

Amitabh Bachchan: Legendary actor Amitabh Bachchan made his debut on the small screen years ago with his ace game show, Kaun Banega Crorepati. However, he surprised everyone with his announcement of acting in a TV series titled Yudh. Though it was a finite series, the audience loved to see Big B on the small screen. Featuring on the small screen in a daily soap was a challenge even for Big B. But he took it as an experiment with a different medium. Amitabh Bachchan's finite series was created by one of Bollywood's best directors, Anurag Kashyap. It failed to grab eyeballs, but it received critical acclaim.

Sonali Bendre: Sonali Bendre, who was seen judging TV reality shows, finally made her debut in daily soaps with Ekta Kapoor's Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye. The story is about a woman, played by Sonali Bendre (interestingly, her character is named after Ekta's mother Shobha in the show), who is in love with her husband and relies a lot on him. Sonali's character is receiving rave reviews and has appealed to the audience. With Ajeeb Daastaan Hai Ye, Sonali Bendre returned to TV after a gap of 10 years.

Seema Biswas: Seema Biswas, who is known for her power-packed performance in the movie Bandit Queen, will soon debut on the small screen with an upcoming show titled Mahakumbh which is produced by Arvind Babbal and will air on Life OK. Talking about the actress, lead actor Gautam Rode shared, "She is such a talented and fine actress that she is never satisfied with the shot she gives. Every time she gives a shot, she comes and sits in front of us and says that she has not done it better and will again go give the shot. Initially we thought that she is just pulling our leg because for us, she is such a superb actress. But no we were wrong, it's her and nothing else. She is someone who always has the willingness to give better." [sic]

Bhagyashree Patwardhan: Bhagyashree, remembered best for playing Suman in Sooraj Barjatiya's Maine Pyaar Kiya starring Salman Khan, made her daily soap debut with Laut Aao Trisha. After her small screen with dance reality show Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa, Bhagyashree returned to small screen with the show. She had kept herself away from the glamour world after marriage with an intention to give proper time to her family. Laut Aao Trisha, produced by Bhairavi Raichura and Nandita Mehra, is an Indian remake of an American thriller show titled Missing.

Padmini Kolhapure: Bollywood actress Padmini Kolhapure made her small-screen debut with Sony TV's Ek Nayyi Pehchaan. The show went off air after entertaining the audiences for almost 6 months. Padmini featured in the show as Sharda's (character played by Poonam Dhillon) best pal, Pallavi. Padmini's track brought good numbers to the show and the show was on for quite some time.