‘Young Amitabh’ Mayur Verma quit Bollywood to follow wife’s dream, now runs restaurants

Raj Mayur Verma, born to a renowned theatre figure, stepped into Bollywood as a child actor at the age of 11. He quickly gained fame playing the roles of a young Amitabh Bachchan in numerous films such as Muqaddar Ka Sikandar and Laawaris. Mayur's role as Abhimanyu in BR Chopra’s Mahabharat was initially offered to Govinda and Chunky Pandey.

Despite his success, at the peak of his career, Verma decided to walk away from the limelight and relocate to Wales for a quieter life. Mayur's journey began with his mother, who had envisioned him as an actor even before his birth. She often wrote roles for him even before he was born. His stage debut came at the age of five and he made his film debut in the 1978 blockbuster Muqaddar Ka Sikandar.

A turning point in Mayur's career was the film Red Rose, which broke him free from the typecast of being a young Amitabh Bachchan and earned him multiple awards.