Mumbai-based Reuters photographer Danish Siddiqui follows the fortunes of aspiring actor Ram Pratap Verma as he tries to get his big break in Bollywood
32-year-old Ram Pratap Verma rehearses his lines before an audition. Thousands of would-be film stars arrive in Mumbai every year, hoping to become the new Salman Khan or Kareena KapoorPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersA notice for an audition on a battered door outside a film studioPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersRam performs during an auditionPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersRam visits his former dance teacher in his studio in Mumbai. Song and dance routines are a fundamental part of Hindi language cinema, whether they are relevant to the plot, or notPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersRam tries to watch at least one film a week in the cinema. The Indian film industry celebrates its centenary this year, the first feature film entirely made in India was Raja Harishchandra, it premiered at the Olympia Theatre in what was then Bombay, on 21 April 1913Photograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersWhen not pursuing his acting career, Ram works at a tailors in Mumbai. He arrived in the city eight years ago from the small village where he grew upPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersRam shows his wallet containing pictures of film starsPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersRam shows his worn-out socks while sitting on the beach in MumbaiPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersRam poses in front of a mural depicting Bollywood legend Amitabh Bachchan in the 1975 film Deewaar. Bachchan, once dubbed a 'one-man industry' by French director François Truffaut, has starred in over 180 films in a career that has spanned four decadesPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersBollywood star Chitrashi Rawat (third right) runs along a beach during a chase scene for the film Black Home on the outskirts of Mumbai. Many Indian films are now filmed on location overseas with foreign governments offering incentives to Bollywood producers in a bid to attract Indian touristsPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersA man drums up business for a travelling cinema in Mumbai. The Indian film industry produces about 900 movies a year in various local languagesPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersRam practices martial arts moves on the beach. Action movies are a popular genre in Indian cinema and leading men often perform in spectacular fight scenesPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersRam practices gymnastics as joggers pass him on the beachPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/ReutersRam sleeps in a playground in a residential colony in Mumbai. Top earning Bollywood actor Shah Rukh Khan is estimated by Forbes India to have earned $38m (£24.7m) in 2012 while the World Bank estimates that 41.6% of India's population lives below $1.25 per dayPhotograph: Danish Siddiqui/Reuters
