Superstars before they were ‘Super’!

They are now the superstars that most of the nation is crazy about, but long before they embarked on the journey to stardom, they all were normal individuals toiling it out for their share of the limelight. Once they hit the big screen, they have ruled it from the word go; be it Salman Khan, Deepika Padukone, Shahid Kapoor, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan or Vidya Balan et al. What made it easier for them and for their long-standing innings is the fact that these stars are superbly talented and have proved that they have the acting skills to make it big in the industry with their power-packed performances.

But do you remember when they first hit the limelight, albeit off the big screen? Do you know about their debut performances which weren’t their first on-screen offerings? Here we have compiled a list of ad films that these stars did, way back at the very beginning of their career much before their first movies.

Salman Khan
Who doesn’t know him? Voted the 7th Best-Looking Man in the world by People magazine, Salman’s looks continue to turn heads across the globe. Long before Maine Pyar Kiya or even before Biwi Ho to Aisi, Salman Khan was seen in a cold drink commercial.

Deepika Padukone
Deepika Padukone walked straight into the hearts of millions with her dual role in her debut Bollywood release, the blockbuster Om Shanti Om. Winner of many many awards, the daughter of famous badminton player Prakash Padukone, as a teenager she played badminton in national level championships, but left her career in sport to become a fashion model. Take a glimpse at her in this toothpaste ad.

Shahid Kapoor
At the height of the Kuch Kuch Hota Hai phase, this cool drink ad brought together superstars Rani Mukerji, Shah Rukh Khan and Kajol with a very young Shahid. But he actually started off as the adorable ‘Complan boy’ with Ayesha Takia, before venturing out into music videos with the ‘Aryans’ and then paved his way to stardom.

Ayesha Takia
Ayesha Takia also happened to feature in the same advertisement as Shahid Kapoor, as the ‘Complan girl’. Armed with an adorable smile and pigtails, Ayesha was the cutest kid on the block then.

Preity Zinta
She was noticed in this ad for her cute looks and bubbly attitude. And before long she was picked up for a dream debut opposite Shah Rukh Khan in Dil Se. Notice the sparkle in her eyes and her natural exuberance in this ad.

Rajkumar Hirani
Long long ago much before he became one of the finest and most successful directors of all time in the Indian film industry, Rajkumar Hirani was an ad-man and here we see him as the merchant  who is insisting that we buy the brand with the elephant logo.

Diana Penty
She made her memorable and much-appreciated acting debut in the commercially successful romantic comedy Cocktail alongside Saif Ali Khan and Deepika Padukone.  But she had actually begun modelling in 2005, walking the ramp for Italian designers Trussadi and Ferre. But much before that, she featured in a mobile phone ad, along with Genelia Deshmukh and Ranbir Kapoor.

Genelia Deshmukh
The cute and talented actress was just 15 years old when she bagged her first ad commercial after being spotted at a wedding, where she was dressed as a bridesmaid. She shared screen space with none other than veteran actor, Amitabh Bachchan in her debut ad for a pen brand.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
Much before she was crowned the most beautiful woman in the world, Aishwarya was better known as ‘that-beautiful-girl’ from the cool drink ad. Even though it features Aamir Khan, she stole the show hands down.

Vidya Balan
Vidya Balan is now known for her author-backed roles and power-packed performances. Everyone remembers her from the TV serial Hum Paanch but do you remember Vidya playing a South Indian wife in a idli batter ad?

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