When top Bollywood actors went unnoticed in commercials

For all those who believe that Dia Mirza made her big screen debut opposite R Madhavan in the hit 2000 flick ‘Rehena Hai Tere Dil Mein,’ you are in for a surprise. While the actress did make her film debut as a lead with ‘RHTDM,’ it was not her first time on the silver screen. A year before her debut, Dia featured in song of a Tamil film, ‘En Swasa Kaatre,’ as a background dancer. Oh yes! Though the film was a major flop at the box office, its music, especially the song featuring Dia, was an instant rage. Later, the song ‘Jumbalika,’ became its Hindi adaptation for the film, ‘Thakshak.’ Click here to watch the video.

Dia isn’t the only star to have gone unnoticed before making her Big Bollywood debut. There have been others too. Check out this list of celebs that went absolutely unnoticed during their first appearance...

Now a days, top models and actors are often seen endorsing products. However, this was not the case a few years ago. There were some ad films that featured actors, who were not well known at that time, but ruled Bollywood over the years. In the 80s and 90s, the actors in commercials were not considered vital, but the packaging stood as the vital element. Audience still remembers the old ads and the story around them, but somewhere they fail to recollect that those ads featured today's top ruling Bollywood personalities. Let's take a look..

Deepika Padukone: Did you know that the famous Close-Up commercial with the catchy line 'Kya aap Close-Up karte hain?' features Deepika Padukone? Yes! This piece of information will definitely take you to flashback. The girl dancing in the bathroom along with an animated Close-Up toothpaste is none other than Deepika. Though the commercial got famous overnight with its packaging, the girl featured in the ad also reached millions. But very few knew that she is the Om Shanti Om girl, Deepika Padukone. Dippy was seen flashing her million watts smile in this ad.

Preity Zinta: The line from the Cadbury Perk commercial, 'Thodi si pet puja, kabhi bhi kahin bhi' became very popular. A bubbly actress on the screen made audience crave for the chocolate. The actress was none other than Preity Zinta, who went unrecognised. Before doing movies like Kya Kehna! and Soldier, Preity had debuted on screen with this commercial. After her successful Bollywood career, Preity is now famous for being associated with Indian Premiere League.

Shah Rukh Khan: Did you know that Shah Rukh Khan had endorsed Cinthol soap, alongside his wife Gauri? People may remember a tired husband, who returns home after a long hectic day at work and gets rejuvenated immediately after a shower with the soap. The commercial featured Shah Rukh with wife, Gauri Khan. Apart from Cinthol, King Khan had also endorsed Hero Puch! bike which many aren't aware of. He later endorsed several brands, but these commercials will always be close to heart as these were the days when we didn't know the actor featuring in them is an upcoming superstar.

Salman Khan: The Bhai of Bollywood, Salman Khan, who is seen promoting Thums Up with the line 'Aaj kuch toofani karte hain', had once endorsed soft drink Limca. Interestingly, he featured in the ad in which he is not the lead character. In fact, there are several small stories in the ad that promote the soft drink, and Salman was a part of one of the stories, wherein he plays a footballer. Not many of us have seen this commercial from late 80s wherein the Dabangg actor appears. He did this ad before Maine Pyaar Kiya was released.

Katrina Kaif: Before she could rule Bollywood with her looks and talent, Katrina debuted on small screen years before her Bollywood debut. For the uninitiated, she was seen in Fevicol commercial in the year 2000. The ad was funny wherein a newly married man fantasizes about Katrina, who is sitting in front of him. However, he couldn't reach her due to a box of Fevicol kept beside him. This was the initial time of Kat’s career. Like all the other ads of this product, this one too has taken a unique and hilarious approach. Katrina looked as stunning as she looks today.

Rajkumar Hirani: ‘Jor lagake haisha!’ Yes! this was the tagline for Fevicol commercial which featured the man who gave Bollywood a few superhits of the millennium. He is none other than Rajkumar Hirani. The man behind fantastic movies like 3 Idiots, PK, Lage Raho Munnabhai and a few others, once starred in a commercial which also featured an elephant! Not so good experiences in the film industry forced him to shift to advertising, and Hirani gradually established himself as a director and producer of advertising films. He was seen in a Fevicol ad wherein some men and elephants are trying to pull and break a plank saying, “Jor lagake haisha.” He was also seen in the famous Kinetic Luna ad campaign.