They’re rich and famous – and live a life that’s envy of us, lower mortals. But not all Bollywood celebrities were born with a silver spoon – neither were they from a Bollywood family, nor were they well-off. Like the song ‘Started from the bottom, now we’re here’, let’s take a look at some celebrities, who tenaciously made their way into famedom. Read on for more...

Salman Khan

This is an ad that Salman Khan featured in before the release of ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’. Doesn’t he look adorable as the soccer star? He was just in the first part of the commercial. Can you imagine such a possibility now?

Shah Rukh Khan

I doubt if it was as much a treat to watch twin Shah Rukh Khan on screen then as it is now, but this Hero Puch ad did make me chuckle. Oversized clothes seem to be the norm then! You can’t stop yourself from laughing after watching this commercial done by King Khan. He did this ad in the early 90s when he was still in the initial phase of his career.

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

This commercial of Lakme features the most beautiful actress in the world. She did this ad in her modelling days much before winning the Miss World title. In those days, Aishwarya was just a very beautiful face doing a commercial for Lakme. Today, stakes are much higher.

Vidya Balan

This vintage ad features one of the most successful actresses in Bollywood today. Many would be thunderstruck to see Vidya Balan so slim and proper in this ad. This was something she did back in the 90s. You can imagine how long the girl had to struggle to have a stellar Kahaani to tell!

Katrina Kaif

It was one of the most famous commercials at that time. We saw Kat for the first time in this ad that appeared in 2000. And you thought it was Salman Khan who guided her to stardom. It was Fevicol’s jod which never let her lose touch with the filmdom.

Deepika Padukone

Who would have known at that time that one day she will rule Bollywood? Yes…we are talking about Deepika Padukone! Dippy Baby did this commercial when she was a model and was in her teens. Deepika was a gorgeous girl even in her teens. This Colgate ad goes to show why she rules Bollywood today.

Shahid Kapoor

Who can forget this iconic ad of Pepsi which we saw on our television screens just after the release of “Kuch Kuch Hota Hai”? Although the commercial had 3 stars, Shahid was successful in making us notice him as well. He always wanted to become an actor but imagine this! A nobody then, he is part of an ad with none other than Shah Rukh Khan, Kajol and Rani Mukherjee. Bas….sab kuch hogaya!

Rajkumar Hirani

I am sure you are little surprised to see his name on the list. Whatever he might say about always wanting to be a director, Hirani had a bit of an actor in him. The only non-actor in the list. This most sought after director in B-town did the commercial in his struggling days. This Fevicol ad is the living proof.