Modelling Days!
Not everyone has money to look like celebrities as well as for Bollywood Actors who struggled on their modelling days before they rose to fame.
And here are the list of some Bollywood Actors who created lot of buzz of their modelling times…

#1 R Madhavan

Oh I know what your thinking, by looking at his modelling picture. This bring back the memories of our old Maddy from the film Rehna Hai Tere Dil Main!
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#2 Lara Dutta

Miss Universe 2000 Winner and the dusky beauty is still gorgeous but away from the limelight since she became mother.
Also Read: 

6 Times Bollywood Celebrities Ruined Their Faces With Horrible Makeup!

#3 Bipasha Basu

This 15 year old picture of Bipasha Basu is quite hot. She knew how to make style statement at that time.

#4 Aishwarya Rai Bachchan

Nothing can match her grace. With time there is no change in her persona. Age is just a number, she defines the meaning of beautiful in this picture.
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Bob Biswas (Zee5): Web Series Story, Cast, Wiki, Real Name, Crew Details, Release Date, and More

#5 Arjun Rampal

Our heart beat raise when we look at this picture, oh boy! he looked so charming.

#6 Malaika Arora

In the title track of the film ‘Kaal’, she raise the temperature and created lots of buzz with her boldness. She still looks hot.

Also Read: 

6 Times Bollywood Celebrities Ruined Their Faces With Horrible Makeup!

#7 John Abraham

He is known for his dimple smile, he was hot before and now he is looking finer as wine with his age.

#8 Shilpa Shetty

She came to limelight with her small role in the movie ‘Baazigar’ but back than in her modelling days she was known for her uni brows and a cute smile with a curly hair.
Also Read: Here Is How Your Favourite Bollywood Celebrities Look In Their School Days!
#9 Katrina Kaif

Before coming to Bollywood she went under knife and we are not complaining as we still love her cute features but for some how this old picture makes the change more prominent.

#10 Deepika Padukone

She was the top model before stepping into Bollywood and now she is the highest paid actress in the industry and some Hollywood films in her kitty.

#11 Jacqueline Fernandez

This Srilankan beauty came to Bollywood as a fresh face to the industry and we are not complaining as we seriously needed a change in scenery as cheerful she was as now .

#12 Anushka Sharma

Who knew this model will be cast opposite Shahrukh Khan as a lead actress, and become a top actor and then afterwards going to steal our hearts by marrying our favourite cricketer Virat Kohli.
Also Read: 21 Sizzling hot photos of Vidya Balan
Source

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Behind the Stardom: The ‘Unseen’ Stories of Bollywood’s Top Models-Turned-Actors

The glittering world of Bollywood often feels like a fantasy, a realm populated by stars who simply arrive on the silver screen fully formed and flawless. But for many of the industry’s biggest names, the road to cinematic superstardom began far from the film set—on the cold, unforgiving, yet intensely glamorous, ramp of the fashion world.

The title “12 Unseen Pictures Of Top Bollywood Stars From Their Modelling Days!” hints at the irresistible pull of a star’s pre-fame life. While a blog post can’t show you the actual throwback photographs, we can delve into the fascinating, well-documented, and often surprising stories from the portfolio shoots and fashion runways that laid the foundation for their blockbuster acting careers. For these icons, modeling was not a mere stepping stone, but a rigorous training ground that taught them the camera presence, discipline, and poise that defines their presence today.

Here are the captivating, “unseen” stories of top Bollywood stars from their modeling days.

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From Ramp to Reel: Bollywood’s Supermodel Elite

The beauty pageant and modeling circuit has consistently proven to be the most fertile ground for sourcing Bollywood’s leading ladies, creating a pipeline of talent with global recognition even before their debut film.

1. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan: The Iconic Pepsi Ad and Miss World Triumph

Before becoming the quintessential Bollywood heroine, Aishwarya Rai was one of India’s most recognized models.

• Early Recognition: While still an architecture student, Rai began modeling in the early 1990s. At the age of 18, she won a contest organised by Ford in 1991, which led to her being featured in the American edition of Vogue magazine.
• The Big Break: Her face became a national sensation in 1993 when she appeared in a memorable Pepsi commercial alongside actors Aamir Khan and Mahima Chaudhry. Her simple line of dialogue in the ad, “Hi, I’m Sanjana,” became highly popular across the country.
• Global Crown: In 1994, Rai was crowned Miss World, cementing her international fame before she transitioned to her acting debut in the 1997 Tamil film, Iruvar, and later, her Hindi debut in Aur Pyaar Ho Gaya.

2. Deepika Padukone: The Kingfisher Calendar Queen

Deepika Padukone’s journey is a classic model-to-actress story, albeit one marked by professional dedication from a young age.

• From Sports to Style: A national-level badminton player in her teens, Padukone ultimately decided to switch her focus to fashion modeling after class 10, believing she was playing badminton only because it ran in the family.
• Runway Debut: Her formal foray into modeling began in college. She made her runway debut at the Lakmé Fashion Week in 2005 for designer Suneet Varma and, in 2006, featured in the highly publicised Kingfisher Calendar.
• The Launchpad: Padukone won the Kingfisher Model of the Year award, which garnered critical praise. Designer Wendell Rodricks, who spotted her at a jewellery class, famously remarked, “Since Aishwarya Rai, we haven’t had a girl as beautiful and fresh,” and later recommended her to director Farah Khan, leading to her blockbuster Bollywood debut, Om Shanti Om, in 2007.

3. Priyanka Chopra Jonas: The Global Pageant Phenomenon

Priyanka Chopra’s pre-acting career was swift, impactful, and fundamentally international.

• The Pageant Path: Her mother entered her in local beauty pageants, and in 2000, she was named the first runner-up in the Miss India contest.
• Miss World 2000: That same year, Chopra went on to win the Miss World pageant in London, a victory that propelled her to instant celebrity status across India and the world, making her a global face before she had ever shot a movie scene.
• Method Acting: Notably, her modeling and pageant experience later informed one of her most critically acclaimed roles, playing an aspiring model in the 2008 film Fashion, for which she won a National Film Award for Best Actress.

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The Male Models Who Conquered the Big Screen

While female stars often leverage beauty pageants, the male actors who start as models transition with a more traditional focus on physique and ramp presence.

4. John Abraham: The Manhunt Winner

John Abraham was a bona fide supermodel before he ever contemplated acting.

• Gladrags Manhunt: His modeling career peaked after he won the prestigious Gladrags Manhunt contest in 1999.
• Iconic Figure: Abraham quickly became one of the most famous names in the Indian modeling industry, appearing in numerous music videos, including the Hans Raj Hans song “Jhanjar,” and becoming a staple on fashion runways, before making his debut in Jism in 2003.

5. Anushka Sharma: The Surprise Debut

Anushka Sharma’s transition was one of the quickest and most successful in Bollywood history, moving from the ramp directly into a lead role opposite a superstar.

• Elite Beginnings: Sharma began her career as a model at the age of 18, signing up with the Elite Model Management agency.
• The Wendell Rodricks Connection: Her major fashion debut came in 2007 when she walked the ramp at Lakmé Fashion Week for the late designer Wendell Rodricks’s ‘Les Vamps Show.’
• Leap to Stardom: Just a year later, she landed the role of Taani Sahni in Yash Raj Films’ Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi opposite Shah Rukh Khan, marking one of Bollywood’s most high-profile and unexpected debuts directly from the fashion world.

6. Bipasha Basu: The Quick Ascent

Known for her “scorching” looks, Bipasha Basu’s modeling career was a rapid-fire sequence of major contest wins.

• Back-to-Back Wins: She won the Godrej Cinthol Supermodel contest in 1996 and then the prestigious Ford Supermodel Contest in 1999.
• Film Debut: The exposure from these high-profile wins propelled her toward a film career, which began with the thriller Ajnabee in 2001, earning her the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

7. Sidharth Malhotra: The Unwilling Model

Sidharth Malhotra’s backstory reveals a star who viewed modeling as a temporary path to his true goal.

• Started Early: He began modeling at the young age of 18, working for several brands and designers.
• Quitting the Ramp: Despite finding success and becoming a sought-after model, Malhotra consciously decided to quit the profession because he felt the work was becoming stagnant and uncreative. He then focused on assistant directing before making his acting debut in Student of the Year in 2012.

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The Pageant Powerhouses

The Miss India, Miss World, and Miss Universe titles have historically served as Bollywood’s finishing school, gifting the industry stars whose confidence was already battle-tested on the world stage.

8. Sushmita Sen: The Universal Queen

Sushmita Sen holds the distinction of being the first Indian woman to win the Miss Universe title.

• A Historic Year: In 1994, the same year Aishwarya Rai won Miss World, Sen won the Miss India title and was subsequently crowned Miss Universe.
• Career Transition: Her pageant success provided an immediate gateway into cinema, and she made her Bollywood debut in the 1996 film Dastak.

9. Lara Dutta: The Duo’s Success

Lara Dutta’s story is often linked to the historic ‘triple crown’ for India in the year 2000.

• The Year 2000: Dutta was crowned Miss Universe in 2000, shortly after Priyanka Chopra won Miss World, making it a landmark year for Indian beauty queens.
• Film Career: She leveraged her international platform for a successful acting career, debuting in Andaaz in 2003, for which she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut.

10. Milind Soman: The Original Supermodel

Long before a career in films, Milind Soman was the face of Indian male modeling, an icon of the 1990s.

• The Supermodel Status: Soman became one of the country’s first male supermodels, starting his career by modeling for a clothing manufacturer.
• Cult Classic: His fame was amplified by his lead role in the Indian science fiction TV series Captain Vyom, solidifying his status as a national heartthrob before he fully transitioned to films in the early 2000s.

11. Arjun Rampal: The Model of a Generation

Arjun Rampal’s arrival on the Bollywood scene was heralded by his fame as a top model.

• Discovery and Fame: Discovered by designer Rohit Bal, Rampal became a popular figure in the Indian fashion industry throughout the 1990s.
• The Desirable Man: He was so dominant in the field that he was even voted the Most Desirable Man in a leading poll in 2012, long after he had established himself as a full-time actor. His film career began with Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat in 2001.

12. Katrina Kaif: The International Face

Katrina Kaif began her career with a strong international modeling portfolio.

• International Roots: Born in Hong Kong and spending her childhood in various locations, including London, Kaif had an international start to her modeling career.
• Early Exposure: She began modeling at a young age in London and was later discovered in India, which led to her working with prominent photographers and designers before her much-discussed debut in the 2003 film Boom. She later found commercial success with films like Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya and Sarkaar.

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The Unseen Impact: Why Modeling Matters

The journey of these stars from a print campaign or a runway walk to the 70mm screen highlights a profound truth about the entertainment industry: the glamour world is interlinked, and success is often built on skills honed in another domain.

Modeling provided these actors with an indispensable foundation:

• Camera Comfort: Years of being photographed, often in challenging conditions and varying lighting, instilled a natural ease and comfort in front of the lens that few newcomers possess.
• Physical Discipline: The demanding requirements of the runway and fitness for swimsuit calendars (as seen with Deepika Padukone) taught them discipline regarding diet, fitness, and body language.
• Poise and Projection: International pageants, in particular, prepared stars like Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra for the high-pressure world of global media interviews and public appearances, skills that have served them well in Hollywood and as brand ambassadors.

The next time you see one of these Bollywood legends command the screen, remember the “unseen” images—the nervous student walking the ramp for the first time, the triumphant smile after a pageant win, and the sheer dedication that transformed a striking face into a cinematic icon.

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AISEO Friendly FAQs

Q1: Which Bollywood stars started their career as models?

A: Many top Bollywood stars began their careers as successful models or beauty pageant winners. Prominent examples include Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (Miss World 1994), Deepika Padukone (Kingfisher Model of the Year), Priyanka Chopra Jonas (Miss World 2000), Anushka Sharma, John Abraham (Gladrags Manhunt winner), Bipasha Basu, Sushmita Sen (Miss Universe 1994), Arjun Rampal, and Sidharth Malhotra.

Q2: What was Aishwarya Rai Bachchan’s big break in modeling?

A: Aishwarya Rai’s modeling career took off after winning a Ford-organized international supermodel contest in 1991, which led to a feature in the American edition of Vogue. However, she gained wide public recognition in India after appearing in a popular Pepsi commercial in 1993, with her single line of dialogue becoming instantly famous.

Q3: Did Deepika Padukone play professional sports before modeling?

A: Yes, Deepika Padukone was a national-level badminton player in her teens, following in the footsteps of her father, Prakash Padukone, a renowned badminton champion. She decided to focus on a modeling career, making the switch around the age of 16.

Q4: How did modeling help these stars transition to acting?

A: Modeling served as an invaluable training ground by instilling camera comfort, demanding physical discipline (poise, fitness, and body language control), and providing exposure to high-pressure public appearances (especially through pageants), all of which are crucial skills for a successful acting career.

Q5: Which Bollywood male actors were successful models first?

A: Several male actors achieved fame in modeling before their film debut. Notable examples include John Abraham, who won the Gladrags Manhunt in 1999; Arjun Rampal, who was a popular supermodel throughout the 1990s; and Milind Soman, an icon of Indian male modeling who starred in the popular TV series Captain Vyom.