1
India's first male supermodel, Milind Soman, shot to notice with singer Alisha Chinai's music video 'Made in India' as the perfect Indian male specimen. Since then, he has acted in short films and popular television shows like A Mouthful of Sky (1995), Sea Hawks (1997) and Captain Vyom (1998), before making his film debut with Tarkieb (2000) opposite Tabu. Later film roles include Rules: Pyaar Ka Superhit Formula (2003), Bheja Fry (2007) and David (2013). He will be seen next in Bajirao Mastani (2015).
2
Like Milind Soman, Arjun Rampal started out modelling and appearing in popular music videos of the 1990s such as Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan's Kinna Sonna. He debuted as a lead actor with Rajiv Rai's Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat (2001) co-starring Kirti Reddy, Sunil Shetty and Aftab Shivdasani. Rampal has gone from strength to strength since then, appearing in all kinds of genres as the villain in Om Shanti Om (2007) and Ra.One (2011), the ruthless politician in Raajneeti (2010), the tough cop in D-Day (2013) to the former musician in Rock On!! (2008) for which he won the National Award for Best Supporting Actor.
3
John Abraham made his Hindi film debut opposite ex-girlfriend and fellow model, Bipasha Basu, in Jism (2003). Abraham made his mark with roles in Dhoom (2004), Kabul Express (2006) and Force (2011) and has neatly transitioned into his second role as producer on the National Award-winning Vicky Donor (2012) and Madras Cafe (2013), both directed by Shoojit Sircar. He has a busy 2016 with four films lined up for release – Wazir, Rocky Handsome, Dhishoom and Force 2.
4
Another former flame of Bipasha Basu, Dino Morea shifted from modelling to Hindi films opposite Rinke Khanna (daughter of Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia) with Raj Kaushal's Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999). The film was a flop, notable only for its soundtrack composed by newcomers Vishal-Shekhar. His only other successes at the box office were with Basu in the lead with Gunaah (2002) and Raaz (2002). Morea's last significant role was in Yash Raj Films' Pyaar Impossible! (2010).
5
Before being cast in Mira Nair's global hit, Monsoon Wedding (2001), Randeep Hooda modelled and acted onstage with Naseeruddin Shah's theatre company, Motley. He was acting in Manto Ismat Hazir Hai when Ram Gopal Varma cast him in the sequel to Company (2002), D (2005). His notable roles include Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai (2010), Saheb, Biwi Aur Gangster (2011) and Highway (2014). Apart from his acting duties, the actor is a keen equestrian and has launched a polo and equestrian club in Haryana, his home state.
6
The elder son of veteran actor, Vinod Khanna, Rahul Khanna began his career as a VJ for MTV Asia in the 1990s. Khanna has been acting in Hollywood and Hindi films simultaneously beginning with Deepa Mehta's 1947 Earth co-starring Aamir Khan and Nandita Das. He won the Filmfare Award for Best Male Debut for his role as Hassan. Apart from parts in Imtiaz Ali's Love Aaj Kal (2009) and Ayaan Mukherjee's Wake Up Sid (2009), Khanna has a recurring role on FX's critically acclaimed television series, The Americans, as an ISI officer, Yousaf.
7
Former model Priyanshu Chattejee's first role in a film led him to overnight success. Tum Bin (2001), co-starring Sandali Sinha, Raqesh Vashisth and Himanshu, was a sleeper hit with a best-selling soundtrack. While he never attained the same level of success as his first film, Chatterjee divides his time between Bengali and Hindi cinema with roles in Pinjar (2003), Bhootnath (2008), Iti Mrinalini (2011) and Shunyo Awnko (2012).