Don't be fooled by that confident swagger, that charming easy smile and that intense expression. Television stars too have suffered the butterflies-in-the-stomach syndrome on the first day of their TV careers...

Red Indian ghost

"Terrible!" is how Manav Gohil, the scheming doctor on Sony's Ayushmaan describes his first day of shooting. "It was for a soap called Cats where I played a hospital ward boy. I had a few dialogues which went off well; though I felt I could have done better. Even today after five years I get butterflies in my stomach when I face the camera," he confesses.

"Simultaneously, with Cats, I had another ad film for a paint commercial. After the shot, my director asked me to redo a scene. It was almost dark and I was so exhausted that I didn't bother to see what my make up man was doing to my face. I just concentrated on giving my best, but guess my surprise when the entire unit split into laughter once it was okayed. I kept wondering what was so funny. When I saw the screen, my face was made up like those Red Indian guys with a red moustache and white beard and the camera angle was so low that I looked like a ghost. They made a bakra out of me. It was a hilarious moment after a stressful day," chuckles Manav.

Lifebuoy ka jadoo
"I was so nervous that I remember having sweaty palms," reminisces Gurdip Kohli, the stunning doctor of Star Plus' Sanjivani. "It was my first commercial for Lifebuoy soap around four years ago. I was to pose with the soap looking fresh, sparkling and had to show off my pearly smile. I was completely anxious and panicky. But when the commercial finally aired, I saw this beautiful girl and couldn't believe it was me. I was looking so different and gorgeous that my happiness knew no bounds. It was like Gurdip has arrived and people appreciated my performance. After all lifebuoy hai jahan tanduroosti hai vahan," she giggles.

'I felt like a king!!'

The Hatim stud was full of overconfidence on his first day of shoot. "I was completely reckless and not at all tense," laughs Rahil Azam. "I felt like a king and my then co-star MTV VJ Asif and other unit members were so jittery that I had to literally ask them to just chill. This was five years ago for a serial Karan Arjun, which unfortunately never saw the light of day."

"After the shot, I ran to see the shot, despite my awful makeup and was I ecstatic to see myself on screen!" he laughs. "I literally blurted, 'man, I am really good!'" Talk of confidence personified!

Scent of a woman

"The first time I faced the camera my heart was racing with excitement and apprehension," says the sexy Rakshanda Khan. Novice to the glamour industry and camera shy, she captivated the attention of millions with the perfume commercial. "It was a still photograph for a Dubai- based perfume manufacturer where I was to hold the bottle and flash my smile. Of course, there was no looking back after that!"