This story is from August 8, 2002

Glam gals steal the show at LIFW

Siddharth Srivastava / TNN / Aug 8, 2002, 20:00 IST

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NEW DELHI: Away from the hard business of design, the Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW) has seen the roll-out of the top supermodels of the country.

<div class="section1"><div class="Normal">NEW DELHI: There is a surfeit of them, perched just about everywhere, away from the hard business of design, the Lakme India Fashion Week (LIFW) has seen the roll-out of the top supermodels of the country â€” money has beckoned, so has the media glare, the exposure. To the hangers on at LIFW and perhaps many more, not clued into fashionese, pret, diffusion, couture et al, fashion is about glamour and the glam dolls, who are of course much more than just that. "It is the models that make an event a talked about affair, they provide all the pictures, the scandal, that sells with people," says designer Malani Ramani. One can never get the full of the beautiful bodies -- they stand out literally, not only on the ramp but everywhere at the venue Taj Palace, their abode for the week, where they choose to hang out between fashion shows. "The modelling talent this year matches the mix of the designers," said Fashion Design Council of India (FDCI) Executive Director, Vinod Kaul."Many are well-known names and for others itâ€™s a launching pad towards fame. However, both are equally professional and gifted." One bumps into them at the escalator; there are more than 70 on count, at every watering hole, the lobby, perfect bodies, creations of Gods, further honed by practise and discipline. They are super in every sense of the word -- tall, leggy and up on the latest, whether a bottom clevage, a clever tatoo or naval-pierce. Supermodels on show Fleur Xavier Fleur means ''flower'' in French. Among India''s top models, her first break, like so many others came at the Femina Miss India contest 1996. And, again as is usual, it was her mother who initially egged her on. Fleur made it to the final rounds of the contest, the ramp world took note of the new face. She pursued her BA in Economics from St Xavier''s College, Mumbai along with her nascent modelling career. Things really turned around for her in 1998 when she was picked for several assginments. Fleur has endorsed major brands like Maruti Zen, Thums Up, Bajaj Scooters, Tata Indica, Samsung, Cornetto and Britannia Zip Sip. "Being on the ramp gives me the ultimate high, it''s a great feeling. It''s like I''m there and nobody can touch me," she says. Nina Manuel Nina almost became a lawyer, when her mother sent off her photographs for the Femina Look of the Year contest, 1995. She didn''t win anything, but was spotted by model-turned-choreographer Mehr Jessia, and there was no looking back. Modelling contracts followed -- San Miguel, Lawman jeans, Bausch & Lomb, Levi''s, Coke, Indian Express and Kodak; music videos with Baba Sehgal, Remo and Anaida. She is the favourite of designers such as Suneet Varma, J J Vallaya, Raghvendra Rathod and Ravi Bajaj. "I never really had to struggle and I have never planned anything in my life, I just take each day as it comes," she says. Aditi Govitrikar She is an Ex Mrs World and Glad Rags supermodel, she''s acted in Soch. Model, wife, mother, actress and a doctor. These are just some of the hats that Aditi Govitrikar wears. And with aplomb. She never even dreamt of a ramp career, her calling was medicine, but winning the Gladrags contest changed everything. She has done a Coke commercial with Hrithik Roshan and campaigned for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (Peta). "Modelling happened because my then-boyfriend and now husband Muffy, insisted that I try my hand at it," she says. Yana Gupta Her cover of Man''s World, a high-profile lifestyle magazine, was the talk of town for sometime. She is international in every sense of the world having modelled in Milan, Vienna, Munich, Hamburg and Prague for clients like Calvin Klein and Victoria''s Secret. She has spent time in Japan, modelling for cosmetics (Shuemura, Shisheido, Nivea, Rexona) and for Toyota, Honda and Sony. It was following a spiritually rejuvenating trip to India that she met her to-be husband; she shifted base to India. Yana has appeared in a mermaid video for Biddu, in commercials for Limca and MTV and is a Lakme model. "I love the spiritual touch in India, there''s no need to take a holiday as a life in India itself seems like one," she says. Tupur Chatterjee Modelling happened as a matter of chance for her too. Tupur was still in college when offers started pouring in. She grabbed recognition with the top spot at the Navy Queen Competition. In her short career, Tupur has lent her face to products like Titan, Pond''s, Thums up, Daewoo, Airtel. Apart from commercials, she has walked the ramp with almost every top designer in India. "I''m a creative person and want to move into a related field to start a small business venture," she says. Jesse Randhawa She is one of the most popular Indian models on German ramp. Jesse is quite a regular at Dusseldorf -- she has been there many times -- both for Collectione Premier Dusseldorf (which is the largest pret show of the fashion business) and IGEDO. Her big day was in 1994, the year Sushmita Sen won, she was a finalist. Assignments followed, she moved from Jaipur to Delhi, then Mumbai. Apart from being a fitness freak, Jesse is a trained pilot and into martial arts. She has done a couple of ad-films, including one for Killer jeans apart from doing ramp shows for all the leading designers. "I want to open my own health and fitness centre," she says. Sheetal Mallar She created ripples in Indian modelling circuit when she beat Madhu Sapre to win Femina Look of the Year, and was placed among the 12 finalists in the Elite supermodel, the same year. She has been groomed by Elite the modeling agency into a model of international caliber. She has jetsetted around the world and has modelled for prestigious campaigns in India. A well chiselled face, a jaw line to kill, she has done campaigns for LG Electronics, Mcdowells, Gold Flake. "There was a lot of hard work involved because the people at Elite wanted everything to be perfect," she says. At LIFW One gets lucky at the LIFW, they are all there within a small perimeter, further the packed media centre is the only thoroughfare to the rest room from the ramp. Outside the rest room is one such spot, littered with TV cameras, over a few hours one can manage a word with most of them, preferably as they wait and are willing to oblige. Otherwise there''s always the hurry, on the way out. Words from the gorgeous Sheetal Mallar, she is harassed. "Please dont ask me about my favourite actor, it is Aamir, dont ask my favourite movie, it is Lagaan, dont ask my best book, it is Pride & Prejudice, my best friend, it is my dog, my inspiration, my mother," she rattles off. One thing being a supermodel, is that one does have the license to talk about literally anything under the world, the world in any case is prepared to watch. What would be her reaction to the petrol pumps being shut down?, is one such query. "When I was in Mumbai they seemed all right," she said. Being a model has its limitations, but it does not matter. Then there is Joey Matthews who says, "I am ambitious, if I was not a model, I would be something else, I dont know what, but I would certainly be successful," she says. Joey''s take on Indo-Pak: "Both the countries should talk and play cricket." Femina Miss India Neha Dhupia comes by: "Being a supermodel is a perfect balance of being beautiful internally and externally," she says. Dhupia on the current India-England series: "I dont follow cricket, but Yuvraj Singh is good," she says. The money they are making LIFW may not be generating too much of business for the designers, some have gone on record about the mis-management, but the models are making a kill. There is Mallar, the prima donna with, reportedly, a fee of over 30 grand per show with ten of the total 35 shows featuring her, a cool three lakhs for a week''s effort. That''s the tag for more of her ilk, Jesse Randhawa, Nina Manuel, Fleur Xavier, Vidisha Pavate, Aditi Govitrikar, Joey Matthews, Nethra Raghuraman. "This is 20-30 per cent less than what they usually charge because of the bulk work at the fashion week," says an official of FDCI, the platform through which LIFW is being organised. This is of course chicken feed, compared to what a Raveena Tandon or a Preity Zinta may charge for a split-second photo-op at a boutique opening in the Capital, where their rates can cross a couple of lakhs, excluding the best of accomodation, food & drinks. But then, we are talking about models here, Bollywood though is always an open option for them, with the likes of Juhi Chawla, Sushmita Sen, Aishwaria Rai as the favourites to emulate. TV is one more lucrative avenue with many including Neha Dhupia and Nina Manuel already successful TV hosts. Everyone of the models at the LIFW, are of course not raking in the moolah, there are some starting out their careers, keen on building bridges with the designers and the choreographers, they are priced even as low as five grand a show. But, then this is just the beginning. The making of a supermodel It''s not easy being one. The competition is stiff, then there are those who demand a price, in more ways than one. "The first thing you need to have is a good portfolio," says Ayesha Prem. "There''s a difference between ramp modelling and advertising. On the ramp you need height, striking looks but most important is your personality, which the audience reacts to. I think your personality shows for the attitude, it''s the over all impact that makes the difference." There is advise from Nina Manuel. "Modelling is very competitive," says Manuel. "I try to take it as a job. I would like to do the job and leave for home. There is no time for feeling lost. Make sure that you click a really nice portfolio and always be sure to have your head on your shoulders and never be ashamed of any work that you do because if you do feel unsure then it''s not for you. Never hide anything from your parents. Don''t drink and don''t smoke!" Sampada Inamdar had this to say: "Get good pictures of yours clicked, then meet the right people. If you are tall then meet choreographers for ramp shows." Fashion is business, but it is the models that bring the charm that has made the show at LIFW come alive. </div> </div>

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