Nikita Anand, a new name in the glamour industry, is an Indian model based in Punjab. She was born in Jalandar , Punjab in the year 1983. Owing to the frequent transfers of his father who is a doctor in the Indian Army, she had to study in different schools- St. Mary’s, Pune; Bishop Cottons, Ranchi; Cathedral & John Cannon, Mumbai, NIFT, Delhi. At a tender age 13, Nikita was crowned Miss Ranchi. She is a perfect combination of traditionalism with modernity.
This 5’8 beauty believes that staying firmly to the roots is the real challenge. She has remained the host of the popular car race show on Zee Sports called ‘NASCAR’. She was a student of I.T at NIFT, where the walked the ramp for NIFT Shaw Wallace and Burlingtons. She was the runner up in the contest of May Queen Pageant in Northern India, which was won by Shonali Nagrani. Nikita has featured in the inaugural issue of ‘V.Rebel’.
She has done a course in the Trinity School of Speech and Dramas; the course has the duration of three years. This diehard fan of Shahrukh has been a ramp model and a fashion designer when she took part in the Miss India contest for 2003.
Nikita became the Femina Miss India-Universe in 2003 by taking over the title from Neha Dhupia. She represented India in the Miss Universe Pageant. She has also won the ‘Face Hunt Model’ title in Delhi, 20003. This trained singer has already starred in the film ‘’Dil Dosti etc.’, directed by Manish Tiwary.
Sonali Kulkarni is a very talented actress of the Indian film industry. This Maharastiran actress was born in 1974 to a Marathi speaking family in Pune. She has studied in Abhinav Vidyalaya in Pune and has done her majors in Political Science from the Fergusson College, she was even granted the scholarship in Marathi literature. Sonali can speak as many as six languages, which include Hindi, Marathi, English, Gujarati, Italian and Tamil.
From childhood, Sonali had a passion for acting and seldom had she performed during the Ganesh Mahotsav. She has attended the workshop of Satyadev Dubey and then formed her theater group named ‘Samanvay’ with her brother Sandeep.
Sonali made her debut with the Tamil movie ‘Cheluvi’ and has acted in more than thirty-two movies, which includes an Italian movie named ‘Fuoco Si Di Me’. For this film, Sonali Kulkarni fetched the award for the best actress in the Milan International Film Festival of 2006.
Sonali’s most prominent Bollywood movie has remained ‘Dil Chata Hai’ which was released in 2001. This directorial debut of Farhan Aktar also starred actors like Aamir Khan, Priety Zinta, Dimple Kapadia, Akshay Khanna and Saif Ali Khan with whom she was paired.
Sonali has also shared her screen space with talented actor like Sanjay Dutt in the Vidhu Vinod Copra directed ‘Mission Kashmir’ in 2000, where she played the doting wife of Sanjay Dutt. Other than acting, Sonali Kulkarni is an Editor of ‘Viva’, a ‘Loksatta’ supplement. She was recently seen taking part in a celebrity dance competition, which came on Sony TV.
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Pop stars and actresses, said supermodel Claudia Schiffer, ensured that the ‘supermodel culture ‘ ended in the west. With the known faces, read stars, ready to promote products, who wants just supermodels, she asked? The scene is not too different in India, which never saw any ‘supermodel culture’ after the initial crop of Madhu Sapre, Milind Soman, Mehr Rampal etc. However, there are other reasons at work here that ensure every wide-eyed youngster, showing promise as a model, bids the ramp goodbye.
Supermodels not wanted
There are many in the Indian design fraternity who feel the days of supermodels are over. As designer Ritu Kumar says, “The whole concept of a supermodel is archaic and has died out. In fact, when I began my career, there were just Madhu, Mehr and Nayanika who were modelling and we had to make do with them. Now we have double the amount of good models and all of them are different. While some can wear a saree elegantly, others can model a bikini with ease. And every now and then, you come across a striking face too.”
Former model Manpreet Brar Walia echoes this viewpoint, “The era of supermodels is over, both in India and the west. There are many who reach the top and then shift to other careers.”
Others feel that in India, if you want to be known as a supermodel, you first have to prove yourself on international ramps. As model-turned-actress Anupama Verma says, “It is important to get the stamp from abroad before you get the status of a supermodel in India. But who has the patience to first reach the top here, then start from scratch abroad all over again?”
Bollywood beckons
So the promising models take Option II: they head towards Bollywood. As Ritu adds, “There never was a dearth of promising faces. Deepika Padukone was good but she was also extremely beautiful and very Bollywood material. It was very clear that she really wanted to be in films. Ash and Sush were extremely international where both looks and ramp presence were concerned but they too tuned in to Bollywood.” Says former supermodel Milind Soman, “Abroad, there are over half a million models who are walking the ramp on a regular basis. Out of these, only five to six are supermodels. So, one can understand how difficult it is to be a supermodel and have a recall value. Obviously, people in the industry focus on other career options and use modelling as a stepping stone to that particular line.” Explains Pantaloons Femina Miss India Earth 2007 Pooja Chitgopekar, who is now working with the agency – Shoot Talent Management, “In India, there are too many options open to models. And they are also ready to take them. But to reach the supermodel status, one needs the recognition of the masses. One needs to excel in that field but most of the models shift their fields much before that.”
Money, money!
Of course, money plays a big part in models choosing Bollywood over modelling. Says model Indrani Dasgupta, “I am in it because I love walking the ramp . However, others leave this stream because the money is dramatically better in films.” Concurs designer Siddartha Tytler, “The models aren’t paid much. So, there are only a few models who have lasted while most have given in to the lure of cinema because of the pay factor.” The industry is unanimous: Money makes many models jump the ship. As choreographer Prateek Lamba says, “It is all about money. When you are a model, the money you are paid is peanuts compared to what you are paid as an actor. Ash and Sush, for example, could have easily made it as supermodels, but then, they wouldn’t get paid half of what they are earning now.”
Quality concerns
The present crop of top models opines that the quality standards are also going down in the industry. As model Michelle Innes says, “Today, five feet tall girls call themselves models and are strutting down the ramp in high heels. The standards of choosing new models have definitely dropped .” Model Dipannita Sharma concurs, “Quantity has taken over quality. It has become too easy to become a model. Also, very few of them stick to the profession for long enough to make a name. For them, it is just a stepping stone to bigger things.” Milind, however, blames it on the design fraternity. He says, “There is still a lack of good designers, photographers and choreographers in India. Why would good models stick to the profession when they will not find the right backing?”
Akshaye Khanna, the youngest son of yesteryear-veteran actor, Vinod Khanna is one of the most prominent actors of the Indian film industry. Often considered as an underrated actor of Bollywood, this son of Vinod Khanna started her career a decade earlier. Akshay Khanna was born on March 28 in the year 1975 in Mumbai, India. He made his debut in 1997, when he was 22 years. Akshaye’s first movie was ‘Himalay Putra’ which was directed by Pankaj Parashar and this was his first movie where he shared the screen space with his father Vinod Khanna. His elder brother, Rahul Khanna, is also a Bollywood actor. Though his first movie dint fare well at the box office, he went on to star in many critically acclaimed and commercially successful movies.
Akshaye’s next release was ‘Border’ which was directed by J.P. Dutta, and had other popular stars like Suneil Shetty, Jackie Shroff , Tabu, Sunny Deol,Khulbhusan Kharbandar, Rakhi and Pooja Bhatt with whom Akshay was paired. This was his first major hit and his performance was widely appreciated. This film earned him his first ‘Filmfare’ award in the best debut category. His other recognized films are : ‘Dil Cahta Hai’ which was directed by Farhan Aktar and had Aamir Khan, Saif Ali Khan, Preity Zinta and Dimple Kapadia, ‘Humraaz’ directed by Abaas-Mustan, where he played a villain, the recent ‘Gandhi, My Father’ which the critics praised. His performance in the movie is often considered to be the best till date. His 2008 release was the multi-starrer ‘Race’ where he has again played a negative role.
In regards to Indian fashion, the world certainly sits back and takes notice. Not only do they provide clothes of international standards and designs, the fashion industry has discovered many a face that’s walked global ramps over the years. Indian models can always be told apart from their European counterparts, but they certainly have made their mark. So what is the reason for such a high demand for Indian models, especially women folk? Honestly it’s not only their dusky skin that woos the world. The truth is Indian models may have an awkward stiffness about them at the beginning but once a little prodding and they could be the epitome of all that’s needed in an international model.
They are more full bodied as compared to many other nationalities without being on the overweight or bulgy category. Best of all, most leading ladies are well educated and speak well. They can hold their shoulders above the crowd and get an audience anytime they preferred. They gain ample knowledge that boosts their confidence through timely fashion shows all through the year, which leaves them very professional. Furthermore, they always carry a bit of back home with them, so mixing international modeling needs and fitting into Indian cultural settings proves to be affine mix for them and it always works to their advantage.
Varied styles and textiles add immense diversity to Indian fashion and hence India is considered the perfect spot for fabric shopping. Ancient Indian fashion garments generally used no stitching although Indians knew about sewing. The traditional Indian Dhoti, the Scarf or Uttariya, and the popular Turban are still visible India and continue to be part of Indian fashion. Likewise, for women, the Dhoti or the Sari as the lower garments, combined with a Stanapatta forms the basic ensemble, and once again consists of garments that do not have to be stitched, the stanapatta being simply fastened in a knot at the back. And the Dhoti or the Sari worn covering both legs at the same time or, in the alternative, with one end of it passed between the legs and tucked at the back in the fashion that is still prevalent in large area of India. Indian men and women wear these garments in the usually hot Indian climate. – dhoti when he speaks of ‘turbans used for trousers’, and a kaupina when he is speaking of ‘a rag of two fingers’ breadth bound over the loins.
Bhagalpur is an ancient Indian centre for the manufacture of a unique cotton/silk blend of the same name. The ancient Indian fashion did not really have garments that were sewed together! Indian sari remains the traditional clothing of Indian women. Worn in varied styles, it is a long piece of flat cotton, silk or other fabric woven in different textures with different patterns. The sari has a lasting charm since it is not cut or tailored for a particular size. This graceful feminine attire can also be worn in several ways and its manner of wearing as well as its color and texture are indicative of the status, age, occupation, region and religion of a woman.
