Indian modeling industry is very well established. Models like Aishwarya Rai, Lara Dutta and many others are working on international levels. Many young boys and girls, having a well educated middle class family background, are coming into this profession.
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Aishwarya Rai:
"I'm just average woman with average concerns." Aishwarya Rai
Obviously, this name will come first. I do not mean to make others look bad, but when I say that this blue eyed woman has changed westerner’s perception about Indian film and modeling industry, I think, you would very much agree with me. There are many people in Europe and America who do not know any actress or model from Bollywood, but they definitely know Aishwarya Rai. This supermodel turned actress has won the hearts of million in East and West. She started modeling at a very young age. |
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Lara Dutta:
Lara Dutta, the model-turned-actress, was born in Ghaziabad. Before becoming Miss Universe 2000, she was a leading fashion and print model. She has appeared in several ads and debuted in the super hit movie Andaz (2003). The suave, smart and sexy actress is high spirited and very adventurous by nature. This trained Bharatnatyam dancer loves to spend time by reading autobiographies. |
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Milind Soman:
There was this beautiful princess who was at the age of getting married. She had been shown many handsome princes but did not like any of them. At last, a sexy good looking young man from India came and won her heart. Readers, this was the story of “Made in India”, the popular music video of Alisha Chinoi, the “Indian Madonna”, and that “sexy good looking” guy was Milind Soman, the first Indian male supermodel. Still now, he is one of the most popular models of India. Milind never thought of becoming a model. He was an aspiring swimmer. |
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Sushmita Sen:
It happened in 1994 Miss India contest. Aishwarya Rai, one of the most popular models, participated in the competition and every one was expecting her to win; but turning upside down all the anticipations and expectations, a girl with long legs took away the title making Aishwarya the first runner up in 1994. The girl was Susmita Sen and that competition created a nation wide controversy. Like Lara Dutta, Sushmita’s father was also in Airforce. She studied in Hindi medium school and did not know English very well. By eighteen, she established herself as a successful model and she was the first Indian women to won Miss Universe contest. |
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John Abraham:
Many of you may know John Abraham as one of the heartthrobs of Bollywood but he started his career as a model. I first saw him in a music video of Pankaj Udhas’s song (Yun Mere Khat Ka). In that video, he was playing the role of a young man who first fell in love. Like Milind, John also did not have any thought of getting into modeling. This handsome guy, son of a Malayee Christian father and a Persian mother, was working as a media planner in an ad agency. After winning the second position in Gladrags Manhunt Contest in 1999, he did not have to look back. |
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Arjun Rampal:
After watching his second film “Dewanapan”, I thought, this guy would be the next "Salman Khan" of Bollywood. He studied in a boarding school and never bothered about his looks or face or looking good or smart. Arjun started modeling at the age of seventeen. At that time, he was studying in Hindu college. Rohit Bal, one of the most famous Indian fashion designers, saw him in a discotheque and offered him to work as a model. He worked as a model for six years and became very successful. In 1996, he decided to get into films. In 2002, he won the Award of the International Indian Film Academy for Face of the Year. |
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Katrina Kaif:
Born in July 1983, daughter of a Kashmiri father and English mother, Katrina Kaif started modeling at the age of fourteen. At that time, she was living in Hawaii. She did an ad campaign for a Jewelry company. While working as a model in London, she got offer from an Indian director. This is how, Katrina walked into the glamour world of Bollywood. The movie did not do very well but Katrina got many modeling offers. So far, she did ad campaigns for Fevicol, Lakme cosmetics and Veet. Her incredible physique added with her innocent looks charmed millions of Indians. She has one big problem; she does not speak Hindi very well. So her voice had to be dubbed by others. |
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Dino Morea:
This guy has two things in common with John Abraham. First, he participated in the 1999 Gladrags Manhunt Contest and won the competition. Second, like John, he is a mixed breed; Italian father and Indian mother. I first saw Dino in the ad of Live-In Jeans, and it is one of my all time favorite ads. He did music videos and ads and achieved success in both of them. However, his acting career had not been very successful. Still, he is one of the most good looking actors at present in Bollywood and a great model. |
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Celina Jaitely:
Born on the same day as Natalie Portman, Celina’s grey eyes, fair complexion and innocent face made her one of the most popular models of India. The secret behind such killing beauty is her mixed breed; Afghani mother and Punjabi father. Celina is well educated and had a flying career in a famous telecom company. There, she generated the highest monthly sales. She became Miss India in 2001. She also made to the finals of Miss Universe 2001. |
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Indian models have many opportunities to earn money. Along with regular television ads and ramp modeling, a successful model can also work in music videos, hindi serials, stage shows and last but not the least, movies. Among these models, you can see that many are trying to get into movies. Modeling has now become a great platform for Indian boys and girls from where they can launch themselves as actors or actresses. Not only in Bollywood, this trend is also found in Hollywood. So, if you want to become an actor, no problem, start with modeling, who knows? One fine day, you may be approached by some top film directors and producers of Bollywood.
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