BEING SAIRA

Supermodel Saira Mohan, billed8220;the perfect face8221; by Newsweek, makes her Bollywood debut this monsoon in Karan Johar8217;s new multistarrer.

Written by Renumehta

Toronto | April 22, 2006 12:00 AM IST

4 min read

India8217;s waltz to the high table of globalisation has a pretty face. And it8217;s been looking at you from the covers of Elle, Vogue, Cosmopolitan, Esquire and FHM. In November 2003, supermodel Saira Mohan was named8220;The PerfectFace8221;byNewsweek. Andshe issmellingofBollywood thisyear, asshepreparesfor adebutinthe landthatgaveher a part of her exotic lineage.

Thismonsoon, Sairamakesheracting debutinboxoffice midas Karan Johar8217;s new tearjerker Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna, starring Amitabh Bachchan, Shah Rukh Khan, Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee and Abhishek Bachchan. Saira can8217;t be complaining, and she is not. 8220;I am trying new things, expanding my horizons, and broadening my base of experience beyond what I8217;ve known. In some ways, it feels like starting over. Every time I have taken things in a new direction, I havefeltthisway. Mylife hasneverbeenmore full of warmth and happiness.8221;

The Montreal-born beauty of Indian and French-Irish-Canadian parentage told eye that she has been bouncing back and forth across the globe a tad too much, and is enjoy-ing domestic bliss after winter sojourns that had India high on the agenda, including shooting schedules. 8220;Right now, my focus is my family,8221; she says. 8220;After the hectic sched-ule8212; I flew to India three times in six weeks8212;I plan to be with my son, Romen Alexandre Ramkumar Cooper, work stateside, and be a supportive wife. Perhaps cook a few new Indian dishes that I8217;ve discovered along my travels!8221; As a 13-year-old, Saira won Elite8217;s Look-of-the-Year con-test, andhasnot lookedbacksince.She hasappearedonthe covers of the world8217;s top magazines, and starred in ads for a range of glamour brands including Chanel, Calvin Klein, L8217;Oreal and Victoria8217;s Secret.

As if all that name-dropping was not enough, Newsweek decided that she represented a new global standard of beauty. Later, she became a symbol of economic globalisation when she chaired a session in New Delhi with government officials and industrialists on the role of women in the 21st century. Standing just over 5 feet 10 inches, the 25-year-old Saira, who grew up in Calgary amidst the picturesque Canadian Rockies, is nowsettled in NewYork and married to financial executiveChristopherCooper. Butbe itcookingnewdishes, naming her son or taking up a Bollywood role, she does not failto recogniseherIndianroots. 8220;Ienjoybringingattention toimportant relevant issues, especially when it comes to In-dia and the NRI community.8221; Perhaps her charm8212;or strategy8212;lies in playing down her beauty.

8220;I couldn8217;t imagine basing my success on the way I look. I always say that a pretty girl is advised to break her mirror early in life,8221; says Saira. As if to prove her point, she has dabbled in academics and studied films and sociology. On her website, shemusesphilosophical. 8220;Whydoesthetruth fool us so well?8221; she asks. And 8220;Does a rich person have more or need less?8221; 8220;I love to paint8212;oil on canvas8212;with my nude body as the brush. I prefer to read books about things that are true. I can sometimes playpiano8212;butnotverywell atall.

WhenI haveacamerain hand 8211; I will always take pictures.8221; And she has pounded the keyboard to write an e-book named How to Seduce and Marrythe WomanofMyDreams. And she is never going to stop dreaming. 8220;I have always had goals and ambitions in life and once they are reached, I set new ones,8221; she says.8220;I will continue to dream as long as I8217;mbreathing.8221; The face, obviously, is an asset in such dreams.

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