Face off

quot;I took a year off.quot; And used up all her time fruitfully 8212; learning computers, promoting art and reading. quot;I really enjoyed the change.quot; So much so, that Lisa turned off her phone and even changed the number to ensure that no one could get in touch with her.

OK. Then why8217;s she back?

quot;I wanted to come back into the business, treat it professionally and give it all I have before I finally leave it.quot; Lisa has no problems admitting that there was time when she did not take her modelling career very seriously. quot;I was not convinced I wanted to be in the profession.quot;

And when does she see herself calling it a day?

quot;I do not know, but I want to leave sooner than later. I want to make a graceful exit.quot;

Even now, she does a lot more than just strike pretty poses. She8217;s still working seriously on her role as art promoter. quot;My living room is full of canvases forsale. And books 8212; I like to have everything I love around me.quot; And Lisa insists, she8217;d rather sit at home and read a book than party the night away.

Isn8217;t she some sort of writer as well?

Yes. She has written for several newspapers and says she loves doing that as well. But no, she8217;s not yet another celeb-turned-gossip-columnist. quot;In fact, I am always the last person to catch gossip even about myself. No-one would want to read what I write.quot;

So, what does she like to write?

Well, she plans to write fiction sometime in the future. quot;I do not know how good I8217;ll be, but I find the whole process of writing very satisfying.quot;

And what are her preferences vis-a-vis modelling?

Lisa likes her ads 8212; both print and film. But she isn8217;t too keen on walking the ramp, although she has the perfect figure for it.

Yes, you notice she8217;s lost a lot of weight. What8217;s the secret?

quot;Earlier, my weight used to fluctuate a lot. But of late I8217;ve managed to stabilise it thanks to this dietcalled The Zone8217;. I8217;ve had to give up white flour completely and cut down on carbohydrates.

And what8217;s she done to keep her skin glowing?

Well, when she is not at work, she does not wear any make-up. quot;Just Lakme8217;s black eye-liner.quot; That8217;s brand loyalty!

What about her hair? It was short and red once, now it8217;s black and down to her shoulder.

quot;I am growing my hair again because all hairstylists keep asking me to do it.quot; As for the change in colour, she8217;s had to dye her hair for an ad-film.

Okay, so she not into worrying too much about her appearance. But didn8217;t she get a nose job done some time ago?

Yes. quot;I have no problems admitting I did, and now I8217;m quite happy with it.

Anyway it was not major alteration 8212; most people cannot even tell I8217;ve had a nose job.quot;

What about her clothes? Where does she pick them up from?

She loves Tarun Tahiliani designs even though she does not own any of his creations yet. And she likes Wendell Rodericks8217; stuff. In fact she even woresome of his clothes for her Jalwa video.

That8217;s right, she was Daler Mehndi8217;s muse in his latest video, Jalwa.

quot;I love his songs and have all his tapes at home. Besides, he was extremely courteous to work with.quot; She loved it just as much as she enjoyed doing the Aafreen aafreen8216; video a couple of years ago. quot;Working with Ken Ghosh is great fun because he8217;s always upto practical jokes.quot;

So, she8217;s been there and done it all. And yet she8217;s still best remembered as the Gladrags cover girl.

Sort of. When Lisa first came here from Canada eight years ago, it was Maureen Wadia who promoted this half-Bengali, half-Polish beauty. quot;I started modelling while on vacation, all for a lark. And I had no idea that the swimsuit cover would create such a commotion.quot;

And she stayed on and on8230;

In fact, when Lisa went back to Canada after the first Gladrags cover, film producers kept calling her back. quot;So I decided to come back.quot; And yet, ironically, she has consciouslystayed out of Bollywood. quot;I am not cut out for that.quot;

But wasn8217;t she meant to act in Mukul Anand8217;s Dus?

quot;Yes, but it didn8217;t work out. I am only sorry I could not clarify the matter before Mukul passed away.

So, where does she see herself when she8217;s finally done with modelling?

quot;I don8217;t know, things just tend to happen.quot;