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Journalism of Courage
In the original version of the fairy tale, Cinderella sat at home while her sisters went to the ball. The modern version would read something like this: All the sisters went out, partied hard and fought over the same slice of pie. Sibling rivalry is no longer a dirty word. Instead, this competitiveness is viewed positively 8212; as a stepping stone for the whole family to ascend new heights. Look at what8217;s happening in the world of glamour. All of a sudden, model8217;s siblings are flocking to the same profession in the hope that the family name will take them places.
Malaika Arora8217;s younger sister, Amrita, has followed in her footsteps to become a MTV veejay. Meghna Reddy8217;s elder sister, Sushma, has also thrown in her cap to become a model. And, model-turned-actor Arjun Ramphal8217;s sister, Komal, is the latest entrant into the beauty business. An impressive line-up with perfect credentials. but is the industry waiting with open arms to welcome these siblings-in-waiting?
The starstruck sisters disagree. Says Amrita, quot;If I was only Malaika8217;s sister I would not have my own successful show on MTV for a year. I have a my own fan following that is not linked to her.quot; In fact, they complain that they have had to work harder to come out of their sibling8217;s shadow. Says Sushma, quot;I am always compared to Meghna. She is considered the glamourous one and I am seen as the girl-next-door.quot; This means that she has to work harder at experimenting with her look. Which is why Sushma can be seen as the mother of two in a Johnson8217;s soap ad and as a water baby cavorting in a white swimsuit for a Close-upad.
But when it comes to this family affair, Komal Ramphal is by far the most close-mouthed. quot;My agency and brother do not feel I should talk on this matter,quot; she says. According to the grapevine, Komal is finding work hard to come by. A comparison with her hunky elder brother is not helping.
But to say that having a sibling in the industry is all bad would be wrong. Having a well-known face making the introductions can give a career that much-needed jumpstart. Says Sushma, quot;There is a measure of recognition and you know just who to meet.quot; And she admits that because of Meghna, she decided to become a model. It also means that campaigns stay in the family. quot;If we both test for a campaign we hope that at least one of us will get the job. If they cannot afford Meghna, they may opt for me,quot; adds Sushma.
And in the cut-throat world of modelling, the sisters also keep a protective eye out for each other. quot;We protect and promote each other,quot; says Sushma. But this can have negative repercussions. If onesister is disliked by a model or choreographer, then the other sister is automatically put on the hate list. Also when both Sushma and Amrita started out, having a successful sister gave others a reason to put them down. quot;During the MTV hunt, tongues were wagging that I won because I was Malaika8217;s sister ,quot; says Amrita.
The other problem is that industrywallas expect these newcomers to be as good as their sibling. quot;People expect me to be as good as Meghna. They forget that she had a headstart,quot; says Sushma. The modelling world also makes no bones about the fact that faces are inter-changeable. Often, after a shoot someone will come up to Sushma and say: quot;Didn8217;t Meghna look great?quot; Amrita has a similar tale. Says she, quot;I would be introduced as Malaika8217;s younger sister 8212; as if I had no name.quot; Today, she has her own identity but it will always be linked to a sibling who was there before her. Stepping out of the shadow is not easy.
