This model’s life

Rajneish Duggal has made his peace with having to struggle once again in life. He’d been planning a switch to acting for some time,but the thought of the impending change,and having to start from scratch was a scary one. “Luckily,my friend and fellow model Muzammil Ibrahim too had decided to make the switch. So we were both there to egg each other on,” says Duggal. Given that Duggal’s only movie project so far has been the 2008 film,1920,he hasn’t quite had the success he hoped for. But he shrugs it off,saying,“I always knew I would have to lay a lot of groundwork. In modelling,I was already at the top; there was nowhere else to go but to the bottom rung of a new profession.”

Aside from the short shelf life,it’s well known that models are under a great deal of stress and pressure to look like products worth the display. Effort is,however,handsomely rewarded. Top models stand to earn in tens of thousands for a single ramp show,not to mention the fame and adulation all around them. The glamour,once it gets to you,becomes,Duggal confesses,“a drug”. “You do feel a lot of fear and doubt when you decide to quit modeling,” admits former model Achla Sachdev,“but you have to know that it can’t last forever. You can either get desperate or quit while you’re ahead.” Sachdev herself left modeling for fashion choreography in 1999,but for at least three years before that she had been preparing herself for the big move.

“I love that people give me attention when I’m up there,” says Jesse Randhawa,“I’ve been modeling for around 13-14 years,but I would love to keep going for a few more years. People love to see me walk,so why should I stop?” Noyonika Chatterjee,who has been modeling for 21 years,has similar views. She’s been choreographing shows on and off,but continues to walk the ramp because she enjoys it. “If you’re really focused on being the best,then ‘shelf life’ no longer matters,” she says.

Even marriage and children don’t deter models from doing what they love. Waluscha Robinson,who has been married to former model-turned-choreographer Marc Robinson for eight years,continues to get a lot of modelling work. However,the mother-of-three admits that it’s not easy. “You should decide between your family and your career. You can be a good spouse and parent,or you can be a top model. It’s not easy to juggle both worlds.”

But these are the stories of a lucky few. Many models have to continue with the indignity of lobbying for jobs. Networking and partying come with the territory. “It’s important because then people get to know you and you get more jobs,” explains Chatterjee. She herself no longer feels the need to party. “It’s really more important only for the younger models,” she says. That,however,is not necessarily true of older models,who have to go back to struggling in a field where they were once considered among the best. Randhawa says matter-of-factly,“Of course,there will always be a few who can’t tell when the tide has turned.”

Model Sheetal Mallar strikes a cautionary note. “Many young people think this is the road to riches and freedom. It’s a profession that looks very glamorous on the outside but it is tough to get a break,” she says. “It’s not just hard work that this industry requires. You have to be in the right place at the right time and sometimes you might have to slog for about 10 years before you strike gold.”
It’s lucky then that the newer lot of models has prepared for this eventuality. There are the clear-eyed among the starry-eyed. Sanea Shaikh,for instance,has been in the profession for only a few years,but already has a back-up plan. “Once I’m through with modeling,I might set up shop as a nutritionist,or venture into photography or travelling,” says Shaikh. “I know models have a short shelf life. If you’ve reached the end of a particular road,it’s foolish to cling to it.”