He introduces himself as a basic guy with a looks of the boy next door. However most girls, I’m pretty sure, would beg to differ. Tall, handsome with beautiful eyes he entered the modeling world three years ago after winning the Hayward’s Mr. India World 2007. He is an official model for the Lakme India Fashion week and has done shows for almost every designer in India.

Freddy Daruwala has done some commendable ads in his career viz; Nivea and Reliance. A biking freak, he has a large collection of toy bikes along with some vintage cruisers and a fan of rock music, he was part of a band and still plays the drums in his free time. Freddy confesses his shoe fetish and that he has innumerable shoes, each one of them unique.

I come from Surat and have done my schooling from Surat itself. After school I did electronics engineering and then moved forward pursuing Mba. It was during my last year of Mba it struck me to take up with modeling.

Well, as I had academically been very sound and had a pretty steady future already planned out my parents thought that I was throwing it all away to pursue a farce. But eventually they came around as I stood by my decision to follow modeling. They have given me room to grow and evolve, now that they see me doing and standing on my feet, taking care of my family and all my affairs myself, they are really happy for me.

My first assignment was for a clothing store in Surat called Jade Blue. Also along with that I had done a show for NIFT in Surat.

Well my greatest achievement was winning the Hayward’s Mr. India World 2007. Also I would say it is the recognition I get when I go out and the way people talk about me and recognize me through my work, is what is very motivating.

I have had my fair share of dates. It is not just the place where we are going or the food, or wine or anything. More than anything else it is the conversation that makes up an ideal date, because I have been to dates with an awesome ambience, great food but lack of a good conversation was a spoiler.

Another hobby of mine is playing the drums. I use to be part of a band and am still following that hobby. 

Five essentials for a model to climb the ladder of success…
. Patient
.  Good communication skills
. Awareness
. Different looking not good
. At least 6 feet tall.

The most touching moment of my life was when I held my newly born niece in my hand. She is my elder sister’s daughter and that moment just invoked so much emotion in my life.

Quick snippets:

FAVORITE FOOD:  Dhansak, it is a very delicious Parsi dish and Biryani.

FAVORITE DESIGNER:  Well I love all of them.

FAVORITE PERFUME:  DKNY Be Delicious

YOUR GREATEST FEAR: Is to becoming an old man.

Let us introduce you to the traveler. He is the guy who will pack his bag and head out whenever life gets a little boring or days are a little free.  He is a believer of Shiva and essentially a spiritual person. Robbie says it is in him to love and be loved.

His career has seen some outstanding and glamorous moments with Valentino and Burberry in London. Also he has established himself both in India and in Singapore.

These days he is directing his energies towards improving his acting skills as he skims through two-three movies a day, observing and learning. He is working on his diction and expressions and setting his mind up on taking up acting later.

I come from a small town in Haryana called Riwari. My family is still residing there. All my schooling was from Riwari itself. I have two elder brothers and one sister, all happily married and settled. I started my college with Delhi University and then moved on to travel and tourism.

Well, I was very confused as to what to follow as a career. I had started in DU but then went and did a diploma in Travel and Tourism and started working. First earning money felt good but it wasn’t satisfactory. It was around that time that I met a photographer who advised me to go to Bombay. On hearing, that I wished to go, my parents were pretty amazed and disgruntled at my naivety that I would think that knowing no one in such a big city of Mumbai, and obviously they disagreed. However I had made up my mind to leave the city.

So it was then that I had to flee to Mumbai with some borrowed cash to make my name.

My first assignment was with BTL mobiles almost four years back for their ad campaign.

However there is another incident very dear to me. It was during the time of Om Shanti Om, when some big models did a fashion show for the movie’s promotion. When it came out in the newspapers, my name was prominently portrayed. That was very motivating for my moral.

 My ideal date is definitely going to be with Drew Barrymore. I am also a little partial towards, Cameron Diaz but it will still be with Drew Barrymore on an island somewhere in Thailand or Bali.

I am a traveler. Whenever I have free time I pack my bags and head out, sometimes to the mountains, sometimes down south. Also I’m a believer of Shiva. So I like visiting religious places as well.

Another new and addictive hobby of mine is Facebook. It is very interesting to meet new people. I spend a lot of time chatting on Facebook. 

 I’ll say that I don’t judge a good model with fairer skin. I think both Indian and Western models are on an equal platform. However there are one or two traits that can be learned from western models. They are more professional and systematic in work.

The most touching moment of your life… 

I am very close to my family. There was this one time when I went home because my mother had a surgery scheduled. That was a scary moment for my mother, at that point of time I was there to support and give her the courage and it was indeed very touching for me. I am very protective and caring for my parents.

FAVORITE FOOD:  Yellow dal and rice

FAVORITE DESIGNER:  Rohit Bal

FAVORITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION: My all time favorite is Rishikesh. It is the place I go to think over, make my decisions and sort things out.

FAVOURITE MUSIC:  It usually depends on my mood. Sometimes hip hop or RnB but I am a great fan of Bob Marley.

YOUR GREATEST FEAR: There is nothing I can think of.

This shimmering beauty needs no introduction. Winner of the 2006 Miss India Universe she has ruled the ramp for more than seven years.

A Buddhist by religion, she believes in chanting and karma. She is an easy going person, non fussy and will give honest answers to all the questions you ask her. We caught up with her on her way to the airport from where she was about to take off to Los Angeles for a well deserved break after two busy months. 

Talking to her one seems to fall in love with life, listening to her passion about all things big and small. Down to earth and extremely humble she is a complete delight. However all the hopeful guys looking out for this lovely lady, please reign in your hearts coz she is seeing someone these days!!

I come from New Delhi. My parents are still in Delhi. I have an elder brother who is a Colonel in the Indian Army and another in the US. All my schooling is from Delhi itself. I did my bachelor degree from Pearl Academy in fashion design.

My parents are one of the strongest pillars in my life. They were very supportive of me from the beginning. They never asked me questions about why I’m doing this or how I’m doing this. They always inspired me to leave no stone unturned and achieve all my dreams. They were my support system through all of it and they still are.

My first assignment was with Ritu Kumar for her campaign shoot. I was working with Elite that time.

I have come to realize that my greatest achievement is when I see parents come up to me take advice and tell me that they want their daughters to emulate what I have done in my career. They want their daughters to follow what I did and not succumb to pressure. They want me to talk to them and guide them towards a better future with dignity and pride.

I would love it if my guy would sing to me. A good looking guy, who sings would make my day anytime.

I love to paint and another inseparable love of mine is for knitting. I love to knit in my free time. I have so many hobbies I can promise you I can never get bored.

 I’ll say that Indian fashion has just appeared on the world map. Personally I think that Indian models are one of the best looking in the world. Usually Indian girls mature late and at the age of twenty something they come on the ramp and that’s the time they look good. Western models come of age early. Fourteen fifteen year old girls look like they are in their twenties. Western models start very young as compared to Indian models.

The most touching moment of your life… 

 I’ll say that the most touching moment of my life was when I won the Miss India crown and I saw my parents in the crowd with tears in their eyes rejoicing my victory as they watched me. 

FAVORITE FOOD:  Sushi

FAVORITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION: South of France, essentially Antibes and Cannes.

FAVOURITE MUSIC: Well it depends from time to time. Love vintage English music that is my all time favorite.

YOUR GREATEST FEAR: My greatest fear is losing a loved one. I think I don’t have the strength to deal with something like that.

Born in the summer heat of July, in Delhi, he has plans of reaching his lifelong dream “Milan”.

A known face, Amit has walked the ramp for every Indian designer for over the past three years.

He did his grads in Hindi Honors from Delhi University and since then has become an esteemed and inseparable member of the fashion scene. His long tresses make him ideal for a lot of designers wanting to experiment with looks. Over the years his list of designers has grown to include everyone from Manish Malhotra, Rocky S, Sabyasachi, Raghavendra Rathod, Rohit Bal and many others.

His most recent assignment was a show in Bangkok with Pepsi Max where he was part of a performance dressed up as a character from Avatar. 

I come from Delhi. However I did my schooling from Patna then came to Delhi to do my grads from Delhi University.

My parents did not quiet accept my choice of career. However as I rose and achieved success they slowly settled with this idea of modeling. Now they are really happy for me.

My first assignment was with Jatin Kochhar for his catalog shoot. And the recent shoot with Rohit Chawla for his yearly calendar which was themed on Gustav Klimt’s paintings.

I am the kind of person who does not rank his achievements. I’m delighted by all my triumphs and all my achievements but I’m not satisfied with any. I believe that the day a person is satisfied with his work he stops trying and that is the day he stops moving forward.

Well technically my ideal date has already happened, some time ago in Bangkok. However if I use my imagination, I think somewhere on a beach, with a bath tub, flowers all around, some red wine, in the moon light, with my partner would qualify as an ideal date.

Five essentials for a model to climb the ladder of success…
. Hardwork
. Determination
. Ambition
. Right attitude and looks
. Luck 

 I’ll say that western models maintain better looks and are fitter than Indian models. However I’ll say that the Indian industry is grooming. Earlier men’s fashion was taken seriously but now we have our own Men’s Fashion Week which shows the globalization in our industry and along with this, Indian models are bound to groom themselves better.

 I’ll say that the most touching moment of my life was when I realized that modeling was the career that I wanted to follow and then I also stood by my decision. I stuck to it even though people did not agree with my choice.

FAVORITE FOOD:  My favorite is Indian Cuisine, especially chicken. Also I’m a good chef when it comes to Indian Cuisine.

FAVORITE PERFUME: Emporio Armani

FAVORITE DESIGNER: Karl Lagerfeld and Rohit Bal

FAVORITE HOLIDAY DESTINATION: San Francisco

FAVOURITE MUSIC: Well it depends on my mood. I like listening to jazz, sometimes even oldies like Kishore Kumar.

YOUR GREATEST FEAR: There is nothing that I can think of.