Maleesha Kharwa: Meet the 14-year-old model from Dharavi who is now face of Forest Essentials

The heartening story of a 14-year-old girl from Dharavi being chosen as the face of Forest Essentials has won the internet on Monday.

Maleesha Kharwa from Mumbai’s Dharavi was just a simple girl living with her parents, grandparents, brother and uncle in a rundown temporary space beside the sea till she caught the attention of American actor Robert Hoffman.

Maleesha, popularly known as "The Princess From The Slum," gained enormous popularity on social media after being selected as the face of the well-known skincare company Forest Essentials. The company cast Maleesha in their new campaign called Yuvati Selections.

Netizens were moved by the young girl's joyous response after seeing her picture in the upscale store.

One user wrote, “Made me smile with tears.”

Maleesha’s GoFundMe page mentions, “People often ask me if living in a slum makes me sad, and this question always confuses me because I love my home so much! Here is where I live.”

The aspiring model comes from a relatively poor home where eating two good meals a day is considered a luxury. Hoffman wrote a thorough explanation of Maleesha's goals and the desperate circumstances she faces on her GoFundMe page.

“The only thing I don't like is that many times my brother and I don't have enough to eat, and it can be hard for me to get water. Also, in a month, the monsoons will come. It's hard for us to sleep when it rains because we do not have a roof. We use a plastic tarp, but the winds can be very strong in the Monsoon season,” the description mentioned

When Hoffman first met Maleesha, her bright smile hid the hardships she faced doing basic chores every day. When Hoffman learned that Maleesha was interested in dance and modelling, he made the decision to support her.

Maleesha has already appeared in ads for well-known brands and posed for publications like Cosmopolitan.