India's most sought-after faces

Laxmi Menon
Her exotic face and stunning figure have made her an international supermodel. Having done innumerable shows for both leading Indian designers and international brands, Laxmi has also featured on the cover of international magazines. Every designer’s dream, she is definitely one of the hottest models in India at present.

Says Sumanto Chattopadhyay, Group Creative Director, South Asia, O&M: “She has a very distinctive Indian look that sets her apart. Laxmi has fantastic attitude that can help her go places, and her strength, needless to say, is her face, which is very unconventional.”

Adds choreographer Prateek Lamba: “She has an excellent figure and is very professional on the ramp. She has great attitude and can surely make it big in the international arena.”

Even her peers are all praise. Says fellow model Smita Lasrado (who has worked with YSL and Dior): “Laxmi is definitely among my favourite models. She is very confident and has pushed the boundary of fashion and modelling in India. To me, she is the most sensuous woman in India.” Need we say more?

Sheetal Malhar
Sheetal Malhar was in class XII, when, goaded by friends, she called up ace fashion photographer Gautam Rajadhyaksha, and asked him if he could click a few pictures of her.

The photographer obliged and she became the face of Danabhai Jewellers, recalls Sheetal, as we sit at The Bagel Shop, a café in Bandra’s posh Pali Hill area.

Her biggest break came in 1994 when she was chosen Elite’s Indian face of the year. She lived in New York for the next year, doing campaigns and shows for Fendi, Armani and others.

Today, she is the face of Wills Lifestyle.  While she is a jet-setter (she recently returned from a month-long holiday in Mexico—where her partner is based—Cuba and Holland) she remains a jeans-and-T-shirt girl who swears by brands like Diesel, Take Two and Energie. Says ace photographer Dabboo Ratnani: “She has zero attitude and is very easy to work with. She looks great both in Indian and Western attires.“

Lisa Haydon  
This 21-year-old daughter of an Australian father and an Indian mother came to Mumbai from Sydney to walk the ramp for the Lakme Fashion Week in March 2007. She hasn’t returned to Australia since, becoming one of India’s highest-paid models in a short span of one year.

“I grew up in Mumbai. So, I am at home here,” she says as we catch up with the dark-haired beauty on her way to Goa for a shoot. “I travel abroad a couple of times a month for shoots. Within India, it’s about 10 to 15 days every month,” she says.

It was as a 19-year-old that Lisa got her first break into modelling when she did the Oil of Olay campaign as a college student in Sydney. Now as the face of Seagram’s, Indigo Nation, Titan and others, Lisa is not complaining. So, what’s the best part of being a top model? we ask.

“I do enjoy the extra money now,” she giggles. “It means I can afford to stock up my wardrobe with Gucci, DKNY, Dior, Armani…,” she says. Life’s good at the top for Lisa Haydon.

Shamita Singha
What do you call a former Miss India, who has done campaigns for some of the biggest brands in India, walked the ramp for top designers and has just become a national wine trainer for Moet Hennessy? Shamita Singha is not just a pretty face.

She is a hell of a woman. We catch up with this six-foot babe at the Marriott in Juhu. So, what made an English literature student take to the ramp? “Becoming Miss India Earth in 2001 changed my life,” she smiles. Today, she is the face of Peta, Moet & Chandon and a Kingfisher calendar girl—a far cry from seven years ago when she got a gift voucher and two thousand rupees in cash for doing a campaign for Shoppers’ Stop. Shamita travels for about 20 days a month, shooting ads, walking the ramp or doing shows on TV. “Fashion is a passion for me,” she says. And she doesn’t mind the travelling either. I am heading to Mauritius soon for a shoot. I love the water,” she says.

With Inputs from Anumeha Chaturvedi