Maleesha Kharwa was born in the world’s biggest slum Dharavi in Mumbai. From being born into an impoverished family to becoming a child model, know all about the journey of the ‘Princess From The Slum’
14-year-old girl Maleesha Kharwa has been roped in by luxury brand Forest Essentials for its 'The Yuvati' collection. She now has multiple modelling assignments in her kitty as she wishes to become a supermodel one day
In 2020, Hollywood actor Robert Hoffman came to Mumbai to shoot a music video. While spotting locations for the video, he met Maleesha in Dharavi and decided to do a photoshoot with her
Robert Hoffman then set up a GoFundMe page for Maleesha, which soon went viral garnering support from a large number of people. He also opened an Instagram account for her and posted her photos. Maleesha’s striking looks and her humble story won over the hearts of Instagrammers and her handle soon became viral
Brands were quick to spot this little wonder and started collaborating with her for photoshoots. Last year, Maleesha featured on the cover of the 26th-anniversary edition of Cosmopolitan Magazine alongside Sameera Reddy and Kusha Kapila
Maleesha’s recent shoot with Forest Essentials’ The Yuvati collection shows her delight upon seeing her posters being placed outside the luxury brand’s store. The earnings from this collection will be used to fund Project Pathshala, which aims to educate the underprivileged
Forest Essentials did a rapid-fire round with Maleesha where she revealed:
- Her inspiration is Priyanka Chopra
- She always follows her heart
- She wants Nora Fateh to be her BFF
Maleesha has a verified Instagram account with more than 2 lakh followers. Her bio says, “People say I live in a slum but I love my life! I hope to be a supermodel to help my family eat.”
In spite of all the fame, Maleesha’s family still faces acute financial problems. In one of her YouTube videos, Maleesha was seen filling water and carrying heavy cans for over 3 km everyday to provide water for her family. Through her modelling assignments, she wants to be able to pull her family out of poverty