Following in the footsteps of several others from the region, two girls from the Northeast are competing to make a mark in the world of glamour and fashion.
Jantee Hazarika from Assam and Rajashree Singha from Manipur have not only beaten several of the competitors in the ongoing second season of “India’s Next Top Model” on MTV, but have also caught the attention of the organisers as well as industry experts. The Indian version of “America’s Next Top Model”, the show created by Tyra Banks, was launched here last year by license holder and producer Bulldog Media & Entertainment.
Following the success of season one, the fashion franchise has already returned to Indian TV screens with MTV attracting feisty young models from different parts of the country to take part in the event this year.
“It’s been exciting here in ‘India’s Next Top Model’. I have done my diploma in Fashion Designing from the Vogue Institute of Designing in Bangalore. Then I followed my instincts and came to Mumbai and here I am participating in the event,” said 22-year-old Jantee, who hails from Assam’s main city of Guwahati.
Jantee, who did her schooling from Gurukul Grammar School in Guwahati, has been taking part in local fashion shows. She participated in a fashion competition when in Guwahati called North East Diva and that seemed to be the turning point of her life.
“I’m in Mumbai for last six months and I am really working hard to make it to the fashion world. From my childhood I wanted to do something related with glamour and I hope I’m right on track now. I really wanted to be a model,” she said.
Living in Mumbai at present, Jantee also misses her parents -- her father an employee of a PSU and mother a homemaker. She also misses her elder sister.
An emotional person, Jantee said that losing her pet and parents is her biggest fear. She feels she can handle big situations with ease, given how confidence. She has faced a lot of problems because of her colour and looks as people used to call her dark and ugly.
Jantee believes every person has two sides -- professional and personal. In her personal life, she is fun loving and crazy, but professionally, she is very confident and serious.
Rajashree, 21, was born in Manipur but raised in Mumbai.
“Although I originally hail from Manipur, my whole family is in Mumbai since I was very young and I am raised in Mumbai. Modelling is a passion for me and I have been dreaming about the glamour of the fashion world,” said Rajashree.
“My father is into Navy and my mother is a homemaker too. I did my graduation from Mithibai College in Mumbai in 2014 and got the opportunity to participate in the ‘India’s Next Top Model’. Its been a dream come true for me,” Rajashree told IANS.
“I am preparing my body at present and avoiding junk food as I don’t want to miss out on anything that will get me out of the competition. I have also been watching ‘America’s Next Top Model’ for tips so that I can be successful here,” she said.
Describing herself, she said she is bold, positive, fun-loving and she keeps challenging herself.
“As a kid, I was very shy and silent but now I am fully opposite to that. I am more closer to guys than to girls,” she said, and added that she hates when someone calls her Chinese.
Model-actress Lisa Haydon, who is a judge on “India’s Next Top Model”, says modelling is more than just being beautiful and posing.
“I am thrilled to see our brilliant young girls who are a part of this season of ‘India’s Next Top Model’. It’s great to see their determination to succeed.
“I want young girls to learn that modeling is more than just being beautiful and posing. It’s all about being creative, original, determined and finding that one aspect of yourself that makes you stand out - your USP,” she said.
