Leaders Speak

Nikhat Ansari
Follow your passion and live for your dreams.
My journey has been no less than a roller coaster ride. After
completing my schooling from my home town, i.e. Jabalpur (MP), I
went to Indore for my Graduation and then, to New Delhi for my
post graduation, where I did MBA from Delhi University. Later on I
started working with a well known MNC in Delhi as an Audit
Engagement Specialist.
Having always had a burning desire and dream to pursue acting, I
participated in a number of plays throughout school apart from
performing as a dancer. The sheer magic of being on a stage, or
in front of a camera, transforming into an entirely different
person, conveying their joys, pains and sorrows through your own
creative expression, thats what draws me to the performing arts.
However my involvement with stage did not go down too well
with my father, a renowned surgeon, who had strong objections to
my ambitions of pursuing acting. He refused to support me in any
way, moral or financial and wanted me to pursue higher studies
and get into the corporate world with a white collar job. Being the
eldest and an obedient daughter I accepted his decision.
However, the fire and passion for acting and modeling never died.
I continued to participate in fashion shows and plays during my
college days. Finally one day I decided to leave everything and
moved to Mumbai. As expected, my conservative family refused
to support me with the sole exception of my mom. The entire
family was more concerned about the reaction of their so called
society with the most common refrain being log kya kahenge.
However my mom has always been very supportive in all my
decisions and a pillar of strength for me.
Once I moved to Mumbai, I literally had nothing in hand. No job,
no connections and practically no money. But I had a vision of

becoming a successful actor and a model and moreover a better

and a strong person. I believe that hurdles and obstacles make
you stronger. The difficult road always leads to a beautiful
destination.
My faith in God and destiny is very strong and I believe that
everything happens for a reason, whether it is good or bad. Every
day, I offer Namaaz before leaving home. There have been bitter
experiences but none that has been able to shake my faith in my
lifes philosophy. I have been betrayed by my best buddies and
loved ones which taught me many lessons in life. I being an
emotional person would trust people very easily.
One thing I learnt is, no matter what happens, if you do not give
up and follow your dreams and work passionately towards it,
nobody can stop you from achieving what you want. I am always
thankful to God for the things I achieved in a short span of time
and above all for my mom who is always so supportive. I am also
thankful to the negative people because of whom Ive become a
stronger and wiser person.
I truly believe that one should live for his or her dream and never
give up in life no matter what. Your hard work, passion and
sincerity decide your success.
Q/A:
Who has inspired you in your life and why?
My mom is my biggest inspiration. She is very hard working
and instilled in me the qualities of work ethics. Her guidance
has always taught me to be passionate and loyal towards
anything that I do.
You have a perfect body; it shows in your photo shoots. Do
you think that for being a model its the demand of this
profession?

Yes, this industry is something where you have to maintain

your figure, skin and body. Moreover I love my own self when
I look in the mirror and that inspires me to be fit. I am kind of
obsessed to have my inner soul always glowing just like my
outer self.

Tell us about yourself. Why do you want to work as a model?

Why are you interested in this career?
This profession has always fascinated me and knowing that
Ive got a good height, figure and body I thought to make
use of it in professional modeling. Since childhood, I have
been driven to be a glamorous model.

How come modeling as a career?

As I said above, that modeling has always fascinated me and
keeps me going, happy and always busy.
Tell us about your education. Have you attended fashion
modeling courses? What related courses or studies have you
taken?
I am a post graduate, MBA, in International Marketing and
HR, from New Delhi. Other than that Ive done few Advanced
Microsoft Certification Courses.
Ive not studied or trained as a model, but the inclination
always took me to the place and people from where I got to
learn a lot. I had few friends from the same industry with
whom I use to do ramp walks and used to pose a lot at
home. I used to buy a lot of international magazines and

follow the models seeing their poise, pout, look expressions,

I mean everything. I would attend fashion shows and plays
and come back home and imitate the same at home.

Why would you think youre fit to be a model?

I always carry myself in style and my personality defines a
model. I am confident that I have everything in me that is
needed to be a successful model.

What are your goals as a model? How do you see yourself

progress in this field?
I just want to be myself and do further good for everyone
who have complete faith in where they want to see
themselves.
I want to be better and better by every passing day. My soul
has to be satisfied with what I do with 100% commitment
and passion. I have planned my career and I take it slow and
steady with small but confident steps.

How do you communicate with people? Are you patient? Are

you friendly?
I am just a normal girl who looks up at every human being
equally. I dont throw my attitude around. I cant talk about
myself much but the feedback that I get from people close to
me is that I am a very genuine person.
Yes, I am patient and dont take any decision in a haste and I
have a friendly personality

 What do you know about advertisement industry, advertising

psychology and photography
In simple words, if you can sell Ice to an Eskimo and sand to
a Bedouin (Arab), then you are in advertising. Its all about
influencing consumers mind. Advertising psychology is the
art of capturing the share of mind of the consumers through
different forms and feelings which can be love, affection,
fear, aspiration and many other things. In summary, if you
can capture the share of mind of the consumer and take him
through the journey of instilling, awareness, interest, desire
and finally action, you have successfully advertised

Do you eat nutritiously? How often do you exercise?

I am not at all a diet person. I just cannot diet or starve. I am
a big-time foodie. I eat whatever I want to and I love
cooking. But I eat in small quantity and I eat every 2 hours
which helps me to keep my metabolism active. Whenever I
am home I prefer cooking myself and have the proper diet
with my own essence of cooking.
But yes, I exercise regularly as it keeps me fresh and fit
throughout the day.

State your availability: Would you travel?

Yes I travel. As per my availability and dates.

What prompted you to enter in this glamorous world?

3 words, Interest, Desire and Passion

 With all the travelling you do, how do you manage to spend
time with family and friends?
My family is always my first priority. Though my work doesnt
allow me to stay at home for long, still I visit home every
month.
Whats a common misconception about models?
One misconception about modeling is that all it requires is a
pretty face. This is simply not true. It requires determination,
persistence, motivation, a good attitude, a good head on
your shoulders, support from those in the industry, and
courage!
Another misconception is that you HAVE to be 5'8" and up to
have a successful career as a model. Not true. You can be a
commercial model, print model, glamour model, promo
model, spokes model, etc.

What are the common challenges that youve faced as a

model?
Limited or No Access to direct clients
Clients are geographically dispersed
Sometimes client actually don't know what they want
Often clients keep changing their brief
Other few challenges are unprofessional work which goes
beyond the brief of modeling and I dont want to talk about it

What are your views on Digital India Movement? Is it going

to affect the Indian fashion and glamour industry?

India is on the verge of a massive boom in the digital and

internet revolution. As the infrastructure increases, and the
mobile internet penetration grows, India can become the
biggest digital market of the world. This point is proven by
the amount of investment India received in year 2014 as
compared to how 2015 has started. Over US$ 3 billion worth
of investments in mobile and internet commerce business I
guess.
With the boom in e-commerce and m-commerce, the fashion
industry will also witness a drastic change. Work will increase
multifold. Many other things will get streamlined. A simple
thing like look test or auditions can also happen online if the
client is in another city. Digital boom will change the fashion
and glamour industry a lot.
I myself have some business plans for the same which I cant
disclose as of now.
If you could choose between having a pretty face and having
a great sense of style, which one would you pick?
I would always go for a good style sense.
Do you have any tips for aspiring models?
Be patient, dont rush.Choose your work and assignments
wisely.
These 3 sentences summarize my approach to life
INSPIRATION Nothing is more powerful than an idea whose
time has come.
MOTIVATION Without courage, all you are left with is
compromise.
DEDICATION Only those who risk going too far, can
possibly find out how far one can go.