JOIN US'What more could a girl want?'
This 19-year-old model says that the victory came in the nick of time, since she had promised herself years ago that she’d leave the profession if she didn’t win a title by 2011. But the situation still seems a little unbelievable to her.
“I get to wear the best clothes, make up, and for those thirty seconds that I’m on the ramp, I know that everyone’s attention is solely on me. And I get paid for it! What more could a girl want?” she asks.
But it wasn’t all smooth sailing till this point; she admits that like any other profession, modelling requires tonnes of hard work and passion. She began her stint with fame in 2008, when she took part in a popular reality show.
“I was just a kid of fifteen at that time. It was a difficult situation, because most reality shows create a situation of conflict between the contestants. But it was still a fabulous experience, because it was my first step towards modelling,” she says.
She took a year off after this to concentrate on her studies, and she admits that it was
difficult getting back into the modelling circuit after that.
“I moved out of my home, in Mysore, and came to Bangalore to study. I started some modelling around that time. It was difficult, but I was blessed to be surrounded by very supportive people, especially my mother,” she says gratefully.
‘I Am She’ was a big step for Tanvi, and she says the show offered her a chance to discover more about herself.
“It was a shock initially because it was so different from what I was used to. I was always brought up like a tomboy with only guys as friends and here I had to live with twenty other girls and no phone. But all the other competitors were actually wonderful
individuals.”
The experience was enhanced by the fact that the competition was mentored by Sushmita Sen, whom Tanvi calls a cult in herself. She was also thrilled about the fact that she had a host of dieticians, fitness experts and hair and make-up specialists, the
very best in the industry, grooming her.
When asked how she manages to balance both her college classes in entrepreneurship and modelling career, Tanvi shows surprising clarity. “I’ve made sure to prioritise my education, since I know that modelling is a very short term career option. In fact, I’ve always been a distinction holder. It helps that my college has been extremely supportive of extracurricular activities. Our teachers take a personal interest in each and every one of us students,” she says.