Clicking his way to glory

Over the last few years, Sadat Ahmedy, a final year mechanical engineering student at Sri Sairam College of Engineering, has slowly but steadily expanded his resume. While most engineering students in their final year have to compromise on extra-curricular activities, Sadat balances out his schedule to fit in all his interests, which include teaching, modelling, fashion photography and cinematography and fashion stage direction.

The 21-year-old says, “My life is balanced. For the past six years, I have stopped relying on my father for financial issues because I wanted to do something different and something on my own. I have a very planned life, where I know what I have to do and when, so I adjust my college timings accordingly. I make sure my extra-curricular activities don’t clash with my college work”

The journey began with a model hunt. “I auditioned for a model hunt, where I was one of the top finalists from Bengaluru. After this, I started working with a designer from the City. I did my first print ad after this for Wrangler and also worked with a few other brands. I was a print ad model for 11 months but then I realised I want to do something innovative, something related to the fashion industry, because it has been so nice and supportive of me. I really wanted to do something big.”

The next ‘big thing’ came to Sadat in the form of his father and a camera. “I asked my father to buy me a camera and I started clicking pictures. Although I submitted my photographs to a few magazines, I wasn’t happy. So I became the official photographer for Megamart where I clicked the profile photos of over 60 models.” He has also worked with Parvathy Omanakuttan.

Talking about his photos, he says, “I started with landscapes and monuments but I’m the seed of fashion so that’s where I ended up. In most pictures, what people portray is plastic. I believe in earthy beauty and I use models who don’t need a lot of make-up and don’t do a lot of post-editing. I want to redefine the word ‘fashion’,” he says.

He says fashion is something that can’t be constrained and evolves at all times. With this in mind, he took to directing fashion shows recently. His first show was in Mysuru, which saw a crowd of over 2000 people.

He proudly says, “In my second show in Chennai, I was called the ‘Youngest Entrepreneur’ in South India.”

Sadat already has plans for another show and he is trying to make it as innovative as possible.

“I want to use models who aren’t normally seen on the runway, not anorexic models. I want it to be completely different and new. We have adapted the Western anorexic culture which needs to be cut down. Beauty, according to me, is what one feels about themselves and not what another person thinks of you.”

On a mission to break change the fashion industry, Sadat sums up by saying, “A plus-sized lady can wear a gown or a stiletto and still look fashionable...we need to break such stereotypes.”