Christina Verghese

Christina Verghese
I don't want to do the booby dance
By Tinu Verghis

I grew up in the very backwaters of Kerala. I had buckteeth, was short, boyish and everything that describes disaster in terms of facial features. I grew up in a traditional, orthodox, Syrian Christian family as the youngest of four girls. In Kerala, career possibilities are limited to being a doctor, an engineer or an air hostess. My sisters took up all three options and I had to hunt for uncharted territory.

I studied in boarding school-Bishop Cottons, Bangalore-until I turned 18. My school knew me as a short-tempered girl, a bad loser, and a basketball player who never played if the sun was too bright. (My aunts told me that if I grew too dark I wouldn't find a good husband.)

The first fashion show I did was in Bangalore for Rs 250. My hands were all over the place, I just couldn't control them. But I was proud of myself. There was no stopping me then. Soon I moved to Denmark to be with my Danish boyfriend. I was recruited by a Copenhagen agency and work started flowing in.

I was sent down to Paris often, and I worked with Christian Dior, Prada, Escada, Christian Lacroix and Alexander McQueen. My family insisted I get a degree certificate that I could hang in my toilet, so I returned to India to write my exams two years ago but got stuck in Mumbai. As the object of my affection had changed by then and was living here.

I have walked the ramp for every designer in India and been featured in magazines from Elle to L'Officiale to Femina. I thought I was the epitome of disaster before a movie camera but three months ago, I decided to give it a shot. At my screen test, I couldn't move my once-flapping hands to even scratch my nose. After several such disasters, I landed TV commercials like Sony Ericsson T100, Trendz ID and MTV Style check ID.

My plus points: I am 5'10" tall and am willing to try anything that hasn't been tried before. I believe in myself, I am vocal, extremely ambitious, never take no for an answer and I live for the moment.

Like every other profession there are positive and negative sides to modelling. The casting couch happens to those who want a short cut to success. Modelling is good money to some, but it is never enough for me, compared to the time and effort you put in, for all the bread, rice, pasta and dessert you have to forego.

A few months ago I started a models' union-Models United-and all the top models in India signed with it. The idea was to protect models in a sometimes-abusive environment. I wanted to ensure basic rates and more professional handling of contracts and payments. But I had to drop the idea as I was damaging my career.

I really can't imagine myself getting into Bollywood; item numbers are not my cup of masala chai. No offence to my colleagues, but I don't want to do the booby dance!

Life as a model in Europe is more professional and means better money, but competition is tough. No other Indian girl besides Ujj [Ujjwala Raut] and I work in Europe for more than a couple of weeks because they don't have good enough representation.

My all-time favourite model is Christy Turlington. From India, I think Lakshmi Menon is an absolute goddess, because she has the most beautiful smile.