............................................................................Model of the Month

With the fashion world full of aspiring models, designers and choreographers, Mumbai has emerged as the fashion capital of India. Beauty pageants and international contests have mushroomed at a rapid pace and contest winners are no longer restricted to Mumbai, but come from various parts of the country. The new kid on the block is Chayan Munshi,a six foot, one-and-a-half-inch, twenty-two-year-old from Calcutta, who has been on the modelling scene for the last one year.

With some some experience in the field of modelling in his home town, Chayan ended up in Mumbai. And one of his first assignments was the ICICI Bank promotional advertisement campaign followed by Raymond's, Bombay Dyeing towels and Kwality Walls, coupled with two music videos.

"The fashion scene in Calcutta had reached a point of saturation. So the next best option was Mumbai,"says Chayan. After having given a futile shot at an MBA, Chayan took to modelling. "Modeling helps me to live independently," says Chayan. "Though initially it was difficult to get work, I soon started getting offers,"adds the hunk. Wanting to be a complete model, he tries to strike a balance between both the ramp as well as commercials. "Even though I love doing fashion modeling, I cannot afford not doing commercials for they fetch more money," says Chayan.

Chayan has entered the Gladrags Mega Model Hunt this year and hopes to win the title. He believes that, "It will give me an edge over the others. If you have a title cemented under your belt people do not ask you to make compromises. It makes a lot of difference."

Although aware of the importance of these titles, Chayan is aware of the fact that these contests do not really help much in getting international recognition. Chayan has plans of trying his luck abroad especially in south east Asia. However, he has no plans to enter the world of Hindi movies. He believes, "I am too young for Hindi films and cannot really think of myself as the filmy type." A complete outdoor guy, Chayan loves working . He also works with an entertainment company called Speed and has big plans for the future.

Favourite Pastime: Spending time with close friends.
Favourite Designer: Rohit Bal
Favourite Choreographer: Hemant Trivedi, Aparna TanyaFavorite Food: Thai
Favourite Restaurant: Frangipani
Favourite Clothes: Anything which looks good and different.
Favourite Accessories: Shoes, sunglasses, cologne

By: Sharmistha Chatterjee