Golden Girl

At 40, supermodel Ujjwala Raut is still at the top of her game and raring to go

“I was 17 and went straight from Dahisar to Paris, when I hadn’t even gone from Dahisar to Churchgate very much!” In the late ’90s, Ujjwala Raut was one of the few Indian models to have made it big on international runways paving the way for the likes of Pooja Mor, Bhumika Arora and Radhika Nair. Three decades later, she shows no signs of slowing down. One of five sisters, Ujjwala was born and grew up in Dahisar, a far-flung suburb of Mumbai and before she knew it, she was discovered and catapulted to the catwalks of Paris, Milan and New York. From the time she won the Elite Look of the Year in 1996 at 17, there’s been no looking back for the 40-year-old supermodel. Read on for excerpts from our laughter-filled interview with India’s original It-girl: https://www.instagram.com/p/B1Nl69NFzqY/

Your story is the stuff of dreams. How did your modelling career take off? My older sister found an ad in the newspaper for the Elite Model Look of the Year. We took a few shots at a local studio and sent them along with the application. Before I knew it, I had won the title! Subsequently, I went on to win the international competition too. I was signed up by Elite Worldwide and just two months after that I was off to Paris to do the shows. I was 17 and went straight from Dahisar to Paris, when I hadn’t even gone from Dahisar to Churchgate very much! Today the runways have become a lot more inclusive than they were back then. I had to literally push my way through. I reached out to IMG and asked if they would represent me and guess what? They did. After that I walked for all the big designers and brands—from Chanel and Ungaro to Tom Ford (when he was YSL and then Gucci) and Givenchy.

You’re also the only Indian model to have ever walked the runway for Victoria’s Secret—what was that like? It was like working with family. I’m still in touch with the girls, the organisers and the casting team. We were young, naïve and hardworking. For something like VS to happen many factors needed to come together. I am surprised, however, that no other Indian girl has made it yet. Hopefully my daughter will (laughs). What according to you is your biggest strength as a model? I think it’s the fact that I have such an international look. Because of my bone structure people usually think I am South American. When Tom Ford cast me for his first show at YSL he told the casting people ‘Book her—she looks like she could be from anywhere.’

Models are known to have short careers and they typically move on to doing something else after a few years in the industry. But you seem to have challenged convention. One season when I was 26, I returned from fashion week and found out that I was pregnant. I had my daughter and after three months, I went back to work. When I had my daughter, I was at the peak of my career. I would come to India and get booked for jobs back-to-back. Everyone would know that I am here only for a short period and my diary would get full. I would then go to Paris and the same thing would happen and so on and so forth. I didn’t realize where my time went, really. As a model, you always have to be at the top of your game. I try to do work that gets me noticed and keeps me there. The key is to not say yes to everything and burn yourself out.

Your daughter Ksha is a teenager now. I always wanted a daughter. Three of my sisters have one daughter each and so do I. Even today, I am always spending time with the girls — be it my sisters, my nieces, my girlfriends or my daughter. Ksha is my best friend. She has started to give me relationship advice now that she’s turning 13 (laughs). She’s always seen me at work — she used to be on my sets from the time she was a little baby, so much so that she forgets I am her mum. We have a great bond. I worked a lot more after I had her so we travelled everywhere together. I don’t see her throwing teenager tantrums yet. She’s just like me. It’s as if I have another sister. How would you define your personal style? I am a Gemini so I can go from comfy jeans and T-shirts to glamorous dresses in a jiffy. What do you love most about your job? The opportunity to meet and work with wonderful people. I just saw Priyanka’s (Chopra) wedding reception photos on Instagram where she’s wearing Falguni and Shane Peacock. It brought back memories from last summer — we were all in New York shooting for Falguni and Shane’s campaign, after which I walked for them. Farah (Khan Ali) did the jewellery. It was one big party… we had so much fun.