Lawyer-turned-model Swathi Bhandari hopes to balance the spotlight with litigation as this yoga and aerobics lover is ready to wow the catwalk
By Asmita Aggarwal
She is five feet eleven inches tall, loves reading and litigation, two ends of a spectrum and hopes to pursue criminal law. A first-timer at AIFW 2015, Swathi Bhandari felt she wasnt cut out for the modelling world, even when relatives used to jokingly tell her thats it is the right place for a tall and skinny girl like her.
But academics had to be a priority as her grandparents, in Mangalore where she grew up werent too convinced about the prospects that the runway offered. After studying law, she kept one lithe foot on the catwalk and another immersed in books, hoping to strike a cohesive balance between the two at the age of 23.
Growing up with an older brother and a younger half-brother Swathi, based in Bangalore, who was discovered by Prasad Bidappa, sees modelling as a short-term goal, in the end it is law that she intends to practise. Growing up, architecture interested me, what you could do with spaces. I was good at sketching ad it would have been a choice, if law didnt happen, she smiles.
An avid book reader, Kiran Desais Inheritance of Loss, a Man Booker prize winner, was a page turner that left an inedible mark on her, and what lured her to finish it swiftly was how beautifully, the author connected two diverse worlds—–post- colonialism and colonialism. She liked the character of Biju, an immigrant, who struggles to survive in US, the dream land. He is an illegal, the troubles he faces and how he overcomes them forms the focal point of the book. Most people believe that modelling requires no brains, actually it is quite the opposite, you have to be able to make correct decisions for yourself to be able to thrive and get meaningful work. So be picky, think long-term, dont be in a hurry to succeed, slow is good, patience is a virtue here, she advices.
Hoping to follow the footsteps of dusky beauty Laxmi Rana, whom Swathi has admired for her grit, determination and also her dignified approach to fashion, she adds, Laxmi has held her ground, never got swayed by Bollywood or item numbers, stuck to what she knows best, catwalk. She knows what she wants to do and thats what makes her a winner for me, she confides.
A fan of A & T, and Venezuelan-American style guru Carolina Herrera, Swathi, who is proud of her complexion, says that it is the appropriate tone, for all outfits to look fabulous. India, as a colonised nation, has an obsession with fair skin, which is slowly petering out, making way for women who dont see it as a deterrent, but an asset, she concludes.