Aishwarya Deonani left her passion to design buildings and stuck to what her heart told her—modelling.
By Asmita Aggarwal
It must have been a hard decision to abandon architecture and move to Mumbai to pursue modelling. But Chhattisgarh (Bhilai)-born Aishwarya Deonani, 23, did this and lots more. There was also the pressure of coming from a family where both her mom and sister are doctors. My family is quite supportive, but of course, they think that the glamour world is all milk and roses, but it isnt. It is as tough a field, just like if you are running a business or working in the finance sector, though people dont realise this, she says.
Studying architecture from BMS College, Bangalore, Aishwarya wanted to earn some extra money to indulge in her part-time passion shopping, so she started modelling for fun. And little did she know that she would be signed on by an agency and as they proverbially say, there was no looking back.
A national level lawn tennis player, as well as high jumper, Aishwarya had to retire after a ligament rupture, which took her out of sports for some time. I also was a sprinter and used to participate in 100 and 200 metre races. I have diverse interests, as I also enjoy sketching and drawing and like understanding the processes behind fabulous building built by late Zaha Hadid, Le Corbusier, Charles Correa and Raj Rewal, she admits.
Though being an introvert, it is sometimes hard for her to get assignments, as modelling, she confesses is all about networking. You need to be friends with photographers, but people like me find it tough as I am not a smooth talker; you also need good communication skills. But I hope to move to the international runways and get signed by a global agency just like Pooja Mor and Radhika Nair, she signs off.