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Pretty
Boys No More
The male model is an unwanted species now. Nothing, not even their opouts,
poses and exposes, is helping him turn the corner. An epitaph by INDIA
TODAY's Himanshi Dhawan.
This
is in loving memory of all those who have starved, pumped iron, worn outlandish
apparel and dedicated their lives to appear cool for the love of page
three fame and money. An epitaph to a dying race where however hard they
might pout, pose and expose, they are now an unwanted species: the male
model.
Whether it is television where suave images of the Khans, Hrithik Roshans
or Tendulkars sell us drinks, cars and clothes or fashion shows where
the limelight is reserved for the better half of the species, no one wants
these pretty faces anymore. Except for a chosen few, the market for male
models has never been in such dire straits.
For every time Hrithik does his all too famous jig, there is a model somewhere
biting his lip. In commercial modelling, the big contracts have moved
to sports and film stars, leaving male clotheshorses with little choice
but to lower their price bracket. Ad-filmmaker Prahlad Kakar for one is
ecstatic. "Serious heroes are finally taking over as role models
from a completely useless bunch who should take up pleasing little old
ladies as gigolos.'' The colas and certain other brands might form the
top 5 per cent of the advertising share but with a drastic slash in advertising
budgets it leaves the model to choose from the leftovers inducing a different
kind of price war. "It depends on how desperate you are for work.
It might harm your career to cut price but it happens all the time. There
are just so many takers for the job,'' says a model.
And while print and television work is where the money is (between Rs
1.5 lakh to 4 lakh depending on the brand), ramp modeling continues to
be the original launch pad. Besides the fact that there are only a handful
of designers who present only men's wear, there are others who have very
limited clothing for men in their collection. So on ramp if a female model
has 10 entries, a male model must make do with just three. "Unless
he is a very big name, the show is not dependent on a male model. They
are replaceable entities,'' says Delhi-based choreographer Vidyun Singh.
Fresh faces can barely demand between Rs 5,000-Rs 8,000 for a show, a
fee that is more often than not dispensed with when it comes to getting
a "break". "It's fairly common practice that a crop of
young faces will do shows free of cost just to get a toehold in the industry
and these numbers have increased 10-fold in the past five years,'' adds
Singh. Modelling agencies and coordinators are besieged with inquiries
and portfolios. Says Gautam Sinha, who provides producers and casting
directors with comprehensive lists on aspiring actors and models: "We
receive almost 50-60 inquiries every day and have over 1,000 aspirants
on our regular mailing list informing them about auditions.''
The biggest temptation remains the fame and recognition that draws young
boys to this business of beauty and insecurity prompting them not just
to spend between Rs 10,000-Rs 20,000 in preparing their portfolio but
also adopt a specific diet and several hours of workout in a day. Aspiring
models like 22-year-old Imran Khatri imports Rs 4,000 worth nutritional
supplements from the US every month to equip himself with proteins and
vitamins for "body-building". Khatri, who has done ramp shows
in Bangalore and Pune, feels that he would stick around in the industry
for the fame. Agrees 21-year-old Dhruv Singh who has shifted base from
Delhi to Mumbai to make his mark on the modelling scene: "I'd like
people to recognise me.'' And it is not for lack of trying. Singh, like
many others, spends the better part of the day in waiting rooms for auditions
and calls from modeling agencies. "Sometimes auditions take place
at different ends of the town. Commuting, performing and looking good
at the same time can prove very taxing,'' he says.
The happy tale does not end with just bagging the contract or role. Commissions
up to 25 per cent to be doled out to model coordinators are very much
part of the deal. Despite these obstacles that the industry insists is
more the exception than the rule, there are a few who acquire the status
of top-end models like Dino Morea, Tarun Raghavan and John Abraham earning
between Rs 20,000-Rs 25,000 per show. Raghavan, who won the Graviera Mr
India title, puts it down to ennui with male beauty pageants and the lack
of an entry barrier. "Today the number of such competitions has increased
so much that there is a general lack in interest,'' he says.
The era of the Marc Robinson-Arjun Rampal-Milind Soman-Rahul Dev clique,
Raghavan feels, was responsible for the hype around the industry. In 1995
the Society magazine cover zapped the four faces in the galaxy of supermodels.
The euphoria and hype has not been seen since. "The fashion industry
was still growing then,'' Dev says. Agrees designer Krishna Mehta who
feels that models in that league cannot be found any more. "It is
very hard to find models who match the charisma and longevity of Arjun
or Milind,'' she says. Today most models have already worked out pension
plans within five years in the industry, she adds.
Like 27-year-old Mumbai-based Niketan Madho who is not interested in the
usual ramp-TV-film route. Niketan, a qualified engineer from Delhi, divides
his time between his modelling assignments and a dotcom company. "I
have always been able to juggle my studies, whether engineering or MBA,
with modelling,'' he says. But there are others who believe that the profession
is worth the risk. Twenty-six-year-old Rishikesh Pandey for instance has
become a familiar face after modelling for brands like International Lux,
ICICI and Pepsodent, but the going was never easy. Pandey lived in the
rustic environs of Belapur when he first moved to Mumbai to pursue his
dream and even worked in a marketing company for eight months before plunging
into modeling full-time. "It took me a year to settle down and be
a known face,'' he admits.
Most problems arise because the industry is unorganised and still dependant
upon the vagaries of model coordinators and designers. Says Ajay Chabbria
of GlamourIndia, a grooming institute, "We have a lot of talent but
these boys are usually unable to market themselves in the face of tough
competition.'' Chabbria hopes that with his institute that prepares and
manages models will make communication and contracts more transparent.
Agrees 26-year-old Balbir Meena who recently set up the Soul international
model management agency to promote Indian faces in the Asia-Pacific region.
Meena who has brands like Prada, Levis and Nike to his portfolio says,
``There is a lot of talent in the country but we don't have a channel
to promote it. I believe my experience in Europe and Singapore could help
provide an international perspective.''
Despite good tidings of "an increase in the number of options",
it might not be long before the pressure of work hard-party hard takes
its toll in a business likened to a fretful mistress. For the industry's
pretty boys, there's limited time before the epitaph is etched in stone.
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