FROM INDIA TO THE WORLD WITH LOVE: NAISHA
You’ve likely found yourself staring at one of those beautiful models on billboards, magazines, or online and wondered, “what are they thinking?” If you were to see inside the mind of Naisha Bhargabi you’d see that she’s playing a role. The attitude she projects is a combination of herself, the direction of the photographers she works with, and the desired attitude for the ad campaign. It’s no surprise that this Indian born but globally recognized professional has led her to acting in films, something she’s always been poised to do. While working with some of the biggest companies and most acclaimed photographers in the world, Bhargabi professes that she’s always in search of new creative experiences through her work, regardless of the medium. Her face has been seen all across the planet and is soon to appear on the big screen. Naisha is eager to reveal to the world that there’s a great deal of intensity underneath that attractive outward appearance. Every generation has their “It” faces and personalities who seem to become ubiquitous; Naisha Bhargabi is just such a person in the present day.
At the very start of her modeling career, Naisha was recognized by one of the most famous of international woman’s publications, Elle magazine. Writer/Director/Photographer Sooni Taraporevala was working with Elle India for their “Face of the Freedom” issue. The award-winning filmmaker (known for Little Ziziou, Mississippi Masala, and Such a Long Journey) was seeking out talent with a connection to the theme of the issue. Bhargabi was selected for both her modeling ability and her history working with sexual minorities as well as poor and marginalized communities. As a young, confident Indian woman who is passionate about making a difference and her career, Naisha was perfectly suited for this campaign which was hugely successful throughout India. Shot in the slums of Bombay, the tone was inspirational. Bhagabi confirms, “Sooni Taraporevala is one of the few Indian women icons whom I admire for breaking the glass ceiling barrier and paving the way for other women to enter internationally in the field of cinema and arts. I was excited to work with her in creating something that would clearly reflect the impact between the philosophies of Dr. B. R. Ambedkar (known as Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. of India) and a strong young feminist woman growing up in a free world.”
Learning from the creative process and the artists with whom she collaborates has been a prominent factor in the forward momentum of this Indian born-American educated talent. Her work with celebrated photographer Errikous Andreou on the CLIO ad awards nominated campaign for Clear Shampoo was both commercially lauded and instructive for Naisha. She relates, “The location for the shoot was quite challenging to get to. During the shoot, Errikous said, ‘Beauty is not enough if it means nothing the moment you photograph it. You have to photograph it with your emotion.’ That really resonated with me. It’s so important to be invested emotionally in what you do creatively.” Bhargabi used this approach when Danish photographer Signe Vilstrup and the Creative Director of CondeNast India chose her as the face of the GQ S Jeep Calendar national campaign. Naisha was photographed amidst the forest of Udaipur Rajasthan, representing the visage of a strong and bold woman. She confesses that working with the trio of Vilstrup, Jeep, and GQ was much more enjoyable than the freezing weather conditions in which the shoot took place.
Most recently, award winning director Rohit Mittal (Autohead, Megalopolis, Kshanik) has cast Bhagabi in his upcoming film Step In. The story of a discriminated sex worker who is involved in a romantic relationship with one of her customers, the role inspired Naisha to completely invest in the character. She reports, “It took a month to prepare for this role. I had to change my mannerisms; the way I acted, spoke, behaved in order to perform the scenes the way it was described. She was brought up in a poor Indian family; witnessing a lot of suffering and death while fending for herself” Though the film is currently in postproduction, word of mouth tells that Bhargabi’s performance is nothing short of amazing. The film’s decidedly unique take on this “relationship” is guaranteed to spark conversation about its strong female characters; which seems more than appropriate for Naisha Bhargabi as she’s made a career journey of conveying unique and bold women.
