Supermodel Rashmi Buntwal & recent professional works
1) Recent work
This past month has been very interesting professionally. Being a model I love that I get to enact versatile looks and characters. This particular season I managed a smooth transition from fashion to commercial modelling. All these years I have been mainly into beauty and fashion sectors. But this month I had the opportunity to be a commercial face as well.
2) The brands
The month kind of started off with a shoot for SpiceJet airlines. They r launching their business class services and I got to play a sharp business tycoon 😀 I personally love wearing formals. While travelling I’m mostly dressed in formal wear so it was an easy shoot. The best part was shooting right inside one of the busiest airports in the world- the capital DELHI !
The following week I took up a very interesting project. It’s a commercial for a brand “Royal Weddings “ based in Kerala. It was an absolutely new experience which I thoroughly enjoyed. I love Indian ethnic wear and here I had to wear a saree and sing and dance for 18 hours straight!!! An outdoor shoot in the peak of summer! Though it drained me out totally to the point of falling sick by the end of it , it was fun nevertheless and all the blood n sweat was worth the final outcome.
A project for Bangalore based Purvankara builders and another one in Chennai rounded off the month of May.
The month of June will have me attending a worldwide modelling convention in London as one of the brand ambassadors of the event. It’s an absolute privilege and an honour that’s been bestowed upon on me as a result of all these years of hardwork. I’m also taking up couple of high fashion shoots in London this month.
This kind of mix of work deeply satisfies me as a professional. I’m glad I get to be so versatile n fit into different markets. I have previously also worked as an ethnic model in Istanbul, Athens, Romania etc.
3) Recent developments
So this past year , though not many are aware of , as I hardly speak about it , wasn’t all hunky dory! In 2018 , the year that followed my crowning as Miss Tourism International 2017 , was supposed to be the peak of my career. I had a slew of fabulous assignments lined up in India along with many inaugural opportunities abroad as the newly crowned “beauty queen “. A plump contract with one of the leading modelling agencies in Cape Town was all part of my career plan for the year but alas! One unfortunate evening of July 2018 while I was training as usual at my fitness boxing class, I was violently attacked by a fellow member of “Cult fitness” under the pretext of boxing which resulted in me completely dislocating my right shoulder. The injury left me with a permanently broken cartilage bone, dent in my shoulder bone as well as acute internal bleeding and torn muscles. Such was the intensity that I lost my range of motion n strength completely n I felt handicapped for the longest time!
4) Work after the injury
The injury put an abrupt halt to all my plans. I couldn’t even zip my own clothes or brush my hair for the first few months. I was in a sling and on excruciatingly painful physiotherapy sessions thrice a day everyday for the first 9 months. Since I couldn’t train at all I decided to atleast follow an extremely strict diet to maintain myself. It took a toll on me mentally, emotionally n physically n on my family as well. But I was determined to get back on my feet and worked really hard towards recovery. Im now taking baby steps towards getting back to work. I still do my physiotherapy sessions everyday and take painkillers with me during my shoots. My arm still hurts when I try to move it in certain directions. Since the injury is internal it doesn’t show up on the camera thankfully!!! I hope to make up for the precious time lost and come back stronger than ever! The industry however has been very welcoming of me and as lovely as ever….
5) About PETA
I used to volunteer for PETA. This past year I couldn’t do much for animals as I was too caught up with my own health issues. But very soon I intend to join hands with other like minded people and to start with maybe on a small scale, open a shelter or atleast try to provide some basic facilities like food, water some place to rest , to as many strays as possible. I encourage people to place water bowls outside your houses , maybe few breadcrumbs on ur terrace or balconies for the birds to feed on , some simple biscuits or rice for our doggie n cat friends, Some greens for the stray cows who feed on plastic garbage on the streets, small things which cost u nothing but could save a life from trauma n hunger would go a long way! I truly and deeply pray and hope people develop compassion n kindness towards all beings, humans or animals, n stop treating them like objects!
Photos: Rashmi Buntwal’s archives.
