1) Hi Joshua, hope you’re staying safe. How do you pass time during the lockdown?
Hey, I’m absolutely great and safe, Thank you! Well, the lockdown has been a great revelation and a learning curve in my life more than anything. Passing time was definitely a question when it first started out but now it’s all about making the most of it in a productive way!
This lockdown can easily take you back years in your work, skill, body so I made it a point to remain as dedicated and honest and passionate towards everything that makes me who I am! I’ve been regular with my acting routine, practice, and online classes to keep growing in my craft! Been dancing a lot since I train at Shiamaks and they have their online classes on and I’ve been working out pretty regularly. Missing on a day of the gym or going on a vacation is definitely not scaring me anymore because I survived more than 5 months and by God’s grace maintained my body pretty well.
Apart from that, I’ve been learning Spanish, watching a lot of Netflix and the best part has been spending so much time with family. It’s been good to be together with the people who love you the most.
2) Was modeling something you always wanted to do or did it just kinda happen? How did your career in modeling take off?
Sports was always my first love. Formula 1 was always first love but there wasn’t enough scope for car racing in India so I decided on following Sachin Tendulkar’s footsteps since I had a great passion for cricket! Right from the age of 7 till 13/14 I professionally trained as a cricketer, played for Mumbai! I then made the switch to tennis and pretty much made it my life and goal. I played tennis at an international level for the next few years, made the cut for India in the Junior Commonwealth games, that was special!
Modeling happened to me at junior college. It was pretty glamorous and big in my college and that got me intrigued. The moment I did my first show in college, I just knew that this is something I really want to take up and that’s where it all started! I took that decision and put all my heart into it. The next few years I did 100 Fashion shows being the star of my college but the Major cut was Winning Bombay Times Fresh face in 2013 as a 17-year-old, that got the professional offers coming in. I then started modeling but if I have to choose that one taking off point in my career as a model, it has to be being Gladrags Mr.India in ‘16 ..that changed things for me in a big way, in the right direction.
3) How did you experience the first job you did as a model?
Haha ..Alright I have little mixed views about that one! The first ramp show I did was for Nike, Puma, and Pro -Sport so that was an absolute stunner debut to walk the ramp on.
On the other hand, I remember doing this shoot for some E-commerce website and it was my first work shoot ever. I had like 200/300 changes which got me absolutely exhausted and I got paid 4k for it, which taught me how difficult it is to earn a penny. But that’s the first and last time I did something like that, I was very clear on what I want to do. I’ve always been hungry for the big stuff, high on ambition.
4) You have done a great deal of high profile jobs ,what have been your greatest achievements in your modelling career thus far ?
Yes definitely been blessed by God with some great achievements and modeling projects. The major ones have to be right from being Gladrags Mr.India to winning Man of the world India in ‘18 and then winning the Gold Medal for India in the world Finals in the Philippines.
My favorite has to be Top Model India, the International modeling reality show I did on colors infinity! There I worked with the best in the business, the top photographers, brands, and names worldwide, and winning the most shoots on the show was the cherry on top. Among other biggies, doing the Vogue Wedding show ..walking for the topmost designers of the country including Manish Malhotra, Sabyasachi, Anita Dongre and Tarun Tahiliani was special. Being on The cover of the Fashion World Magazine is up there and My latest International campaign for the streak, can’t wait for it to release worldwide. There have been many but I feel these were a tad bit more special to me.
5) What’s your most memorable shoot?
Ahh, that’s tough, so many beautiful, memorable shoots. But if I have to pick one, has to be shooting with Lisa Haydon as my co -model, being styled by Anaita Shroff Adajania wearing Falguni Shane Peacock and getting clicked by Atul Kasbekar on international television. Can it get better? One of those golden ones straight from heaven! I’m looking forward to many of these in the future for sure.
6) Do you have any beauty /skin routine you stick to daily ?
Ohh yes definitely! As an actor and model, looking your best is like the most basic requirement hence taking care of your face and skin is very important. But before I come to that I have to say that one can use the best products in the world and try to look great but if you don’t sleep well or don’t feel positive and happy from within, it’ll never work! Good sleep, happiness, peace, and a good diet gets you 90% there trust me. Apart from that I wash my face with a naturally extracted face powder and post workouts or a rough day, I use a good charcoal face wash. I use a good sunscreen before stepping out or a nice moisturizer when I’m home. I’m really disciplined about my pre-bed skin routine, wash my face with tea tree oil ( that’s my secret ) haha..and a good.. night cream and the under-eye gel does wonders. I have some good face masks I’m regular with once or twice a week. Diet is the key so I make sure there’s lots of Vitamin E going in.
7) What does a typical day in your week look like ? What do you like to do when you have time off ?
Always starts with a feeling of Gratitude and Praying followed by a hearty breakfast . 4 days a week I go to my acting school so if it’s one of those days then I drive to Bandra from Colaba and spend the next 4 hours there before heading back. On other days I’m either heading for auditions or shooting self-tests. Then my evenings are always action-packed, I head to the gym first and then go to my other fitness center where I do functional workouts which is more high intensity. Post that I keep switching between my Boxing sessions and my Dance classes at Shiamak, so it’s like thrice a week this and that. At the end of that, I’m super tired and rush home for dinner. After that, I might go out to meet my friends for a casual drive or a movie. If I’m home then I’m usually all out on Netflix before I crash for the day. On shoot days the whole day goes in that and none of the above happens, it’s that hectic and long usually. On weekends I unwind and I’m usually partying till late hours. Sunday is always with family and enjoying my cheat meals, I wait the whole week for that haha. In my free time, I love going to the movies, playing tennis or going for a swim and catching up with my close ones.
8) 5 facts about you people may not know
• I weighed 100 kilos when I was 15 years old and was a very obese kid. I couldn’t even see my toes and yaa here I am :). In a few months, I got rid of that with a lot of hard work and dedication and never looked back since.
• I was very much hostage in the 26/11 attacks in Mumbai as a 12-year-old. I’ve seen it closer than anyone and I’m very blessed to be here alive answering this interview.
• I’ve played Tennis at an International level and Cricket at the National level .
• I have a had exterior I know but I’m a very emotional person . A pure Coconut , what a combination ain’t it?
• I’ve been told I’m even more good looking in person, I don’t know how true that is so if you’re already drooling on my pictures, imagine seeing me in person hahaha!
9) Fitness plays an important role in the life of a male model. How do you stay fit during self-isolation?
You always have to find a way isn’t it if you’re serious about your goals! Fitness plays a huge role in our life as a model or an actor and this lockdown period was initially scary asking myself all those fitness questions. Not being consistent and disciplined with the diet and workouts can Easily take you back years in your fitness and spoil that body you sculpted for years. It’s easy to get laid back and give it all up but I push myself every day telling myself why I started? What are my dreams and goals? That has kept me motivated and that mental positivity is half the job done. I’ve been extra strict with my diet this lockdown, I follow a strict specific diet, consistently and what you eat is most important when it comes to fitness. There are no weights so I’m regular with high-intensity bodyweight training every day, 2 body parts a day with abs being almost every day. Apart from that, I’m regular with dancing and boxing. And most importantly the lockdown allows some extra rest and sleep so the body is reacting well and I’m maintaining my fitness in the best way possible with the limitations around.
10) What exercises do you do to get a sculpted body?
Everyone’s body reacts differently to different exercises and getting sculpted is more to do with having a low body fat % so that comes with a clean diet and high-intensity exercises. Swimming and boxing work best for me to get absolutely ripped right after some great weight training. I always follow my heavyweights with many reps of body weight, whether it’s push-ups, Squats, or deadlifts. And with abs I never follow a specific count, I destroy my core until it burns unbearably…that’s the key.
11) What’s the best exercise to get a six-pack?
The exercise of controlling the temptations of your tongue haha. Diet is key for abs, everyone has them but it’s about burning the fat on top to get them visible. Anyway abs exercises I do personally include a lot of plank variations, leg raises, hollow holds, Ab Cherry bombs, V sit-ups, oblique crunches, and Russian twists with a whole lot of crunches.
12) How important is nutrition when it comes to getting the perfect shape?
As I’ve been saying above as well, Nutrition is by far the most important when it comes to getting in perfect shape. When I was overweight, it was more with getting a cleaner diet and that helped me lose that fat or when I had to build muscle or get leaner, it’s always about making those necessary changes in your diet for getting the desired results. But what I’d like to say is that it’s important to keep a balance. I did the mistake initially of going crazy on the Protein intake ignoring everything else and cutting down salt or water. That has adverse effects on your face and skin which is more important and it also adversely affects your body functioning at its best. So the proteins are definitely important but so are the right kind of carbs, fats, and fibers to be fit as well as healthy mentally and Physically. Your body needs everything in balance, listen to it attentively.
13) What about cheat days?
Ohhh I’m a huge foodie! I love my food. I’ve been bought up in a typical Punjabi family being pampered with tons of deliciously rich food so that was definitely tough to give up. But now being so strict, it feels even better to earn those cheat meals, tastes better I must say! I believe it’s important to shock your body once in a while and pamper yourself after that hard Strict week so I always have my cheat days on Sunday unless I have to be shirtless in projects around then. I literally wait for it all week and plan what I want. My mom is the best cook on the planet so its always about having my favorite home-cooked meals or heading to my favorite restaurants and enjoying that one day. I’m a hardcore Carnivore haha!
14) Fashion and style are obviously a huge part of it .Describe your personal style . Where do you get your inspiration from ?
Fashion and style are personally very important to me as well. I’m very picky about my clothes and how I style myself. I always imagine myself the night before on what I have to wear and go the next day especially when it’s an important occasion, I just follow my instinct when it comes to styling myself. I feel everyone should dress according to their personality and not just follow anyone or any trend blindly. I personally like to keep it simple, classy, and sexy! That’s my kind of style and it’ll reflect in the choice of my clothes and how I style myself. I love classic colors, there’s an abundance of white in my wardrobe, love my whites! I’m crazy about shoes and watches, I have a beautiful collection which is never-ending haha. But at the same time, if I’m given something whacky or funky…I’m very confident about making it look good with equal ease.
15) And finally what are your plans for the future?
Be an absolute SUPERSTAR! I’ve been blessed with a very successful modeling career very young and a great start to my acting career, now I just wanna consolidate on that. I’m very excited about what’s lined up for me and I wanna give it my absolute best. It ultimately comes Down to being that Hero on the Big Bollywood Silver Screen, that’s my dream. Apart from that, I wanna be one of those rare Indian faces to make it big in Hollywood, I believe that’ll happen ..Amen. With modeling I wanna go big internationally now, being the face of the big international campaigns across the globe. But ultimately it’s all about inspiring others and giving back to them. I wanna be the reason they believe they can achieve their dreams. I wanna give back love and happiness, show people the right path, and contribute to making the world a better place.
