When I was just 18 years old, I got the chance to walk the ramp for a French designer in France. This was a major turning point for me as I was young and looking for a break. There was no looking back after that and I was deluged with offers from international brands and prominent designers. For a model it’s a great feeling to get international recognition and adulation quickly.

When I joined the modelling world, my father told me not to make any compromises in terms of work. And even today, I don’t like to make compromises and always try to fulfil my commitments first.

More recently, a significant milestone has been shooting for the Kingfisher calendar for 2009 with Atul Kasbekar. Shooting for Kasbekar is always fun as he’s a perfectionist and knows what he wants to achieve in his photographs. During the shoot, he made all the models feel very comfortable and the results are stunning.

As a model, my priority is to do meaningful work and get noticed for it. I am getting loads of international offers from various brands but I am going slow. I don’t want my success get into my head and want to be known as a simple girl with values.

Many people ask me whether I want to step into Bollywood. And while I am getting plenty of offers, I don’t want to make a hasty decision. Instead, I want to continue doing what I am known for — and that’s modelling. I want to remain focused in my work and will only say yes to films if I get a really good offer. And perhaps that will be another major milestone for me.

(As told to Sushmita Biswas)