It’s late in the afternoon and IT Girl Lisa Haydon has been on the go all day. The exotic Malayalee-Aussie model with the lustrous locks and sinuous, wafer-thin figure is now taking it easy in the 24th-floor suite at the Four Seasons Hotel in Mumbai and looking casually comfortable sitting with her legs curled up under her. She’s tucking into a healthy-looking bowl of salad accompanied by a slice of bread smeared with plenty of butter.

Haydon radiates an air of cool confidence and quickly rises to give the camera her sexiest looks. Like the experienced model that she is, she checks the best snaps and offers expert tips on how to make each photo work just right for you.

The 29-year-old has swapped the fast-paced world of modelling for the bright lights of Bollywood and she only does very occasional, special ramp shows these days. And she insists that movies will take first place in her hectically busy life from now. “I have evolved and grown as a model but walking the ramp every day doesn’t seem to be the best plan now. Once you pass that phase of life, you kind of move on to the next level,” she says firmly.

Still, she’s always rushing from TV shows to Bollywood, and, in between, she spends a few hours nurturing her own start-up business. And, she has moved into a high-profile slot as the host and presenter on MTV’s India’s Next Top Model, the Indian adaptation of the American show of the same name, in which talented, beautiful and poised youngsters vie for the top title and a chance to make it into the big time.

The show features 13 girls from across the country tussling for the Numero Uno spot. Lisa, who keeps the contestants on their toes as the presenter is joined on the show by topflight movers and shakers including photographer Dabboo Ratnani, veejay Anusha Dandekar and grooming expert Neeraj Gaba as judges. Says Lisa: “After so many years in the modelling industry, I feel I have so many tips to offer these girls.”

Lisa’s transition from modelling to Bollywood queen is happening but with ups and downs. She scorched the screen and won praise as the Bohemian single mother Vijaylakshmi in Queen, the low-budget sleeper that raked in the cash and walked away with several awards last year.

Queen gave her acting career an early fillip but it brought her fewer movies than might have been expec-ted. Nevertheless, she’s pleased with the ones that are on the way, like the emotional drama Badshaho directed by Milan Luthria where she will be onscreen opposite Ajay Devgn. Shooting for the movie will start in September and it’s scheduled to release in August 2016. There’s also the third instalment of the multi-starrer Housefull 3, a comedy in which she is paired with Riteish Deshmukh. “All I can say is that it is about funny men and the camaraderie between them,” she says.

She reckons that, first and foremost, she must carve out her own space in Bollywood and avoid the fate of being just another pretty face. She has also come to terms with the ups and downs that are an inevitable part of every actor’s working life. Yes, box office success is crucial for any film, but she reasons: “Of course, for a producer who has put in so much money a Friday blockbuster counts.” But she feels that it’s important to accept success and failure with equanimity. She adds: “If it doesn’t become a blockbuster, I don’t go home and cry and think about it. There are way too many things to be grateful for. There is always a next time to do well.”

She certainly didn’t have her eyes on Bollywood when she sashayed down the ramp for the first time in India. In fact, she thought she didn’t have the slightest hope on the screen because, coming from Australia, her Hindi was nearly non-existent. Acting, in fact, happened by default. She says: “I never considered Hindi films ever in my life only because I don’t speak the language. But in India, Bollywood happens eventually if you are a successful model.”
 

She doesn’t like dwelling on her down moments in the film industry. She did get flak for doing an item number in David Dhawan’s Rascals and she quickly adds, “It was not the favourite part of my career.” Then, there was The Shaukeens soon after Queen. “The film didn’t turn out as it was planned as I was down with dengue. It got mixed reviews,” she says.

Haydon reckons she’s highly qualified to host India’s Next Top Model.  Earlier, she did two seasons of the show Kingfisher Supermodels. She says her experience as a model gives her an insight that few others possess. She says: “I can see right through the girls. I know better what models go through and while some handle it well, others crack under pressure. Nerves do all kinds of crazy things to people.”

Lisa made a beeline for the glitzy world of modelling at the age of 19 in Australia. But it was only when she moved to India in 2008 that she went full-time on the ramp and in front of the camera. The decisive turning point for her came three years later during the Kingfisher calendar shoot, when photographer Atul Kasbekar turned his lens on her. Says Dabboo Ratnani: “I have shot with Lisa a number of times. And, since she’s an experienced supermodel, she had all kinds of suggestions to offer the contestants.”

Executive producer Akash Sharma of Bulldog Media and Entertainment, which is producing India’s Next Top Model, also lavishes praise on the raven-haired beauty. He says: “Lisa is a tho-rough professional and has been involved in every phase of the selection of the contestants. The fact is that she has a great attitude, a charming personality and a film career, and all that works well for her.”

As a supermodel, Lisa has made her presence felt on the ramp for all the established fashion designers like Tarun Tahiliani and has also worn the clothes of other rising stars like Swati Vijaivargie. Most recently, she rocked the IIFA red carpet in a Gaurav Gupta ivory knitted, sculpted mermaid gown in Malaysia. She has also been the face for a range of products such as Lakmé cosmetics, Hyundai cars and Blender’s Pride. Currently, she’s in sparkling form as the face of Nirav Modi jewellery.

If acting is her priority, Lisa’s other passion is making chemical-free cosmetics that she sells under her label Naked. She uses what she calls her “leisure time” to work on these products. Her line includes everything from bath salts to moisturisers, lip balms, face packs and skin repair serums.

Lisa retails her line from an online store called Fab Bag and prices start from Rs 800 onwards. She says: “Last year I did a tropical line of essential oils after the shooting in Mauritius for The Shaukeens. This year, I am doing a line based on my travels in Europe. It always takes a lot of time to churn out these cosmetics because there are too many other things happening at the same time. Right now, I’m reworking the packaging and looking at expanding my line.”

The young model is a true child of the 21st century and you could say she has made the globe her home. She was born in Mumbai as Elisabeth Marie Haydon to a Malayalee father, Venkat, and an Australian mother, Anna. And she’s the second child in a large family — she has three brothers and three sisters.

Lisa says she had a strict upbringing even though the family lived first in New York and then in Sydney. In Australia, of all places, she discovered Yoga and spent time perfecting her poses. In India, she has been learning contemporary dance from choreographer Shiamak Davar for five years.

Her foray in Bollywood happened by chance in 2010 with Aisha which had Sonam Kapoor in the lead role. Anil Kapoor spotted Lisa at a coffee shop and decided she would be perfect for the role of hotshot New York entrepreneur Aarti Menon.
 

In Queen Haydon’s character was the fast-moving, high-living Vijaylakshmi, but she insists that in real life she’s not a pubbing-clubbing girl. She would rather go off for surfing and diving holidays to beaches in Australia and Goa. And, when she’s at home, she likes nothing better than to watch TV. But she’s no couch potato and has often pulled on her running shoes to take part in marathons.

Her parting suggestion for aspiring models is: “Don’t listen to anything that’s going on around you. Just drown out the outside noise and focus on the task at hand. People only care about what they see when you walk the ramp or when a film releases.”