Sushma Puri can’t believe how times have changed. When she launched the Elite Modelling School three years ago, most parents were reluctant to allow their children to take their chances in the Big Bad World of fashion modelling. Today the parents are coming along with their children and actively encouraging them to try their luck in the world of glamour.

Rashmi Virmani is taking full advantage of these social changes and stepping smartly along the ramp. Her modelling agency, The Ramp has been in the fashion game for years and she has always been teaching young wannabes the tricks of the trade. But now she has got into the teaching game officially by tying up with London’s Wigan & Leigh College. Says Virmani, “We follow the same international standards as the London branch.”

This is a game of spotting the ramp scorchers of the future. And, as the rag trade spreads its glitzy wings and grows bigger — even as its outfits get skimpier — it’s pulling in youngsters like a moth to a powerful light.

Amanpreet Wahi, winner of the Miss Gladrags title, 2004-5

So, enter the professional modelling schools, which put together slick packages and teach the starry-eyed youngsters everything from how to walk along the ramp with poise to what to eat if they want to stay chic and slender.

Mehyar Bhasin is one of the old-timers in the game and always remembers how she made her way to sudden success with barely any aid and assistance. Today her modelling school calls in specialists for every discipline. There a dietician and a fitness guru who teaches youngsters how to make sure that curves don’t turn to flab. Bhasin reckons the industry has changed from top to bottom and anyone starting out in the industry needs all the help they can get. “The competition is tough and people are more specific and know what they want. It’s difficult to break through.”

One sign that times were changing came when Paris-based Elite, one of the world’s top schools, decided that India’s fashion business was big enough to warrant its attention. The coming of Elite helped to open new avenues for youngsters. Says Puri, “Our focus is to scout for and introduce new faces to the industry. This means that 95 per cent of the boys and girls that we sign up for modelling have had no prior experience of or exposure to modelling.”

Aspirants from the Elite Modelling School

Elite took time to make its presence felt in the industry, but now it’s firmly entrenched after turning out ramp scorchers like Sonalika Sahay and Neha Kapur. The institute has a rounded curriculum and occasionally brings in foreign teachers to drive home the finer points of the trade.

The others too are expanding smartly. Virmani has moved to bigger premises and wants to open in Mumbai and Bangalore in the next 12 months. She recalls that in the old days when she started it was on a tiny scale. “Earlier when I started, it was just me and my assistant. We did everything ourselves from choreographing to production.” Today, her modelling agency has five bookers and specialists for different department. “I now work with three to four stylists. It’s more dynamic and it also means more hours of sleep.”

Rashmi Virmani of The Ramp

What do you need to teach a youngster who is barely out of his or her teens and hoping to make it big in fashion? In Calcutta, Sanchita Kushary Bose’s The Dream Merchants has put together a sophisticated package that includes everything from skin and hair care, to diet, exercise, yoga, make-up and hairstyling. Besides that, she teaches the aspiring models about wardrobe essentials, carriage and posture. There are also interactive sessions in studios where students are trained on different aspects of the game like how to face the camera, public speaking and etiquette. She even throws in a week of intensive training on acting and voice modulation.

Many of the modelling schools started out in other segments of the fashion trade. Pranav Awasti, for instance, kicked off his career by training as a make-up artist in London. He returned to India and opened Glitz Modelling Agency back in the ‘80s when fashion was little more than a cottage industry.

Today, not only has he expanded but he also has a studio equipped with state-of-the-art facilities. He has moved cautiously from one part of the business to another. He first went into the production and management of modelling assignments and proudly says that Mallika Sherawat did one of her first shoots for Monte Carlo with his agency.

Pranav Avasti of Glitz Modelling Agency explains the finer points of modelling to young hopefuls

Then, he turned his attention to teaching models how smarten up their act and he now has a visiting faculty that includes top photographers, designers, choreographers and models. “This will help me to focus only on getting good placements for talented models,” he says.

Other bigger names are now looking at the fashion training game and liking what they see. Another Paris-based company, Metropolitan Models is about to start a training school. Metropolitan Models India has been around for some time, but till now it has only been launching models and holding a contest where winners are usually sent to Paris for an assignment. “We will be starting the grooming school this winter,” says Rachna Sikka, head co-coordinator of Metropolitan Models India. Besides, the agency has short-listed Indian models to be promoted in India and abroad.

What does all this cost the young aspirants? In almost all the cases, the fees depend on what type of course is taken and the duration. At The Ramp for instance, you could attend a five-day class for Rs 5,000. Alternatively, the youngsters can opt for a different module which runs from three to five weeks costing between Rs 25,000 and Rs 55,000.

Jatin Soni did a 15-day intensive grooming course before entering the Mr Grasim contest and winning

Similarly, at Glitz Modelling Agency, a two-month course comes for Rs 20,000 and also includes a portfolio shot by a well-known photographer. The classes are held every alternate day and there is a batch of 30 students. And Metropolitan plans to hold two modules that will last totally for 45 days and which will teach grooming and catwalk etiquette. The total cost of the grooming class will be around Rs 16,000. The Dream Merchants, meanwhile, charges about Rs 6,000 for a six-week course. Bose currently has about 15 students and sticks to a policy of not taking more than 20 at a time.

Elite takes on its students for slightly longer periods. There’s a three-month grooming and deportment programme, which ensures that students are put through and trained for all aspects of modelling. Says Puri, “The programme is very thorough and covers ramp and runway techniques, nutrition and fitness, hair and make-up, personal hygiene, photo posing, personality development, social etiquette, theatre, dance and makeovers.” Elite now has two new sections: Elite Corporate Grooming and Elite Placement Division.

Does attending grooming classes help? It makes a world of difference insists Amanpreet Wahi, winner of the Miss Gladrags title, 2004-5. Says Wahi, “It isn’t just about learning how to move on the catwalk. You learn to understand how the industry functions. You’re more equipped. People can’t exploit you easily.”

Mehyar Bhasin

Another top model Jatin Soni also insists that formal training helps. Soni did a 15-day intensive grooming course before entering the Mr Grasim contest and winning. Says Soni, “It opened my eyes to many things. And, most importantly, it put me at ease even in a crowd.”

Likewise Arati Sharma, winner of Gladrags 2006, benefited from a month-long intensive training before the contest. “I would really recommend grooming classes for freshers,” says the model from Haryana.

In the modelling world there are stories about how smart looking girls and boys without much polish are transformed after some time in modelling school and on the job. Many of the modelling schools say that attitude and a willingness to learn is more important than a great command over the language. Sometimes the schools suggest they enrol for English classes. Awasti says that about 70 per cent of his students are from small towns in Haryana, Rajasthan and Punjab.

The schools help their students in more ways than one. Since they’re dealing with young people barely out of their teens it often becomes necessary to guide them and check that they are suited for the career they are aiming for. Says Awasti, “We always try to see their attributes before making their portfolio. For instance, if a person is good looking but short, he or she is probably best for print modelling.” Once the school and the young aspirants have decided what to focus on, the portfolio is sent out to agencies and production houses.

Inevitably, everyone keeps one eye on Bollywood. “We also look at their attitude and body language to figure out if they would qualify for acting on the small screen. After checking all this, we make their portfolio accordingly,” says Awasti. Since Awasti has tied up with various productions houses, he says he’s scouting for talent and not just looks.

Also, the schools usually act as agents for the youngsters so the relationship often lasts for some time. The schools double up as agencies and get around a 30 per cent commission as fees for the people they represent. “We negotiate on their behalf. In some cases, models are new and don’t know how much to charge. That’s the benefit of going through agents,” says one person who runs a school.

But even getting into the grooming institutes can be difficult for some. There are auditions before a panel of judges. Physical appearance may be important but there’s more to it. All the schools know that modelling can be a tough profession and the youngsters have only a few years to make it big. But, for those who hit it lucky, getting into modelling school can be the first step to fame and riches that comes attached with heaps of glamour all the way.

Photographs of Rashmi Virmani and Pranav Awasti by Rupinder Sharma

Illustration by Gargyee Bhattacharya Roy