Grasim Mr India 2004-05 Sunil Mann scorches the ramp at Tantra on Thursday afternoon. Picture by Pabitra Das

From a village in Haryana to the ramp at the India Fashion Week, the road travelled is long and winding. But Sunil Mann, Grasim Mr India 2004-05, has what it takes to straddle the two stages.

Sunil is a classic case of a small-town boy making it big in a city. ?Things tend to get very difficult if you do not hail from a big place. The main hindrance is an inferiority complex,? admits Sunil while walking the Tantra ramp for men’s wear label Blackberrys on Thursday afternoon.

The boy from Isharhaveli, in the Rohtak district of Haryana, says: ?I knew I had to make it big by hook or by crook. My father, despite being a simple man (he is a farmer), was my biggest support.?

A graduate from the Delhi University, Sunil took everybody by surprise when he became the first model to speak in Hindi during the Grasim Mr India contest. But language did not prove much of a barrier for this lad.

After a few small modelling assignments, Sunil was headed straight for the big stage. His physical attributes were best suited for modelling.

?Being a village lad I was used to the grind of day-to-day life. Moreover, I have been brought up on a very good diet of dairy products, so slogging hard and getting myself into shape was not a big deal. The body is like a shrine and one has to keep it free from all evils,? feels Sunil.

He manages to carve out four hours just for himself, no matter how hard the schedule is. After jogging in the morning it is time for cardio-vascular exercises. Come evening and he heads for the gymnasium for two hours of weight training.

So, will Sunil do a John Abraham or Dino Morea? The Haryanvi believes he needs a lot of grooming before taking the plunge off the ramp and into Bollywood.

?I need to work a lot on my Hindi and English. I also need lessons in dancing. I want to be fully trained before I join the bandwagon,? says the Arjun Rampal fan.

Though films are a distant thought, theatre is something closer to Sunil’s heart.

?I like theatre because there you do not have to wait for the results. Things move very fast,? says Sunil, who’s been in touch with stage veteran Naseeruddin Shah for quite some time. ?He has given me valuable tips and advised me to improve my language skills,? reveals Sunil.

Another dream the he-man harbours is of fitness academies around the country.