'The girls were taller than me, prettier than me.
'They were walking around with so much confidence, talking about agencies, brands and the designers they have worked with.'
'I asked myself, 'Am I seriously going to compete with them?'
As a little girl, Roshni Dada loved watching Fashion TV.
As the beautiful models glided across the screen, dreams would glitter in Roshni's eyes -- that she too, one day, would be part of this beautiful world.
On October 24, 2021, she took a huge step in this direction when she won the title of MTV Supermodel Of The Year, Season 2. She also took home Rs 500,000 as prize money. The show was judged by actor-models Malaika Arora, Milind Soman, Anusha Dandekar and designer Masaba Gupta.
The young beauty from Arunachal Pradesh -- the 22-year-old nursing student is the second youngest of five siblings -- is also the former Femina Miss India Arunachal Pradesh 2019.
Roshni tells Rediff.com Senior Contributor Rajul Hegde how she found the courage to pursue her dreams of becoming both a nurse and a model.
Part 1 of the interview:
Did you always want to model?
When I was little, I wanted to do so many things related to fashion and modelling.
I used to watch Fashion TV, adore those girls and want to become a model like them. But I was also interested in the medical line. That is the reason I joined nursing.
I was one of the tallest girls among my friends. I was quite skinny too, so everybody would tell me that I should try modelling. That thought stuck in my head.
I didn't plan anything; I just participated in Miss Arunachal because I wanted to step outside my comfort zone.
I was very shy and would not speak with people. It was to change that aspect of my personality that I participated in the pageant.
I was then told to audition for the Miss India pageant and I got selected.
How does it feel winning Supermodel Of The Year, Season 2?
Considering where I come from, winning the title is a big achievement.
I never thought I would come this far.
I learned to stay strong and focus graciously.
The whole journey was a learning process.
It's still like a dream for me.
I have done a pageant earlier but never been a professional model, so everything was new to me.
What challenges did you face on the show?
There is not much exposure in my state (Arunachal Pradesh) because people don’t know much about fashion and modelling -- considering this as career is fairly new here.
Coming from a place like this and giving auditions in a place like Mumbai is, in itself, a big feat.
It was quite a brave move for me to move here and participate in the show.
It was challenging to compete with girls who were more experienced than me.
Did you ever feel like quitting the show?
Yes. When I saw the other girls (contestants) before the first day of the shoot, my confidence level dropped.
They were taller than me, prettier than me.
They were walking around with so much confidence, talking about agencies, brands and the designers they had worked with.
I was just a newbie; I asked myself, 'Am I seriously going to compete with them?'
I was about to give up, but my roommate (co-contestant) Palak (Singhal) said I have a pretty face and if I work on it, I can do it.
That's how I got motivated.
I asked the girls how to pose and started practising in front of the mirror.
Gradually I gained the confidence to do better, because every day was a challenge.
How did your family and friends react to your win?
My older sister is a huge fan of reality shows; she binges on them.
My friend sent the audition form for this show. My sister wanted to participate, but she is camera shy, so she pressed me to go. That's how I gave the auditions.
My sister was screaming and was the happiest person when I won the title.
