- Before acting, Anushka Sharma worked as a model and faced subtle bullying during fashion week
- Designer Saisha Shinde witnessed and recounted a dismissive gesture towards Anushka at fittings
- Shinde wanted to give Anushka the closing walk but was overruled and she got a lesser spot
In 2008, Hindi cinema saw the debut of a new star as Anushka Sharma debuted in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi opposite Shah Rukh Khan. Directed by Aditya Chopra, the romantic film was a blockbuster hit and the actor went on to steal hearts with her performance by featuring in movies like Band Baaja Baaraat, Jab Tak Hai Jaan, PK, Ladies vs Ricky Bahl, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil, Sultan, and NH10, among others.
But before becoming an actor, Anushka Sharma was a model. Recalling her formative years, couturier Saisha Shinde recently took to Instagram to narrate an incident from when she first saw her. She was probably among the first few who noticed her but could not give her the loudest moment on stage.
How Anushka Sharma Was Bullied As A Model
"There was a girl in this show," the designer began her post, adding, "Fresh, tall, long hair, absolutely stunning. Quiet. A model from Bangalore (now Bengaluru) who had just started and I believe it was her first season at fashion week."
Saisha confessed that she still has a photo of the actor from the fittings that day. "She's standing in her first look - a rose suede coat (her actual dress wasn't even ready she directly wore it on the show day), her hair half-pinned, no makeup yet, a phone in one hand."
The couturier further noted that Anushka was not looking at the camera. She was looking down. "A little folded into herself, the way you do when you're new and not sure you're allowed to take up space," Saisha added.
She remembered that at the edge of the frame was another model's hand, resting on Anushka's head. "Casual. Careless. The kind of small gesture that tells you everything about who a room has decided matters and who it hasn't," Saisha described.
The designer noticed the gesture and didn't like it. And it stayed with her even almost 20 years later. The small gesture was probably the reason why Saisha wanted to give Anushka the closing look.
"The final walk. Not only because of how she moved - though she moved beautifully - but because something in me wanted the quiet girl, the one the room was treating like the fresh girl they can bully; I wanted her to have the loudest moment of the night," she thought to herself.
But the designer was overruled, and the closing look went to someone else as Anushka was moved in the line-up to the second-last spot.
"I was young then, and new, and I hadn't yet learned how to win those fights. I let it go. I was quietly heartbroken about it," Saisha shared, remembering that a year and a half later, the actor made her debut with none other than Shah Rukh Khan.
"I still think about that fitting room. A space full of people who couldn't see her - and one designer who could, and still couldn't give her the moment she wanted to," the designer added.
"Some lessons in this industry were never about fabric at all," she wrote, concluding the note.
Social Media Reactions
A user called Anushka Sharma, "Truly inspirational."
Another pointed out that the actor might have been only 17 years old at the time.
A third applauded the designer for sharing the story.
A fourth called the narration, "beautiful."
Anushka Sharma's story is proof that success does not come without resilience and hard work. The world has no shortage of arrogant people, but it also has many kind individuals who believe that talent deserves the spotlight.
Also Read | Internet Clashes Over Anushka Sharma's Homeopathy Post: 'Unscientific Fraud' vs 'It Works'
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