Beyond the runway: The OG supermodels rewrite timelessness

Four friends walk into a set. 

It is not their first rodeo, of course—they have done this drill a thousand times (and perhaps a million times combined) before. He is still one of India’s most scalding male beauties—a bona fide supermodel, an actor and entrepreneur with eyes that dare you to stay afloat, and a smile that can defrost the Tundra. Sea-secrets tucked in her cascading curls, she stands before the camera, after going away from it at the pinnacle of her career. She laughs with the ringing innocence of a child, her candour belying the many landmark conversations she has started in the country about women’s autonomy over their bodies. And she stands unmatched—her poise and grace, only further underscoring the epic highs of her decades-long career. 

As photographer Soujit Das clicks his camera, an image of the four friends—dressed in fitted skirts, suits, and stilettos—appears on the monitor in the image-maker’s signature saturated shades. As they burst into peals of joyous laughter, Dino Morea, Sheetal Mallar, Carol Gracias, and Ujjwala Raut remind everyone on set why they have endured the test of time and that they are just about getting started for their second act. 

Morea, today, is in charge of the playlist for the shoot, which veers between a wide range of selections—from Travis Scott to James Brown. At one point, Mallar interrupts him and asks him to switch to something “upbeat”. Morea immediately obliges. Having a good playlist on set, he argues, “helps you to groove, and your work becomes more fun.” And boy, do these friends know how to have fun! In between changes, a hundred updates are exchanged. At some point, it is revealed that it is Mallar and Raut’s first cover together after 1996, and Morea catches up with Gracias, who has been away from the bustle of the city in her Goa house; all the while seamlessly posing for the camera. 

As the shoot draws to a close, one thing becomes clear. Beyond algorithmic trends that die hourly deaths, and the circus-like obsession of pop-cultural relevance, these friends are legends who will always be remembered for the lives they have shaped, the careers they have helped build, and the relentless force with which they have strived to be the best version of themselves. Till kingdom comes.  

Carol Gracias

In the quiet of her Goa home, far away from the bustle and lights of Mumbai, Carol Gracias is catching a rare moment of respite. In the midst of a thousand shoots and Diwali weekend soirees, the 46-year-old supermodel is catching her breath, as we connect for a chat on a Tuesday morning. “When I was a kid, I used to like sketching and looking at my mother’s clothes, which were made from the fabrics my father bought when he was out at sea,” she says, her voice drifting away into a world far beyond the horizon. Raised on a steady diet of fashion magazines (“My dad would get them for us from his travels, and my mother made Sunday mass and Easter dresses for me from the designs featured in the pages”), Gracias’ entry into the industry was prompted at an early age by a fierce urge to live life on her own terms. 

And a life on her own terms she has lived: from winning the Elite Model Look in India in 1998, to becoming the first woman in India to walk a runway with a baby bump to being announced as the ambassador of beauty brand inde wild only last week, Gracias has embodied a newness every step of the way that is as audacious as it is inspiring. Yet, there is a perchance calmness to her voice that is deeply reassuring in today’s world that stands egregiously obsessed with questions and parameters of gratifying relevance over enduring timelessness. 

Below are some edited excerpts from our conversation. 

Harper's Bazaar: Why did you decide to get into modelling? 

Carol Gracias: I just wanted to become financially independent at an early age so that I could do the things I wanted to do, without being answerable to anyone else, including my parents. I also really enjoyed fashion, wearing clothes, putting things together, and styling myself. I was also very experimental in my clothing, and really enjoyed the world of fashion, which is why modelling felt like an obvious fit. People also suggested I consider joining the industry since I was very tall, and I did not want to take part in any beauty pageant, which is why, instead, I participated in the Elite competition in 1998. 

HB: Who were the people you were looking at for inspiration then?  

CG: Fashion TV had just started, so I was watching everyone from Kate Moss to the OG supermodels from America. I loved watching them—the way they styled themselves, carried themselves—it was very exciting. Back home, of course, I grew up in love with everything that Madhu Sapre did, and around this time, Nayanika Chatterjee was the model everyone was talking about, and I remember being very inspired by her as well. 

HB: When you broke into the industry in the 90s, it was also the big decade of celebrating the 5 Supers and their shared sisterhood. Who were the people you made your tribe with here? 

CG: I slowly grew my tribe, which eventually came to include Bhawna Sharma, Joey Matthew, Sapna Sharma, Anisha, and Aparna Bahl. But there were also make-up artists like Clint Fernandes and Ambika Pillai, and what is amazing is that eventually even my idols like Nayanika also became some of my closest friends. We have all grown up in the industry together, and they are still part of my tribe. 

HB: You have seen the Indian fashion industry from its very nascent, formative years. Almost two decades later, how has the industry evolved? 

CG: Tremendously. It has become so vast now that not many people end up knowing each other, unlike how it was in the past. Some of the biggest names in the industry today—Manish Arora, Manish Malhotra, Namrata Joshipura, Rajesh Pratap, Tarun Tahiliani—we saw all these people begin their careers at that point. Today, with the industry growing, things have, of course, become much more professional. Models have agencies; we were completely by ourselves. We were our own promoters, secretaries, and agents. We used to collect our cheques, keep our books, pay our bills—pretty much do everything on our own. In that sense, there is much more support provided to models today, whose reach has also increased immensely in the past years. The world is finally waking up to the talent that we have in India, not only in terms of designers who are showcasing internationally, but also models who are consistently walking international runways for some of the biggest fashion houses in the world. 

HB: 10 years ago, when you became the first woman to walk the runway with a baby bump, you started a still-ongoing conversation about women’s body autonomy. Looking back, do you feel pride? 

CG: It started with Gaurang Shah calling me and asking if I would like to do a show, since we had consistently worked together in the past. At that time, 10 years ago, I was pregnant, and Gaurang said, ‘I cannot do a show without you, ’ to which I said, ‘I am happy to walk the runway with my bump, if you are.’ And that was it! Since he has always made clothes for every kind of woman, irrespective of where they are from or what their body type is, it just felt a natural fit to do this. It is a great memory from my career, a highlight even, because it started a conversation that had begun internationally but had not begun in India yet. Since then, some of our most eminent leading ladies have walked the runway with their baby bumps, graced numerous magazine covers as well, but yes, it does feel proud to know that I was the first to do it in the country. 

HB: What is your message to young and upcoming models? 

CG: One, stay unique and different. Do not try to be perfect, because your imperfections are what will make you stand out and make people remember you. Second, (laughs) punctuality is always a virtue, and there is no second to it.  

HB: Do you have any designer pieces in your wardrobe that hold a particularly special memory? 

CG: I did a shoot with designer Savio Jon from Goa a few years ago. He had come to shoot in Mumbai, one of his first collections, and the images were by Colston Julian. Jon had sent me a whole bunch of clothes from that collection, and I still have them in my wardrobe, and I keep wearing them, simply because of how beautiful the clothes are. The silks are so lovely, and the cottons are so beautiful! It was an amazing shoot, which I have many, amazing memories of. Some of the pieces are very fast fashion adjacent, and what is amazing is they are still in such good condition that I can continue wearing them after two decades. This is how sustainable fashion should be.

Dino Morea

For a (not so proud) Gen Z like me, who spends much of his week swiping right on arguably handsome faces on dating apps, Dino Morea is still that rare breed of male beauty that makes one stop in their tracks. As I connect with the 49-year-old supermodel, actor, and entrepreneur over Zoom, I see the frame of his face stretched out against the sylvan Sri Lankan skyline and foliage where Morea is currently visiting for work. 

When he speaks for the first time, his voice exudes a depth of tone, and a restrained gravitas that instantly reminds me of a yesteryear Sean Penn. When I tell him (an inexcusable attempt at stringing together words) how much I (and my mother) enjoyed watching his most recent villainous turn in Netflix’s The Royals as Nawab Salauddin Khan, Morea smiles with unassuming humility. And in this moment, I realise, that he truly is part of a dying breed of men, whose scorching beauty stems not from the infinite eyes or the chiselled edges of their jaws, but from an unmatched sincerity and commitment to work that gives one the confidence to be their truest selves, at every step of their lives. 

Below are some edited excerpts from our conversation. 

Harper's Bazaar: What are your earliest memories of being fashionable? 

Dino Morea: You know, when I was probably in college taking part in dance competitions, and being a very active sportsperson. It is the age when everyone loves being looked at. It was also around that time, when I got offered a shoot for the first time ever for a fashion house in Bangalore. When I saw the images from the shoot in newspapers, I realised that I could carry off clothes really well—because prior to that I used to dress like a ruffian. My fitness and sports was all I cared about. 

HB: As you began your career in modelling, did you have any style icons you looked up to? 

DM: Andre Agassi, with his denim clothes, sleeveless vests, and earrings. I kept thinking to myself, how can I push the envelope more as well? So I would buy a pair of jeans and get a tailor to stitch a patch on it—just to give it that edge. I had a phase where my denim jackets were full of patches. as cool at that time.

HB: Why Agassi? Were you a tennis player yourself? 

DM: I played tennis in Karnataka, till under 13. Things changed really fast for me, and I never thought of pursuing it professionally because of the uncertainties. By then, I was doing a fair bit of modelling projects and making a steady income, so that was something I ended up never pursuing. 

HB: Having been in the industry for more than two decades now, how do you think it has evolved over the years? 

DM: In a nutshell, it was not the huge industry that it has become today. When I first started, there were only commercial suiting brands like Vimal or Raymonds with their campaigns. But things started getting heated up when fashion weeks started in India in the 2000s. Before that I had of course worked independently with all these designers—Rohit Bal, JJ Valaya, Suneet Verma to name a few. But this was the first time all of them came together under one roof to showcase their work. There were buyers, editors, everyone who mattered in the industry. It was a true shift, and we as an industry have never been the same since. Today so many of our brilliant designers are going abroad to showcase their work and the West is finally looking at us for work. It's only getting better. 

HB: Beyond your career in fashion, you have also extensively worked in the movies, and have multiple entrepreneurial ventures which not many know of. Why did you choose to pivot and diversify your career? 
 
DM: A lot of life has happened to me, and I’m really fortunate for it. Modelling was what I really paid attention to when I was just out of college. And I was modelling a lot, earning some money, paying my bills in Mumbai, and building a network of people and friends. I’m a very ambitious person, and I’ve always wanted to be extremely successful. So whenever it was not enough to just model, I’d look for what’s next. That’s how movies happened to me. My first movie, Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999), came to me, and then it led to other ones. Thereafter, it was up to me to choose and sustain the path before me. Because of the nature of my work, I met a lot of different kinds of people, and once again, my ambition pushed me to enter into varied business opportunities. Some worked, some did not. I would not call it a pivot, but rather taking every opportunity that has come my way. 

HB: What do you do to stay relevant? 

DM: You have to keep reinventing yourself. Today, youngsters are thinking differently, talking differently, behaving differently, and consuming content differently. I want to be relevant to the up-and-coming generation and say that I embody wellness, fitness, eating well, and so on and so forth. And I do this with simple stuff like being present, being seen, and imparting the right information at times when people are watching you. At a time when everyone is fighting for people’s limited attention spans, I want to be remembered as the ageless guy who never stops working on himself, and hence never stops being relevant.

HB: Do you have any designer pieces in your wardrobe that hold a special memory? 

DM: I’ve got a piece from Rohit Bal from a show I did for him. It was a showstopper piece and is very special to me. It is a black velvet long coat, with embroidery on the front, with a stunning interior lining full of colourful flowers. I have another piece from Raghavendra Rathore, which is this pair of classic jodhpurs with a bandhgala—signature of his label. I am very fond of both these pieces, since till date they are two of my favourite menswear designers. 

Sheetal Mallar

It is a Sunday evening, but Sheetal Mallar is far from catching a break. The 51-year-old supermodel and photographer has just returned from a daylong workshop, one in a series that she is attending as part of the process of working on her second book. “When I entered the industry, I did not have the fashion bug. I was just young, and craving independence, with this urge to do something on my own,” she shares—a curiously surprising confession for someone whose striking beauty has made her a muse for some of the greatest sartorial geniuses of our times. “I did not start modelling because I loved fashion. I fell in love with fashion because of my modelling career—it is kind of the other way around,” she says with a laugh: a candour and frankness that I find soothingly reassuring in today’s day and age of measured correctness. 

I profusely apologise for breaking the solitary quietude of her Sunday evening, but Mallar dismisses me with a gentle smile. The smile that has in the past served as a muse for international fashion giants like Armani and Fendi now stands before me, hiding decades of seeing, absorbing, and archiving that is impossible to distil in a single interview. As the receding sunlight slips through her curls, Mallar opens up to me (patiently putting up with millions of gasps, an oohs) about a creative life perched on the threshold of being seen by, and seeing other people to the fullest. 

Below are some edited excerpts from our conversation. 

Harper's Bazaar: The nineties and early naughties were also excitingly heady days in India and abroad. Did you feel any of that energy seeping in when you were starting out? 

Sheetal Mallar: When I look back, I feel those were the golden days of fashion modelling and how fashion was evolving in India. Channels like MTV and Channel V were finally here in our country, and great content was streaming through on our screens. And it was just an inspiring period. We had some really cool photographers around, like Bharat Sikka, the late Prabuddha Dasgupta, who were shooting such superb campaigns with some great art directors. I briefly went abroad to the US and Italy for work as well during that time, before coming back. In many ways, I got to experience the best of both worlds from those times. 

HB: It was also when fashion weeks started in India! 

SM: Absolutely. Abu Jani and Sandeep Khosla, Rohit Bal, Wendell Rodricks, and Ritu Kumar all came together to stage these stunning shows in these stellar locations. We models were constantly travelling (laughs). It was a different time together because the industry was not as corporate-like as it is today, and showbiz had not entered the industry yet. 

HB: Having been in the industry for three decades yourself, how do you think it has evolved over the years? 

SM: The business has completely changed in many ways. It has all gotten bigger, with the influx of corporate funding and the way we perceive the industry and its many stakeholders has changed. It has become more structured and formal in many ways. Earlier, having 80-100 models in a show was unheard of, but it is a reality today. It is difficult for me to answer this as well, because I also, at one point, chose to take a break from my career and take up photography as a serious pursuit for many years. Up until now, when I feel the 90s and those of us who were around in the 90s are making a comeback into the mainstream conversation again. 

HB: When you went abroad in those initial years, you also became a muse for Signor Armani. In the wake of his passing, do you have any fond memories of working with him in those years? 

SM: It was such a great experience doing his shows, because one, his clothes, and his designs, the silhouettes are just exquisite. It is clean, and it is for everyone. Even if you are not in fashion, it is impossible not to be impressed by his clothes. Unlike other models, I was never really a fashion nerd, but someone who was interested in the business. His was one of those rare pieces of clothing that really awakened the fashion bug in me. And he himself was such a gentle, elegant man, always dressed in his signature blue. I remember going for castings in his bungalow, where we used to rehearse on the huge ground floor. 

HB: At the very height of your career, why did you choose to take a break and pivot into photography? 

SM: Since childhood, I was always creatively inclined. So I was painting and drawing as a serious hobby. I always felt that my life at some point would go towards a visual arts path. I feel modelling when you're younger is fantastic because you grow up in the business, you smarten up early, you learn the ways of the world. But there will come a point where you will feel the need to start doing something else as a second chapter. I felt photography was, in the end, my calling. I was always the person who had a camera in the friend group or in the family. I have such a huge archive of images!

HB: You have worked with some of the greatest photographers of our country. Did any of their approach or body of work influence your own style?

SM: I was very blessed to work with some of the finest photographers we had in the country, and half of them are my closest friends. So I did have them as a bouncing board when I started, and they were very encouraging. People like Farooq Chothia, the late Prabuddha Dasgupta, and even Bharat Sikka. 

HB: What message would you give to young models today? 

SM: The fact that we had such a record number of girls walking the Big 4 fashion weeks this year, I think, was incredible. I wish we had more platforms to support these girls because it is not easy to go out there and do this. I think we are really living in a time now more than ever, where it's smart to be able to do a few things with your life. So I would honestly tell these girls to be as multi-faceted as possible—to complete their education on the side, become great at a few more things, so you can support yourself better. So that in case it does not work out, you have the safety net to walk away from it on your own terms and conditions. 

HB: You began your career in the 90s, the era of the supermodels. One of the most enduring things about the OG supers has been the conversation of sisterhood surrounding them. Over the years, did you end up finding your own tribe as well? 

SM: Yes, I did. Me and my girls who all started out together but I am especially close to three of them. Lakshmi Rana, Kiran Rao, and Jesse Randhawa. They were my closest friends then, and are my closest friends still. We have seen each other through many highs and lows in life. And then there are also people like Dino, Ujjwala, and Carol, all of whom I was back on a set with after so long! The last time I did a cover with Ujjwala, I think was for Femina back in ’96! We were both discussing it, and laughing. 

Ujjwala Raut

Not every woman in India can sit you down on a Diwali weekend and regale you with stories of how Tom Ford once looked at them and said, ‘Look at her, she is so beautiful! She could be from anywhere.’ And that is what sets Ujjwala Raut apart even today. The 47-year-old supermodel and I connected on the afternoon of Dhanteras, minutes after Raut had returned home from the temple, and grabbed a quick lunch. What does a moment like that honestly feel, I ask her dreamily. “Honestly? I was just shitting my pants, out of nervousness,” laughs Raut in reply. 

There is an immediate, palpable shift in the room, as I realise the importance of clinging onto the ordinary simplicity of your true self (“I still get nervous before walking the runway“), even while achieving extraordinary greatness with every breath of your being. Beyond the dizzying lights of runways in New York City and Milan, the star-spangled campaign banners and the jet-setting lifestyle of a once-in-a-lifetime beauty, I now become curious about the tale less told. That of a young tropical girl, perched on the threshold of her tweens, arriving in the temperate cold of Paris for the first time—no winter wardrobe or French phrases in tow—but just a set of eyes full of dreams, and a destiny written for history. And in the recounting of this less-told tale, Raut barely disappoints. 

Below are edited excerpts from our conversation. 

Harper's Bazaar: What is your earliest memory of being fashionable?

Ujjwala Raut: I think in college. I had three older sisters, out of which my eldest sister was very into fashion—she was the first one to wear jeans and eyeliner in the family, and I think I got into fashion largely because I was so inspired by her. I was not really into makeup and dressing-up myself, so for me early memories of being fashionable would be trying different kinds of eyeliners and going to college. It was my sister who encouraged me to eventually take part in competitions as well, which eventually changed the course of my life!

HB: What happened after you won Elite in 1996? 

UR: It opened the floodgates because I was sent from India to take part in the international division of the competition in Nice in September 1996 itself. I landed a three year modelling contract, since I was among the top 15 models globally. Before I knew it, a ticket had arrived and I was on my way to Paris to walk for couture week in January, 1997 with no winter clothes, or runway experience (laughs). When I got booked for my first commercial, my face was plastered all over Paris, which was a big deal then because you did not have many brown faces walking internationally back in the day. 

HB: Sounds like a dream! You very soon also became the first Indian model, after Kirat Young, to become the face of Yves Saint Laurent. Tell me a little bit about that experience! 

UR: Yves Saint Laurent stepped down in 2002 and I remember doing his final show. There were close to a 100 models and everybody from Leticia to Naomi to Katusha walked that show. I was picked out by Saint Laurent because although he had never visited the country, he had an enduring fascination with our culture. After him, when Tom Ford stepped in, I had just signed with IMG who had given me a haircut because they did not want to front me as an ‘Indian’ model. They were very clear that they saw me like all their other supermodels, which was a great deal back in the day.  James Cully, who did castings for Ford, saw me and after many rounds of casting finally met Ford. He had a very small number of 14-15 girls walking the show that year, and I was the only new addition. 

HB: With a career spanning close to three decades, you have seen the Indian fashion industry grow from a very nascent stage through its formative years. Over years, how has the industry evolved? 

UR: It is a difficult question for me to answer always, because all the people that we entered the industry with are no longer there with us. But I can definitely say with a lot of pride that we used to make great money because the people that were in power believed in us, and helped us climb every stepping stone on the path to success. If we needed any help with anything from my visas to passports to clothes to travel—everything was taken care of  because there was a collective sense of pride in our success. Most often, we did not even know who the people were that were backing us from behind the scenes. I don’t know if that is the same anymore. Right now, in the Indian fashion space, I think there is a definite oversaturation—be it in terms of publications, fashion weeks, or even designers. And there are very few who have the understanding, the knowledge, or can deliver the requisite quality. I miss the times when it was more about team work, and less about the individual.

HB: Are there any fronts where you think things have become better? 

UR: Definitely! At a technical level we have reached international standards of excellence I feel. Earlier, photographers from the West had to be constantly flown in. Today Indian photographers have really upped their game. And our hair and make-up artists are simply outstanding. I feel so happy working with these artists today, because these were frontiers that we really used to struggle with back in the day. 

HB: Today in the madness that is the social media circus, what do you find yourself doing to stay relevant? Is it a question that bothers or concerns you at all? 

UR: No, I don’t think the pressure gets to me. You have to understand that I became a mother at a very young age, around 26-27. I was breastfeeding in between runway shows, and eventually with time I realised that I wanted to focus on my personal life and milestones instead of chasing the same runway shows for money. I had my time, and I worked with some of the biggest creative geniuses globally. I have always believed in quality of work over quantity and these days too I am very selective about the projects I say yes to because I would rather be remembered for a few path-breaking milestones than work till I die, and be remembered for nothing of consequence. 

HB: Are there any designer pieces in your wardrobe that hold a special memory for you? 

UR: I have everything from Ungaro, from when I used to be the bride in his show. From the flowers that went in my hair, the shells, the beads—everything. I have a very special attachment with all of them. And, of course, from my first show for Tom Ford I have a leather jacket, which still fits like a glove.