Shyamoli Varma: The Lakme girl and India's first supermodel

Shyamoli Verma: An adman's dream come aliveFor just under six months, the face has graced every prominent women's magazine in the country. Seen on posters, in magazine double-spreads, and at 'selling-point' showcards and advertisements, it has done more since last October for the Lakme name than a decade of haphazard and barely coordinated marketing efforts.She is identified as the Lakme girl, a singularly beautiful face which, in addition to promoting and selling Lakme comestics and make-up ranges, is a heart-stopper for every male who sees the advertisements. Soft, expressive, and extremely versatile, Shyamoli Verma, 24, is the greatest thing to happen to Indian modelling in the '80s - the sort of gifted fashion model who appears only once in a decade.She combines the classic Indian beauty of the Kishangarh school's bani thani with the modern grace and modelling skill of Brooke Shields. The face is vintage Vogue: childlike in its simplicity, yet encompassing the depth and heartwarming gravity of the Madonna, the clear-skinned face is set off with features so perfect that it is an adman's dream come alive. The straight nose and arched mouth, warm liquid eyes, and perfectly-crafted oval of Verma's face are reminiscent of the young Nutan of 20 years ago.Perfect Model: The beautiful oval tops a body to match, tall and willowy - at 5 feet 10 inches she stands almost four inches taller than the average Indian male. Slender, curvaceous, and extremely long-limbed, she has played a Bo Derek-style temptress in a Panama cigarette ad-film, a demure young debutante in VIP Travelite films, and a desi bahu in ads for the jewellery chain Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri.Before taking up modelling, Shyamoli went to school in Pune, and studied at Sophia College polytechnic in Bombay. She also worked for a while in a trendy clothes store. Said Seema Sawhney, the beauty talent scout who "discovered" Verma for the Lakme campaign: "She is absolutely amazing as a model. Unlike any other Indian model I can remember, she combines a look that is totally western with a simple and uncluttered beauty that appeals as much to the Indian mind."When Lakme began its hunt for the Lakme girl over seven months ago, company executive were certain that they would have to compromise with three different girls to depict all they wanted to. They wanted an educational campaign which would tell Indian girls that cosmetics were not taboo or evil, a beauty campaign to promote the corporate image rather than just individual products, and a high-powered selling line to show girls who were dark, middling or fair that cosmetics were for them.Big Contract: They found Shyamoli Verma. A natural beauty who, ironically, uses no make-up herself, she had everything the company was looking for and the capability to effortlessly switch roles and moods. She was promptly signed on for a three-year contract which restricts her from modelling any competing products and Lakme from using any other models for their campaigns.Since then the cosmetics maker has upped advertising budgets by 15 per cent, pumped in large amounts of money into press advertisements and magazine spreads, and launched the Lakme face. After a market survey which told Lakme that large chunks of potential consumers buy no cosmetics because of the social taboos, the company began a huge education campaign which used Verma's unspoiled innocence to prove that cosmetics were for everybody.In another campaign Verma plays the traditional Indian girl in colour advertisements which say: "If colour be to beauty what music is to mood, play on." A third, to promote talcs and creams at the storefront, shows the vibrant beauty using Lakme products. Although it is too early to qualify the benefits which the Lakme girl will get the company, the campaign is possibly the most eye-catching cosmetics effort ever. But Verma is surprisingly modest about it."I can't say yet how much people will relate themselves to my face," she said. "It's all very well for people in Bombay and Delhi to appreciate it, but this is aimed at the small town consumers and people who don't really use cosmetics now."Unspoiled: After only a year in modelling, a tumultuous year of dizzy successes and a meteoric rise, a year in which she featured in ad-films for Nescafe, Panama and VIP among others, numerous press campaigns, and appearances on Doordarshan, Verma is virtually unspoiled by success. Although she earned over Rs 1 lakh in her first year, and has a long contract with Lakme to fulfil, she accepts that this can only be a temporary occupation for her. Said Verma: "One just can't fool oneself, modelling is the kind of thing where your earnings drop proportionately as you get more exposed. Commercially this may be my occupation now, but it certainly isn't the most important one for me."Plans include going to art school in Australia, a plan which she dropped last year when she suddenly landed a string of modelling contracts, and spending more time with her oils. For Lakme, meanwhile, the bonanza is only beginning. Onto a good thing with their new model, the company last fortnight was extending. Verma to every product range not covered yet. In phase two of the campaign, the company will take it to more conservative areas like southern India.Published By: AtMigration Published On: Oct 17, 2013 11:21 IST--- ENDS ---

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Shyamoli Varma: The Lakme girl and India's first supermodel

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