HYDERABAD: Every profession took a hit during the pandemic-induced lockdowns, and modelling was no exception. With no fashion shows, shoots or projects coming their way, models started relying on digital promotions for an alternative income. Some even got a salaried job and others focused more on their health and fitness regimes during the lockdowns. Shreya Veronica speaks to a few city-based models on how they coped with the lockdown blues
‘Turned to modelling during the pandemic’
Trends Miss Hyderabad 2018 runner up Riya Singh runner up, who is also an MBBS student, says the pandemic put a lot of stress on the health infrastructure of the country. “After which I have decided to get into modelling and it helped me. Due to the lockdown, there were no events; it was quite a struggle for a lot of models as most of them only relied on modelling for income. We lost the bonding of meeting my modelling friends and spending time with them.”
‘Discovered new things during lockdown’
For model and social media influence Kritya Sudha Karda, the lockdown was a time to figure out the future. “It was a nice time, I enjoyed it as I experienced and discovered new things. Modelling and events are time consuming, so I invested my time in cooking, working out and I started blogging and creating digital content. I made videos which went viral and it helped me,” she says. Though events have moved on the virtual platform, Kritya thinks that one’s health is more important.
‘Lockdown was a struggle, but health is important’
Facing an unpredictable situation such as the Covid pandemic during the start of her career was challenging for Honey Chowdhary. But the model chose to focus on her health. “Our health is the most valuable treasure and everyone must strive to be healthy and happy,” she says.
‘Earned from online promotions’
For a person who was used to enjoy going out every day for work, the lockdown felt monotonous. “I used to stay out a lot for work before the pandemic. The first thing that I learned from pandemic is that life is short and unexpected; you never know what you will fall into. It also taught me to have patience, have more fun and worry less,” says Nilofer Haidry. Nilofer was fortunate to benefit from the digital boom that occurred during the pandemic. She was offered several campaigns and promotions that allowed her to shoot-from-home and earn money. “Models and celebrities with a good following on social media platforms were getting paid for campaigns and shoots,” she says.