Hello Everybody,
How have you been? Trust all's well with you by the grace of God.
How have you been? Trust all's well with you by the grace of God.
Today, like always I have something different for you. In this month's posting I have a man who is a celebrity in his own
right....after all who is a celebrity not merely those who are seen on the big or small screen but even those who work behind it too....and those I'd call are the "unseen heroes"....after all they set the ball rolling! And their contribution cannot be rejected outrightly...they could be your lightman, spot boys,art directors,camerapersons, directors and choreographers too!! You definitely can't do without them. And today I've done precisely just that by interviewing one such celebrity fashion choreographer who hit the fashion marquee in the year when Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai brought home the crown....and this heralded a new beginning of the fashion era. Must call it the right timing...when a fashion choreographer was a distant terminology on the fashion scene in India than it is today, but Kaushik Ghosh dared to think different when he chose an unconventional career path back in the early 1990's.
right....after all who is a celebrity not merely those who are seen on the big or small screen but even those who work behind it too....and those I'd call are the "unseen heroes"....after all they set the ball rolling! And their contribution cannot be rejected outrightly...they could be your lightman, spot boys,art directors,camerapersons, directors and choreographers too!! You definitely can't do without them. And today I've done precisely just that by interviewing one such celebrity fashion choreographer who hit the fashion marquee in the year when Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai brought home the crown....and this heralded a new beginning of the fashion era. Must call it the right timing...when a fashion choreographer was a distant terminology on the fashion scene in India than it is today, but Kaushik Ghosh dared to think different when he chose an unconventional career path back in the early 1990's.
And today he has choreographed over 1500 prestigious fashion shows all over the world for some leading fashion brands, top designers and international organisations in North America, Canada, 
Australia, China, Nepal, Singapore, Hongkong, Malayasia etc. He has walked the ramp with the likes of Sushmita Sen, Meher Jessia, Arjun Rampal, Namrata Shirodkar, Gul Panag, Rahul Dev to name a few. He also conducts model training workshops both India and abroad and has groomed successful supermodels,bollywood actors,television actors with the likes of Sushmita Sen, Gracy Singh,Shiney Ahuja, Sonu Sood, Shweta Kwatra, Maninee Dey, the 'Bidaai' bahu Parul Chaudhary to name a few to his credit.
Australia, China, Nepal, Singapore, Hongkong, Malayasia etc. He has walked the ramp with the likes of Sushmita Sen, Meher Jessia, Arjun Rampal, Namrata Shirodkar, Gul Panag, Rahul Dev to name a few. He also conducts model training workshops both India and abroad and has groomed successful supermodels,bollywood actors,television actors with the likes of Sushmita Sen, Gracy Singh,Shiney Ahuja, Sonu Sood, Shweta Kwatra, Maninee Dey, the 'Bidaai' bahu Parul Chaudhary to name a few to his credit.
So let's have a quick tete-a-tete with Kaushik Ghosh
Sonyaa: How did you start off as a fashion choreographer?
Kaushik: Actually come to think of it, I got my first break as a model!! Yes, I was asked to step in as a replacement model for the mega Bombay Dyeing fashion show with India's top models. After that I decided to shift my base to Delhi which is where I got into the national modeling in a big way. That's another story, that I decided to switch gears!
Sonyaa: So how did you get your first break as a fashion choreographer?
Kaushik: It was while studying in Christ College in Bangalore that I got my first break as a fashion choreographer. It was during a fund-raising fashion show that the designer had a major problem with a Bangalore-based choreographer and I was asked to step in. Not to mention the show was a big hit and that's how I gradually decided on focusing and streamlining fashion choreography as my career path for the future.
Kaushik: Actually come to think of it, I got my first break as a model!! Yes, I was asked to step in as a replacement model for the mega Bombay Dyeing fashion show with India's top models. After that I decided to shift my base to Delhi which is where I got into the national modeling in a big way. That's another story, that I decided to switch gears!
Sonyaa: So how did you get your first break as a fashion choreographer?
Kaushik: It was while studying in Christ College in Bangalore that I got my first break as a fashion choreographer. It was during a fund-raising fashion show that the designer had a major problem with a Bangalore-based choreographer and I was asked to step in. Not to mention the show was a big hit and that's how I gradually decided on focusing and streamlining fashion choreography as my career path for the future.
Sonyaa: For some people it is their luck that shines and everything that follows is a cakewalk and for some it's struggle....what has it been in your case?
Kaushik: For me the last 17 years has not been an easy ride...it's been just sheer struggle,hardwork and determination to make it big. I must admit that my parents supported me in pursuing my dream even though I was rejected by NIFT. But the irony is that today I lecture and choreograph fashion shows in some of the finest fashion schools of the world including NIFT. Today I'm a successful model, fashion choreographer, model trainer, anchor in my own right and I'm all geared up to don the cap of a director...yes I'm working on an Hindi film,very soon the announcement will be made.
Sonyaa: You also have a grooming institute of your own? What metamorphosis does an individual see in himself/ herself after one passes out from there?
Kaushik: Most of the students I groom first learn to become a good human being which I believe is the key step towards the making of a good model. But, I also also teach them how to be tough with unprofessional choreographers, coordinators,make up artists so that they never get exploited.
Sonyaa: When you decide to groom a model, what is the selection criteria for it?
Kaushik: I make it a point that during auditions, the budding models I select are not fake, are those who are serious about their career, willing to work really hard and take it as a challenge to make it to the top and last but the most important is that they should not be carried away by the lure of the glamour world.
Sonyaa: Any mentors worthy of mention/ any role model and why?
Kaushik: I take my struggle and hard work as my role model to become successful in this big bad world of modeling
Sonyaa: What is your take on size zero and the unhealthy lifestyle models adopt to stay in shape?
Kaushik: To set the record straight, I do not believe in the size zero phenomenon.I believe that a model needs to be overall very fit as it is a very demanding job. As a habit, I don't drink and hate going to fake Page3 parties. I definitely feel that a model should abstain from drinks and drugs in order to sustain in this competitive world of modeling.
Kaushik: I believe that if one is talented and hard-working you can be successful without going through the casting couch syndrome.
Sonyaa: Do you think Madhur Bhandarkar's film Fashion depicted the correct picture of the glamor industry?
Kaushik: Fashion was 40% truth and 60% masala!
Sonyaa: You mentioned earlier that you're taking the mantle of a director,what is your film about?
Kaushik: The film is about a small town male model coming to Delhi, the fashion capital of India and how he gets exploited in the world of fashion. This film is based on a true-story which will feature some prominent models, fashion designers, choreographers and Page 3 regulars who will be a part of the cast besides the main leads.
Sonyaa: How'd you rate the current scenario of fashion in India vis-a-vis the west?
Kaushik: The fashion scene in India is definitely very bright, but somewhere I feel that designers here are definitely not working on creating original designs. They somehow don't explore the true Indian fabrics and colours India is famous for all over the world. I think they should showcase Indian-oriented designs rather than picking up designs from the Paris and Milan fashion week .
Sonyaa's quick take with Kaushik -
Your favorite model - Anupama Varma & Milind Soman
Your favorite fashion designer/guru - Ritu Kumar & Armani
Fashion according to you is - To wear something whats suits your personality rather than following it blindly
Favorite brand - FCUK,Tommy Hilfiger,Spykar and USI
Any actor/actress/model you'd like to choreograph- Shah Rukh Khan & Vidya Balan
Any unfulfilled dream - To become a successful director as Karan Johar!
Hope you enjoyed reading this month's special! If you did...then do not forget to post your feedback and comments given in the link at the end of this article.
Take care and ciao until next month.
Love,
Sonyaa
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