currentMood Interviews Pooja Mor, The Indian Model Who’s Taking The World By Storm

+Photographed by Ace Amir

Profile:

Name: Pooja Mor

Occupation: Model

Instagram: @poojamor

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currentMood: From Bareilly to New York, tell us about the journey.

Pooja Mor: When I was growing up in Bareilly, I was excited about what the future holds and what I’d become. I never had a specific goal in mind, only felt that everything would be great and things would work out. Modelling happened by chance. While studying engineering at Nirma University in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, I was also the creative head of a club that was organising a beauty contest on campus. When the competition started, I suddenly heard my name called out on stage..I honestly thought it was a joke! 

Only to later find out that my friends had signed me up. I didn’t know anything about beauty contests. So when I went up on stage and was asked what I was going to do for my talent round, I replied saying,”I think I’m just going to walk back and forth.” There were obviously many rounds in the competition and I ended up becoming the 1st runner up. And when I saw a picture of myself in the papers the next day, I realised that I could do this, and that’s how it all began. I decided to give modelling a shot and went to Delhi to try and figure out how to go about it. That’s when Anima scouted me and the rest is history.

+ Louis Vuitton SS16 

+ Alexander McQueen SS16

currentMood:  Tell us about your first casting?

Pooja Mor: I remember going for casting a day after I landed in New York. It was for Club Monaco, and when I saw the casting line, I was like “Woah!” I realised that from now on every time I go for casting, I’d have to endure long lines. I told myself that I am who I am, and would always try my best..so let’s see how things pan out. I still think the same way before shoots, castings or interviews!

currentMood: The fashion world is like a whirlwind, with the travelling, work schedules, etc.. how do you manage to stay grounded?

Pooja Mor: Meditation. At the end of each day, I try and connect with myself. I also go for walks, read and exercise. It makes me feel energised.

+ Dolce & Gabbana SS16

+ Ellie Saab SS16  

currentMood: What’s been you most memorable shoot so far?

Pooja Mor: Every shoot is memorable. I end up working with so many talented people from all walks of life and that’s truly inspiring. We create new pictures as a team and it’s amazing. I love it! But if I had to select one shoot, it would be the one which is yet to be published. I also love the Vogue Italia one which was shot by Peter Lindbergh. It was so beautiful..he let me be as natural as possible. And all I had to do was roam around in beautiful clothes on a beach in Avignon, France.

currentMood: You signed up with Anima, your mother agency in 2014, and by the end of the year you were walking at PFW, in such a short span of time. How did that came about? 

Pooja Mor: I think that the agency plays a really important role in a models career specially for someone like me, someone who’s not from the industry. I didn’t know anyone. Once I signed up with Anima, they trained me for fashion week, and groomed me. Mark and Gunita were always there if I needed them. They are amazing and still my mother agency.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BEEQEV5FAui/?taken-by=poojamor

currentMood: What advise would you give aspiring Indian models?

Pooja Mor: Sign up with an agency that takes care of you and believes in you. 

You also need to take care of your mental and physical health because only then will you be able to live up the expectations that models have to bear. Be confident!

Interviewed by: currentMood

All images courtesy: Anima Creative Management (Pooja Mor’s mother agency)

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