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Modelled differently

Milind Soman feels fabulous at 41, which is anyway just another number for the model-actor

Photo: K. GOPINATHAN

HAUTE HUNK Milind Soman

Milind Soman does not wish to be called a metrosexual. Even though he seems to fit the template perfectly as he shares sartorial tips and advice on relationship.

Posing for pictures, the model-actor-film producer answers questions with tongue firmly in cheek. Like when asked about style advice for men, he said: "He should not forget his clothes! But seriously, I dress according to my mood. Like I just decided to grow my hair. Everyone said it will look awful and I will not get any work. But now everyone says it looks good and I actually got more work now."

Returning to the clothes maketh the man concept, he said: "I just read this... so I guess this works, you should wear `shirts that pop' — clothes that catch interest without being over the top. Like polka dots, which is a very scary concept but works in muted colours. One should not have any (mental) blocks against colour. A man should wear whatever goes with his personality. Nothing is a no-no. There are no rules. And if you do not want to experiment, you could play safe with jeans and a T-shirt."

Changing lanes

Milind was one of the first Indian supermodels and he quit the modelling scene in 1996 at his peak because he felt it was stagnating. He moved to television (A Mouthful of Sky) and cinema. His work was appreciated in Mani Shankar's 16 December and Arjun Sajnani's Agnivarsha. The film that everyone is talking about now is Pan Nalin's Valley of Flowers, which apart from featuring some of the highest shots (20,000 feet in the Himalayas), was also where Milind met his wife Mylene Jampanoi.

Marriage has not changed him as a person, he says. "But I have changed to the extent that now I think about whether Mylene would like this or that. I want to start a school because I want my children to have a particular kind of education. I would take a place away from the city. You know, stuff like that... "

Milind and Mylene share the prototypical long-distance relationship. "I stay in Mumbai and she is in Paris. We have a rule that we have to meet every 40 days. Then the time we spend together is awesome. The good thing about this is we do not need to go looking for the space that every married couple finds a need for."

The fact that Mylene is from a different culture (she is part Japanese and part French) was not a hindrance. "In any relationship there are bound to be cultural differences — even if you are from the same country, region, religion and social background. You kind of expect the other person to be similar because of that and are shocked when the other person is different. With Mylene, the perception was already there that she is from a different culture. So there is a greater willingness to understand and explore the differences."

Milind returned to modelling after these many years because he believed in the product. "I will never endorse colas and chips. They are bad for health. I think stars should not endorse these products."

He turned producer with Pyaar ka Superhit Formula (2003). "We have two production houses — one for television and the other for films. We have been a little slow but are working on Phir Zindagi directed by Parvati Balagopalan, who also directed Pyaar ka... "

Direction is not his cup of tea. "I would rather tell a director to make my kind of film, which would be realistic and exploratory. It is too much tension. But I am writing a script. When that works out to my satisfaction, then perhaps I would think of direction. But it will definitely not be for another three to four years." This proud possessor of washboard abs is also planning to get into the spa and health business. "I have been a swimmer since I was a child and swam for the State and everything. I still run up to 70 km a week. I have always been aware of my environment. I am not a proponent of the gym, which only helps you sculpt a physique while the spa creates a balance between your work, personality and the environment."

Milind, 41, says of his age, "It is just a number. I feel just the same." And his magic mantra is: "The world is a big place. Life is large, don't restrict yourself."

MINI ANTHIKAD-CHIBBER

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