LOVE FOR THE CAMERA

Sandhya Shetty makes flashbulbs pop like no other. Her expressive eyes, lofty cheekbones, confidence and fit bod makes her an in-demand model, anchor and actor. A karateka since twenty years — she won gold at the Commonwealth Karate Championship 2015 and and South Asian Karate Federation Championship 2017 — she works diligently to empower women with the art of self defence. As I pen this, I recall a conversation where she revealed, 'I have suffered multiple injuries and heavily invested emotionally and physically in this discipline and somewhere it makes me hugely proud of myself. Winning gold was a substitute of my dream to be in the Army. I was always complimented on beauty and intelligence but being strong was something I craved… and today I am a very strong woman.' In conversation with the multifaceted lady, yet again. 

 

‘'My newest campaign, conceptualised and shot by Rafique Sayed, definitely excited me as a model. I love the medium of abstracts, and black and white, which is so powerful and artistic and my love for the camera gives me the freedom to get into the skin of different characters. We all make choices and I definitely make some bold choice in front of the camera… and in my life too. 

 

My career in Fashion has always given me the freedom to wear what I desire, travel, explore ideas at work and experiment with crazy concepts. I have shot extensively with Rafique not only for fashion brands and campaigns but have also worked on experimental concepts which gave me the liberty to be out- of- the- box… beyond the conventional way of shooting. That's why my life in front of the camera makes me high, almost orgasmic. In fact, my relationship with the camera is intoxicating… I love it so passionately. That said, life after the pandemic has changed although the pace of work is slowly picking up. There is no doubt however that the fashion industry did get fractured and a lot needs to be rebuilt, undone and unlearnt.

 

Personally speaking, living life fearlessly and making bold decisions comes to me naturally and I talk about living life through my campaign, "No-fear." Young India needs to be fit and a revolution in sports and fitness will bring a long-term change. Today, women are multifaceted. They are not only taking care of household chores but also earning a living and have a social life. Most of us are self reliant and travel alone so being fit and practicing self defence is the need of the hour. My campaign "NoFear" will make women confident, self reliant and alert. If one takes responsibility for self and others there can be a positive, massive change towards a better society."

 

18-AUGUST-2022