What is the story about?
Before women crushed over the likes of Arjun Rampal, Hrithik Roshan, and all suave-looking Bollywood men, there was Milind Soman, who was ‘Made In India’
and absolutely handsome. His modelling career led to music videos, international projects, movies and now, OTT. From the North end to the far South, people knew him even when social media did not exist. Milind, now in his 60s, looks delectable, and his fans are getting to see him in roles that do justice to his talent and fame. Talking to Zoom about taking risky projects, Milind revealed whether he experienced the casting couch to enter the film industry.
Milind Soman on casting couch
The actor denied a casting couch experience, adding that back in the 90s, the fashion industry was smaller, and since he was an established model, he climbed the ladder faster. “I went to the top really fast. There was no question of a casting couch. I was probably more famous than any of the designers I was working with. When I started, there were Tarun Tahiliani, Rohit Bal and a few others and some are still around today. A lot of the designers who are famous today started after I was popular. They became friends as well.”
Milind further added, “I went into movies and TV from another level. I was not going in as nobody knows who I am. Everybody knew who I was, and that's why I was there. Even Alisha Chinai. She called me to be in her music video, Made In India.”
Friendship with Alisha Chinai
The Royals actor spoke about his friendship with Alisha and said, “Alisha has always been very sweet. I'm really fond of her, and I'm so happy that it worked the way it did. She was already a big star and it was fun to do.” He also agreed that the success of Made In India was not anticipated. Now, even after 30 years, the song continues to rule playlists in India.
Owning sexuality in Made In India
In the exclusive interview, Milind shared that he had the confidence to own his sexuality and flaunt it gracefully as the ‘eye candy’ in the video. “It's a very strange feeling and I've been like that since I was a child. Even when Made In India happened, I started modelling, and everything I did, it became popular.”
He added, “Alisha called me and when this video was made, people's reaction to the video wasn't about me. It was people's reactions to a video and a person coming out of a box. That’s him. I don't see it as myself. Today, people ask me about trolls and the nasty things said about me. I know that they’re not talking about me. They're talking about their perception of somebody and it has nothing to do with me. I find it amusing.”
Made In India, featuring Milind and Alisha, released in 1995. It was the first album by an Indian pop artist to be sold on a scale comparable to Hindi film music albums, with over five million copies sold in India.
