New horizons beckon the model

My height went in my favour but I recall being scared and quite stiff initially.

That's quite a radical move for Tupa, who has been on the catwalk since 1987 when she was a young girl of 12. "My height went in my favour but I recall being scared and quite stiff initially. I did mostly fashion shows and some photo shoots for magazines like Bichitra.

"I did that on and off through my schooling till I was 17 and then it became a huge passion for me," reminisces Tupa.

So why did she give up modelling? One reason, she says, is that it had become boring and repetitive. On the lighter side, she adds, she was tired of watching her weight and shunning her favourite foods such as chocolate and ice-cream. On another front, she discovered that she had an aptitude for choreography and management which, as she points out, was more challenging and gave her "a lot more creative space" than modelling, which she terms "one dimensional". Hence the decision to make a break from the catwalk.

As a choreographer, she has had her share of success. Last September she groomed, trained and choreographed the contestants in Lux-Channel- i Superstar. This was a huge project and kept her tied up for three months. Another milestone was grooming the contestants in Closeup 1 recently.

Tupa has also choreographed two other fashion shows: one with Farzana Shakil, a beautician. The latter had launched her own book called Looks and Tupa choreographed the fashion show that went with the launching. Her photographs also appeared in that book.

Last year she did a show for the Fashion Institute of Design where she did the choreography and modelling. Another high point was modelling for four international shows organised by Bibi Russell--one in Karachi, two in Kolkata and one in Bangalore.

Tupa has also been active in the print media. Until recently she was associate editor of Daily Amader Shomoy with the brief to bring out Style Watch as magazine editor. Impressed by her work, she received an attractive offer to take over the post of consulting editor in an independent fashion magazine.

On a two-month sabbatical from work, following her marriage, she looks forward to her new assignment. Her fans will, for sure, wish her the very best in her new avatar.