EIGHTEEN-YEAR-OLD Kuala Lumpur born Chandni Bainz is creating a buzz in the local modelling scene. Early this year she had the opportunity to model for a Sunsilk shampoo advertisement in India.
The ad has gotten more than 20 million views, which she considers to be her proudest achievement in her young modelling career. It has certainly opened the floodgates for opportunities to appear in more international advertisements.
However, her real ambition is to become an actress. She expressed an interest in achieving success on the silver screen, just like her idol Henry Golding, who stunned audiences in the 2018 film Crazy Rich Asians. Chandni wants to create a name in Bollywood first and later head to Hollywood.
Facing the camera is nothing new for her. At the age of 11, she was the host of a children’s television show called Chikki Boom.
Later in 2017, she appeared in a Singapore TV drama production My Mother’s Story, and the following year she appeared in the 10-episode Malaysian TV series called Ghaib where she played a ghost.
Describe your childhood years.
“As a child, I never enjoyed watching cartoons. In fact, I loved watching more serious shows. Maybe it was because I was always surrounded by adults.
“My mum, who is a housewife, always found this very odd about me. My brothers kept me company most of the time. I have two older brothers who are 11 and nine years older than me, respectively. My eldest brother is a doctor, and my second brother is an IT engineer. Since they are both older than me, as a young child, I was able to learn a lot from them about various topics. Whether it was about movies, technology, or anything in general, they always shared things with me which made me gain a lot of knowledge at a young age.”
What motivated you to become a model?
“I didn’t initially choose to be a model. I also thought that in order to be a model, you had to be really tall and skinny.
“I used to act in short films and a few TV dramas. When I turned 16, I started getting more offers to model for big brands. Modelling gave me a new sense of confidence.”
Who are the international models whom you admire?
“I really admire Romee Strijd. I love watching her YouTube videos and I got to learn a lot about modelling from her.
I am also a fan of Adriana Lima.
Who is your favourite designer?
“My favourite designer is Jean Paul Gaultier, because his designs have always been very interesting, and he changed the fashion industry with his unconventional designs.”
What are your future plans?
“Hopefully, you will be seeing me on the big screen internationally as an actress. My goal is to represent Malaysia globally because the world doesn’t quite know what we have to offer.
“Malaysia is filled with talented people in the creative field. I hope that we start getting more international recognition.”
Who are your favourite actors?
“My favourite actor is Henry Golding. As a Malaysian, I am extremely proud to see someone represent us globally.
“My favourite actress is Priyanka Chopra. I love Priyanka because she managed to break every stereotype, in both Hollywood and Bollywood.”
What do you do when you are not working?
“I am a pretty boring girl when I am not working. I usually like to binge watch Netflix and YouTube for hours, and read books. I also like to cook because I find it to be very therapeutic.
“Shoots can be really tiring, so I prefer to spend time at home and recharge my batteries before tackling a new project. It also helps with my mental health too. My guilty pleasure would be to shop, I love buying things for myself and my loved ones.”
How do you keep yourself fit?
“I did Muay Thai for five years. Sadly, because of the pandemic, I don’t work out as much anymore. But I do always keep an eye on my diet. I usually do intermittent fasting to balance things out.”
What is biggest challenge of being a model?
“The biggest challenge has to be that there is a lot of competition, because there will always be girls that are going to be prettier and more talented than you.
“I also get judged by both the people within the industry, and by those that are not in the industry. I always try my best to ignore them and mind my own business. People have always tried to tear me down, but that made me stronger.”
What is your view on plastic surgery?
“Plastic surgery is not a crime. I am personally not against any sort of plastic surgery as long as you are doing it willingly, and not because of the society’s pressure on a specific beauty standard.
“But I don’t support those who promote themselves by saying that they are completely natural when they have gotten work done. Creating a false standard of beauty is very toxic, especially for the youngsters on social media.”
