AHEAD OF THE CURVE: Mehr Rampal talks to Vogue India about her life, fitness and that incredible body

When you ask the fashion insiders about their first impression of watching Mehr Rampal on the catwalk in the early ’80s, they unanimously ascribe a feline grace to her poised walk down the runway. Her handsome model-turned-actor husband, Arjun Rampal fondly reminisces his initial notion about her. “My first impression [of her] was that she was a snob, and would be really tough. But when you look at modelling, it’s a career where you do have to have an attitude in your pictures and shoots. She’s actually the complete opposite of the way she is perceived.” 

At 43, India’s original supermodel, Mehr Rampal, can surely give even today’s girls a run for their money. But it never was just about the body, she reveals, “I hated yoga and I hate the treadmill… When I’m asked for advice on staying in shape, I do say that it is in your genes. But you can’t leave it only up to nature or dieting. It’s about being happy at the end of the day, sleeping well and knowing who you are”, - She further adds, “All I do is splash some coconut water on my face before I leave the house. It gives a nice pink glow and makes my skin taut.”  

Arjun laughs and talks about how everyone was smitten by her beauty. “Before we met, I used to have a poster of her in my room. I always said that if I had a girlfriend or wife, she would look like Mehr.”

At 23, Mehr hung up her stilettos and decided to start her own modelling agency. It seems baffling that, at the height of her career, she just... stopped. “I think what helped me become the person I am today is that I quit at the right time. I feel sad when I see some of my contemporaries still working—they could have done anything they wanted.” Designer and close friend Tarun Tahiliani says her decision never surprised him, he shares, “She’s a simple Parsi girl from a solid, middle-class background, and that’s what’s seen her through. Then and now, her family has always come first.”

Her pregnancies opened a new chapter in her relationship with her shape. She admits, “From the age of 17, I knew I wanted to be a mum. So when I found out I was pregnant, it was the best feeling. I actually believed that if I ate more, I would have a happy, healthy baby! I used to eat jars of dry fruit, milk, laddoos—pretty much everything.”

Her fitness routine today involves free weights and Pilates few times a week. While she and Arjun rarely work out together, they encourage their daughters to keep moving - Mehr takes them swimming, Arjun goes running with them and the girls are learning tae kwon do. “If you are inclined to play sports as a child, it can be very positive for your body. The most important lesson that I want to teach my girls is that it is not a question of how you look; it’s about being healthy.”  

More about this ace model in the January 2012 –of Vogue India. The Shape issue