Roles as extras and bit parts are for amateurs, but there are also a slew of people looking to work professionally in the entertainment industry in India. "When there's an international brand based in India, the company is local and the agencies are local, but they still want to preserve the image of their brand," says Ankit Mehta of Inega Model Management, which works on supplying foreign models to apparel companies like Kimaya, Van Heusen, Manzoni and Ravissant. "A couple of years ago, they used tourists, but now foreign models are available in India as well."
Mehta brings in the models for a couple of months, either for a direct booking assignment or to shoot in different ads. They are put up in apartments and spend a couple of months in India. Why this demand for foreign models? "Earlier they were brought in for lingerie ads because that's something Indian models wouldn't normally do," explains Mehta. "But now foreign models are perceived as more professional, and the cost is about the same." Is there a preference for people from any particular country? "Not really," says Mehta, "The Asian look doesn't work much but I have models from all over the world."
Some, like Scotsman Dave Walker, stay back to make their mark on the industry. Walker and his half-sister Yushi are planning a venture to supply "high quality international entertainment" to Mumbai nightclubs. Walker had his brush with Bollywood when he met Annabelle and subsequently was an extra in the film Babul.
All that is in the past, his new role as consultant to his sister is now taking full priority. "We want a certain class," he says, "Which is why we can't use Indian dancers: we want to market stuff like they have in the UK and US." Yushi, 21, tosses her hair back when asked why she got into it in the first place. "I've trained as a DJ," she says, "So I've seen a lot of nightlife, and my friends were talking about how the night scene here is so boring." Walker disagrees: "The nightlife in Mumbai can be compared to anywhere in the world."
A western woman from the next table signals to Yushi. She's overheard the conversation and wants to be contacted if they need a dancer. "That's how it works," says Walker gleefully.
Back at Mehta's office, a tall Polish model disentangles herself from a computer terminal. "I have to run," she says, "I'm late for my yoga class." From yoga and Vipassana meditation, to earning an extra buck, tourists have never had such a wide choice of things to do in India.
