With Miss Universe India 2010, Ushoshi Sengupta’s baby, Plaay, in association with t2, all set to stage its fourth season at Hyatt Regency Kolkata on April 6, ‘Usho’ as she is known in the modelling fraternity, sat down with us for an update about what’s in store and her learnings so far.
Congratulations for yet another edition of Plaay. What’s on the itinerary this year?
Our collaboration with the Consulate General of France in Calcutta and of course Alliance Francaise du Bengale, is special. We have taken Plaay to a space where we have a platform for cultural exchange between both the countries. That is something I am really looking forward to this season. Plaay is of course always about fashion and glamour and I think that’s what the French stand for too.
I am also excited that Esha Sethi Thirani is showcasing this year. This is her debut in Calcutta and I have followed her work through a decade. The collection she has created is tropical and encapsulates the essence of Plaay.
Hoorvi J Valaya will be styling the show and Pinky Kenworthy will be choreographing it and Babusona Saha is in charge of hair and make-up.
Sawansukha Jewellers too has created a tropical line, exclusively for the show. We’ll be exploring Hyatt Regency Kolkata as a venue for the first time for Plaay. The Big Other will play French jazz at the opening of the show, which is a curated act designed by Alliance Francaise.
So, there is a lot to look forward to. All the collaborators have got so much to the event.
What has Plaay come to mean to you over the years?
Plaay is not just an event, but an extension of my legacy, my homage to the fashion industry. I always want to be remembered as the fashion girl from Calcutta, someone who really did fashion well. I remember growing up as an underconfident kid, but every time I was on the runway, I felt like the most important person in the room. When I went to Miss Universe (2010), suddenly I was somebody who was wearing Gucci, Prada, Sabyasachi (Mukherjee), Anamika Khanna, Tarun Tahiliani and this happened to me overnight and I learnt what fashion truly does to you. It makes you confident and makes you believe who you are. My life changed overnight once I was introduced to fashion.
Whatever I am today, I owe it to the runway. Being a fashion model is at my core. For me, Plaay is a platform where I hope I can continue to showcase who I truly am.
What have been the learnings across four seasons?
Plaay was created over a friendly chat with Sandy (stylist). With every season, the idea is to do something bigger. The purpose keeps getting bigger every season and that is because of the kind of love and support we keep getting.
From when I started this seven years back, to now, I have graduated from being a model to a fashion producer, which has been an incredible learning lesson for me. There is a lot of hard work. It’s great to have the faith from our partners. I am incredibly grateful to the brands who put money on us in the first few seasons and who continue to be with us.
There are so many young girls who look up to me and when they see this, they should find their reflection in me and they should give their dreams a try too, knowing that unless you give it a try, you won’t know if you’ll succeed or not. And, most times, you do. That’s how we reached season 4. We kept trying and going at it.
I have also learned that a lot of people will come and go in your journey, but when you have started something, it is your responsibility to stand by it. It is your belief that keeps it going. The more faith you have in yourself, the more faith the brands will have in you to create something.
And, the essence of Plaay is to have fun and to look glam. It’s all about fashion and fun and that’s who I am. I always want to have a good time, look my best and make sure that everyone around me has a great time too.
Also, what I may have done in the first season, I thought that was the right thing to do at that moment. I take full responsibility for it.