She is not your conventional model. A nerdy tomboy who grew up bonding over sport and a dozen other things, she never thought she was pretty enough to be anywhere around fashion. She has a penchant for learning everything she wants to and that defines who she is – she practices and preaches that :
Its okay to do a dozen things and then figure out which one you’re good at!
Meet the queen of all trades, Sahithya Jagannathan! Sahithya is a model, emcee, dancer, actor, writer and a few other things that she discovers of herself every day! Having first come into the limelight upon winning the Miss Chennai 2009 title, Sahithya’s foray into modeling began. She represented India in the World Miss University contest in Seoul, Korea in 2010 and won the Miss Speech title. She has walked the ramp and done advertisements for several well-known designers and brands.
In a chit-chat conversation with Chennai Insider, Sahithya shares a sneak-peak into her journey.
Growing up in a typical orthodox Indian household, you are either a doctor, lawyer, engineer or a failure. None of my known circle in families had an adventure ride in fashion or anything close enough. But I always was curious to learn – very early on, I started to experiment with different things, says Sahithya.
Very randomly when I was out for a coffee, I walked up to a designer Store and told them I was willing to work there. I got the job. While I was there, I learned different things, and that introduced me to Miss Chennai a few weeks after it started.
The beginning of everything..
My idea of makeup until Miss Chennai grooming sessions was moisturizer. So you could imagine how excited I was to learn from scratch!
Just find joy in what you do for the sake of it. And then recognize how you’re being shaped in the process, and eventually, you are better off than when you started- that to me is the excitement of learning new things.”
I was learning to carry myself in heels, poor neighbors who had to hear my stomping practice sessions everyday night! To me, winning was just something that happened to my disbelief.
I had the courage and the audacity to pursue many things – Things I enjoyed doing. And, in so doing, I have realized that I can be a jack of all trades like they say, and yet shine through them. Next time someone says, “Vaayadi” (Meaning talkative) like they did to me, maybe they have helped you navigate you to a better career option!
The Big Picture..
From debut in GVM movie to the recent role in Bigil starring Vijay, it has been surreal. My character in Bigil would always be closest to me – since I could project myself exactly like me. Atlee saw me on StarSports and that is how I got into the opportunity to not just act but also contribute to the scriptwriters for the football commentary. I feel blessed to have worked with such humble and down-to-earth artists like Atlee.
If you’re truly curious and you’re truly passionate about something it doesn’t feel like work. You’ll do what it takes to become good at something.
Interesting Tidbits?
I love writing letters! yes, the good old postcards! When I was traveling for work, I used to send fancy handwritten postcards to the folks at home – In English for my parents and in Tamil for my grandmom. These are the small little pleasures of life, isn’t it?
Full of love and life, Sahithya has an infectious energy to die for! I learned from her conversation that the secret to success is doing a lot of little things consistently over a long period of time! What did you take away from this incredible influencer?
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