Madhu Sapre on lifelong friendships and always sticking to her truth

Any fashion reader who has spent their time consuming magazines, campaigns, and what the runway produced, will remember the fierce ‘90s model, Madhu Sapre. For some of us, the model has been the poster child for fashion of the era. The ‘90s heydays were a time of excess, and even India rode this wave. Amidst the top names circulating at the time in the modelling space, Sapre was the headlining act. From campaigns for the biggest designers of the moment to bagging coveted editorials, the former Miss India was in the eye of the fashion storm.

While jet setting for shoots and the opulent celebrations were the highlight of being part of the industry, Sapre’s humble beginnings from Andheri in Mumbai, always tethered her to the ground reality. Ahead of her time in many ways, Sapre has seen both extremities of euphoric highs and disappointing lows, all through which, her support system made up of industry friends have been the pillars of her strength. Now settled in a tranquil corner of Italy, the former model has chosen a wholesome routine, and quieter pursuit of life. Her days begin with greeting the pets, and tending to her daughter Indira, all of whom become part of our conversation on Zoom as we chat before her upcoming cover shoot.

I would find it difficult to be a model today. In the 1990s, work came to me because I had achieved feats like Miss India and was a runner-up at Miss Universe. Now, you need to be good at self-marketing on Instagram to be where you want to be. The only use I have for my phone is to call a handful of people.

When I was competing for Miss Universe in 1992, Mehr [ Jesia] gave me a few of her outfits and I loaned my pageant evening gown to Pooja Batra. All the models shared everything—from clothes and shoes to makeup tips. We would meet after work in each other’s hotel rooms for dinner and drinks where we’d chat until the wee hours before taking our flights. Mehr also helped me organise my Indian wedding.

Fame and success were never my goals. It would be different if I was striving to be number one and had a plan. I believe in destiny and being in the right place at the right time. My modelling career was at its peak after my Garden Vareli campaign blew up, and I rode that wave. When I settled in Italy, time away from the limelight taught me who I could consider my real friends.

A life lesson I want to teach my daughter Indira is to be humble and authentic. In my modelling days, people would snicker because I had a Maharashtrian accent and couldn’t speak English well. But I never pretended to be somebody else. Even though I’ve lived in the lap of luxury, flying private and holidaying on islands with my ex-husband, they were just fringe benefits. I remained the same person I was since the beginning, just wiser.

I do not believe in giving politically correct answers. Sometimes I can tell what people would like to hear from me, but I stick to my truth whether they like it or not.