When God closes a door, he never forgets to open another. However, it is up to you how you find it. Vaibhav Maurya found his next door in modeling, as this was God’s plan. Born and Brought up in the city of Nawabs, Lucknow, Vaibhav has always had a keen interest in sports. But destiny had some other plans for him.
Credits- Vaibhav Maurya
After completing his graduation in mechanical engineering, Vaibhav wanted to build his career in sports. He almost made it happen by playing two nationals for his state but due to an injury could not proceed further. Also, he got eliminated from Indian Air Force due to his finger injury on the 6th day of his Service Selection Board(SSB). However, without losing any hopes, he tried his luck in modeling, adding to which he says,
“I had a good physique and a height of 6”2. So, I thought of trying in modeling. In the final year of college, there was an annual fashion show which happened every year. There was a modeling contest where I wanted to participate. I went for auditions with my friends but unfortunately, I got rejected.
I did not know anything about modeling then as it was not my interest. But, then my rejection and my friend’s selection made me feel a little bad. So after a few months, I contacted my senior from college who was into modeling and was doing good. He told me I need to get a portfolio done. Also, then you have to come to Mumbai. So I forwarded him my pictures asking, if am I even eligible to get into modeling. After that I went through it and pursued it.”
On asking how his family reacted, Vaibhav said that they were very supportive of his decision. They stood rock solid beside him in every phase of his life. If not modeling, Vaibhav would have definitely been into sports and never thought of modeling as a career option.
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As mentioned Vaibhav loves sports and he spends his free time playing. He now plays professional tennis apart from playing volleyball.
Credits- Vaibhav Maurya
“Sports is something that makes me happy whenever I play. Outside modeling I spend most of the time playing sports. I am a big fan of football and watch most of the them.”
Vaibhav feels lucky to not face any criticism but when asked about facing rejections, he said this is something every individual faces in their career.
“If we go for a casting, you never know what type of model they are looking for. So you should take rejections in a positive way and keep moving forward. Some people will like you and some will not. Just hope for the best.”
Emphasizing financial stability, Vaibhav said it is very important for the people who come to Mumbai with dreams in their eyes. He feels financial stability should be there otherwise one will be under stress. Eventually, it will lead to the shattering of dreams.
“I got support from my parents at an early stage. Other than that, several sources of income also play a vital role. You never know, it is not a government job where you will get your salary on a regular basis. When we go for casting u never know – the brand or clients sometimes will like you and sometimes they do not. At the end of the day you will not be sure of how much you will earn. So several sources of income is very important. Otherwise, you will end up having mental pressure.”
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Vaibhav considers that maintaining good health is the toughest part of being a fashion model. All around the year one should be eating healthy and staying fit.
“A model has to take care of everything from top to bottom. Having a good physique is important. So you have to eat properly and avoid fast food. You have to maintain a healthy lifestyle. But I feel people get used to it. So it is not that tough, though for me it was tough initially.”
Credits- Vaibhav Maurya
Talking about the biggest challenge in his life, Vaibhav mentioned lack of guidance was a huge challenge. As everyone was told, having a good physique would help with it but after getting into the industry he realised it is not always the case. Elaborating more,
“I was very huge when I came into the industry. I was told that a good body will help. Though it was not the case. To maintain the normal aesthetics of a model, you can not get too heavy or too skinny as every audition has their own limitations. When I came into the industry, I had to reduce my body. Gym is something I love. I have been doing it since class 11. I had to tone down my body as clothes would not me.”
Credits- Vaibhav Maurya
When asked about his association with any social cause, Vaibhav said he visits an old age home to donate food items. He has been doing this since 2011 every Saturday and continues to do so. Modeling has had a great impact on his life. People around him appreciate him for what he does. Also, after he got successful his family members appreciated him and realized modeling is also a good career option.
“Now when I post my work on social media, people admire my work. Whenever I visit my hometown, people appreciate me. Recently my teacher from my school days put up a post for me mentioning how proud she is. She was the same teacher who was not happy in school. Now I do not regret anything and the credit goes to modeling.”
Giving a message of not losing hope, this young and charming personality has inspired us. We hope his story inspires and motivates our readers too.
Read: “Key To This Industry Is Patience, Patience, And Patience”, Vishnu Malhotra
