Manushi Chhillar: My strength is in being a student

The quickest way to kill the over bearing nature of perception is to throw judgement out in the cold. Here’s context: when you have a cover date with the former Miss World who brought home the title after 17 long years, was launched by Yash Raj Films, and managed to clear the very competitive medical entrance exams (that require years of discipline and single-minded focus) in the first attempt, you expect a certain ‘I am too cool for school’ disposition.

Twenty seven-year-old Manushi Chhillar dispels any notions that I held on to from the get-go. For a 7:30am call time, she comes in five minutes early, bright-eyed with a spirited energy, and the most infectious smile that gives stiff competition to the neon lights of the gaming arcade in a very drenched Mumbai. Sans any airs, as the crew begins to buzz around her and we have a quick chat before she gets into hair and make-up, I realise her Instagram bio is spot on: you cannot miss the “chill” in Chhillar.
 

How does she make it all look so easy?

Could it be because both her parents were doctors, which gave her a cerebral temperament that found familiarity in discipline? Or could it be a case of Malcolm In The Middle syndrome where the middle child often finds themselves pushing the envelope at dinner table conversations? I wonder out aloud after we exchange pleasantries over our very no-holds-barred conversation that flows for longer than the stipulated time clasp.

Manushi dives straight in with as much gusto as I would expect from her as she speaks of what growing up was like. She tells me, “I think a lot of this stems from dinner table conversations that we had growing up. We were always either talking about what was going on in the world, news, or politics. Later, it was a mixed bag of law and finance as my older sister, who was very good in her studies, wanted to be a lawyer, while my younger brother was exploring a career in finance. There was never any gossip or discussing other people, thanks to my parents. That also helped me because it made it easy for me to have a conversation with anyone, especially during beauty pageants. I felt I had some measure of an informed opinion—even if it was not in depth—since I was just 20 at the time. My sister and I were brought up to have an opinion which also meant that if someone is saying anything, we must patiently listen.

And this whole middle child thing, whenever I read about it in psychology, I relate to it. In fact, it’s quite funny that when I see things on Instagram, like quotes on life relationships, or narcissists, I feel I relate to everything because we’re constantly dealing with all kinds of people. Often it’s our mindset that is constantly changing as we go through different phases in life.”

Soon after Manushi’s brother was born, the family moved from Bengaluru to Delhi when Manushi was seven. Unlike her older sister who was “an extrovert” and found it easy to settle into a new place, Manushi was bullied in second standard for not being very good in Hindi and for looking like a boy because she had short hair. This sowed the first seeds of manifesting a different POV for herself. She recalls, “I became very focused in my studies and wanted to score well because I guess, subconsciously, I wanted to be recognised. I manifested going to a pageant because I wanted to be my own person and not someone’s sister or daughter my whole life.

I remember when I would come whining to my dad about being bullied, he would tell me that I wouldn’t always have them come save me. Although I was a docile child with my mom proudly telling everyone that I gave her no trouble, there was this phase that I hit in my teens when I became a rebel without a cause.”

The need for teenage drama landed Manushi in the next phase of her life. By her own admission, she became quite hot-headed, extroverted, and impulsive. Under peer pressure, she was on a steady diet of TV shows and Linkin Park, obsessing over the lyrics of the song In the end (...it doesn’t even matter...) while barely understanding or relating to it in any way when she was just 13. While all this angst, which had no roots to grow from, was increasing, it didn’t mean that being disciplined had been relegated to the boot. She ensured that even if she was not studying every single day, she gave the task at hand her undivided attention. If it meant finishing her homework in the school bus in the morning, it would be done along with being extremely good at compartmentalising as a child. Manushi says, “The minute I’m off work, I can switch off and give my attention to what is next in line. It doesn’t please me at all when someone isn’t focused on one thing at a time and are talking about 10 different things, not being fully present. Even when I was preparing for my 12th board exams and then the medical entrance, I would study the entire day, focusing every single minute of my life towards it since these were competitive exams. I realise that I am smart when it comes to wanting to understand and studying what I need to. My strength is in being a student. The moment I stop being a student is when I feel that I do not know how to deal with things. A revelation that I have had about myself recently is that I am the best version of myself when I have learnt something properly. You need to cultivate this practice of being present since it doesn’t come naturally or overnight.”

There must be a trigger that pushed her need to embark on a journey, one which she had no point of reference for at home...how else do you set such strong intentions and find confidence, which you once were lacking in?

Manushi opens up on her tryst with pageant destiny. She takes me back in time when over a conversation about the film Devdas (2002), she heard of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, followed by Sushmita Sen. As a kid, Manushi found the prospect of wearing a crown after winning Miss India fascinating more than daunting. It was in 2013 when Manushi was watching the Miss World pageant and Megan Young from the Philippines won the title that gave her the confidence to start dreaming beyond what she was comfortable with on home turf. Manushi was taught that you create your own circumstances and encouraged that with the right mindset, she could achieve anything. And like the good student she was who invested her time and energy in studying her subject thoroughly, Manushi left no stone unturned in fully immersing herself in that world.

“I always grew up with the mindset that if you aim for 200, then you get 100 in life. I was very intentional about wanting to win Miss World when I entered Miss India,” she says.

I probe Manushi on whether she ever felt like she had to live up to the glorious careers her predecessors,
Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, had managed to carve for themselves. Cool and confident, I can feel the smile over the call as Manushi tells me, “I am well aware of the amazing things they have achieved in their life and become global figures paving their own paths so gracefully. For me, I seek inspiration from them and feel like I must figure things outon my own and see where it takes me. Life changed a lot after Miss World.

I couldn’t go back to college with three-and-a-half years still left to finish the course, so when film offers started coming in, I naturally transitioned into it. It’s not a race or competition like Miss World where in the end you’ll be crowned a winner. Working in films is a journey and with my first film I really started enjoying it wholeheartedly. I can’t ignore the fact that I was very fortunate to be trusted with a huge film like Samrat Prithviraj (2022) and asked to play the character of Sanyogita.
 

I truly feel each profession adds certain value to life and I enjoy the process of growing through learning. In medical college whenever we would have clinical postings, we’d go and learn how to deal with patients. You’d sit in OPD [Outpatient Department] and observe, take history of patients and see how senior doctors dealt with them. I have come to the conclusion that life is a combination of many things and success is not just measured in a single parameter. So, I think today, I feel that I need to do good work. I want to grow...my acting career is two years old and still very nascent, however, there’s a lot that I’ve learned with the films that have come out.

”Four films down, Manushi’s aha, I can do this moment happened during the filming of Samrat Prithviraj, when she was validated by her acting coach for a romantic scene. By her own admission, though people were doing amazing work with finesse at just 15, she felt she didn’t have enough life experiences to emote even at 22. But when she finally cracked the romantic interludes, it was a big win for her personally. While this inherent clarity to dive straight into the task at hand and never give up has held Manushi in good stead, COVID made her realise that when there are things you have no control over, you have to let go of all your planning and make the most of what there is.

With so much happening all at once in an industry teeming with new faces, overnight stars, and overwhelming attention on everything you do, Manushi finds living with her parents to be one of her biggest strengths. She remarks, “There have been times when I’ve had many, many reasons to be disappointed with a lot of experiences that I’ve had in the industry. It’s not easy. But I feel like coming back home grounds me. Also the one strength you have as an outsider, is that you realise it’s [stardom] not all that your life is about. My self-esteem and self-worth have really been taken care of by my family and close friends.”

At a time when self-love has various connotations and is an inevitable conversation starter, I want to know what it means to a former Miss World. Quick to retort, Manushi tells me, “Self-love to me is genuinely ignoring social media and the endless scrolling. While self-acceptance goes beyond what you look like, self-love is more about discipline and being comfortable in your own skin. And I think it’s more about not trying to please others. I think people around you will constantly make you feel you need to fight for their approval and be thankful. If you truly love yourself, it shouldn’t matter.”

But what of romantic love, I counter, shouldn’t your feelings be validated? Manushi says, “I do seek validation to a certain extent from my partner, which I feel isn’t a good thing. But then I come from a very close-knit family where we discuss everything. We appreciate, acknowledge, and encourage each other. While my partner might have a completely different outlook to life, I do seek emotional intimacy and a lot of validation from my romantic partner. I think that’s something wrong...maybe a red flag of mine...”

She adds when I ask her about her love language: “It’s a lot of acknowledgement and physical affection. That’s when I feel truly loved. I’ve learnt in life that even if you love someone, it doesn’t mean that they will feel loved. And, I’m very possessive about the people in my life. I want my partner to feel happy, validated, and loved, that I’m there in their life. I am close to very few people. I’m not someone who’s going to go all out and be friends instantly at a party. You see, I really give a lot of energy, I trust very easily, I open up too soon. And even if a friend of mine were to be cross with me, I would cry. I put up a very different front every day.”

I tell her it’s rare to come across a star who isn’t evasive about their feelings and baring it all, to which Manushi mirrors the sentiment, “It’s taken me a lot to say this to you. I’ve never said this in any interview before. I’m just working on myself, and I’m like, I shall not always try to put up this cold, reserved front just because I’m trying to protect how I feel inside. I am very supportive of the people in my life. For me, if you are my person I’ll go to any extent to protect you.” 

Wholesome, unfiltered, as crystal clear as uninterrupted daybreak with her feelings and intentions, I can only imagine that there might just be a book or a character she would be vying to play in the future. And as my freewheeling deep dive into Manushi’s world would have it, she speaks of how she would love to play Piyali, the protagonist in Amitava Ghosh’s The Hungry Tide, which she read while in school when her sister told her the character reminded her of Manushi. 

What’s even more fitting is to find Manushi thriving on all things fashion, given our issue focus also happens to be on fashion! She excitedly discloses, “I’ve grown up looking at supermodels and loved telecasts of the Victoria’s Secret fashion show. Of course, I absolutely love the shows Jacquemus does. He [Simon Porte Jacquemus] is so individualistic. I love how I can express myself through fashion and how models steal a show in a few seconds through their expressions. By the way, I have to tell you...before Jacquemus completely blew up during COVID, he’s the only person I’ve written a fan mail to—two years ago on my birthday!” 

Woaaah! 

Humbled by her simplicity despite winning the crown and charming everyone with her dedication to her craft, Manushi Chhillar has already conquered the world. And it doesn’t seem long before she conquers cinema paradiso with the same diligence, one movie at a time.

Stylist: Sheefa J Gilani

Photographer: Arjun Mark

Assistant stylists: Jhanvi Khatwani and Shriya Mahajan

Make-up artist: Lekha Gupta

Hair artist: Kinchangthui Bariamtak

Production assistant: Riya Kala

Location courtesy: The Game Palacio, Phoenix Marketcity, Kurla

Also read: Sushant Divgikr on living unapologetically: If it’s not your cup of tea, switch to coffee

Also read: #CoverStory: Feisty and fabulous Taapsee Pannu