Meet Maleesha Kharwa, 14-Year-Old 'Slum Princess Of India' And Aspiring Model

The journey of Maleesha Kharwa, a 14-year-old teenage content creator, is nothing short of an inspiration for many young girls. The slum-dweller who dreams of becoming a model and dancer when she grows up was recently featured on the cover of a fashion magazine.

Maleesha Kharwa was also the subject of a short film documentary titled"> Live Your Fairytale by Jas Sagu and Arsala Qureishi. It highlights the life of Maleesha and her friends, her endearing relationship with her father Mukesh – a clown impersonator at children’s parties – and her younger brother.

Who is Maleesha Kharwa?

Maleesha resides in a slum with her family in Bandra, Mumbai. She rose to fame after being spotted by Step Up 2 actor Robert Hoffman. The actor had come to India to shoot a music video that starred Maleesha’s cousin. But then he got stranded here as the borders were closed during the pandemic. That’s exactly what got him to meet Maleesha who shared her dreams with Hollywood Star. Soon after, Robert set out to materialise her ambitions just before leaving and made an entire Instagram page on her which now has over two lakh followers.

Hoffman in an interview described his first meeting with Maleesha as “something out of a movie”. “There she stood among a group of slum residents just like any other in the city. But her face was so remarkable I don’t know how anyone could have overlooked her before,” he says, surprised that no one had approached the girl for a child modelling gig until now.

“Perhaps, it is the whole Indian perception that beauty is in extremely light skin,” he said adding, “Never in my life would I have thought that I would have the compulsion to guide another talent”. For him, there was “no question” that he was going to “open doors” for the ‘slum princess’, a term Maleesha’s followers use to describe her. “The day I met her family I told them that, if they were interested, there was a huge potential for her life to change,” he added.

Malessha, who graced the cover of a leading fashion magazine, said she loves her life. “I find it strange when people ask me how I am such a happy person; they don’t think it is normal to be happy because I am poor...but I love my life. Right now, my life is taking me on adventures that I cannot believe. I am thrilled that so many people are reaching out to me and telling me that my journey has inspired them to be unafraid and chase their dreams—no matter how big or small."

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