'Princess from the slum' becomes the face of luxury brand Forest Essentials

Mumbai: A teenager from Mumbai's Dharavi Slum, Maleesha Kharwa, has become the face of luxury beauty brand Forest Essentials' The Yuvati Collection.

In 2020, Hollywood actor Robert Hoffman discovered Maleesha and set up a Go Fund Me page for her. Now, the 15-year-old has over 225,000 followers on Instagram and worked with many brands. Her Instagram bio reads: "People say I live in a slum, but I love my life! I hope to be a supermodel to help my family eat." She also frequently uses the hashtag #princessfromtheslum.

In April, she worked with Forest Essentials, one of the biggest names in the luxury Ayurveda industry. Maleesha, in a video, was seen entering the store wearing a school uniform to see the campaign photos with her face on them. "Her face lit up with pure delight, To see her dreams in front of her in sight. Maleesha's story is a beautiful reminder that dreams really do come true. #BecauseYourDreamsMatter," wrote the brand.

Mira Kulkarni, the founder and chief managing director of Forest Essentials, told Vogue India: "Through our Yuvati collection, we are not only supporting Maleesha's dreams but also contributing to Project Paathshala to empower young minds. While Maleesha is the face of this campaign, what Forest Essentials is bringing to the forefront is the idea of dreams. The undercurrent here is that no matter where you come from, how big or small your dream is, dreams are for everyone, and all dreams matter."

According to Maleesha, the campaign is her "biggest job till date." She said that her education will always come first for her even though she wants to be a model.