In an exclusive tete-e-tete with mid-day online, Lisa Haydon, between a break from the show's shoot, spoke about her managing professional space with her personal, life after embracing motherhood and a solid message to the beautiful women out there
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She's bold, she's beautiful, she's confident and one of India's finest supermodels that we have; also a super mom now! From proudly flaunting her baby bump in the sexiest way to her photo shoots with her adorable baby- boy Zack, Lisa Haydon broke all the myths surrounding pregnant women. The 31-year-old actress, better known for her roles in films like 'Queen; and 'Ae Dil Hai Mushkil' led a life as normal as anyone during her pregnancy and has treated her social media followers with the priceless moments of her life. Now that Zack is almost nine-months-old, Lisa has resumed work with Colors Infinity show 'Top Model India' as the judge on the show with Atul Kasbekar, Anaita Shroff Adjania and Shibani Dandekar. In an exclusive tete-e-tete with mid-day online, the gorgeous diva, between a break from the show's shoot, spoke about her managing professional space with her personal, life after embracing motherhood and a solid message to the beautiful women out there.
From being a model to now judging a modelling show- 'Top Model India', feels nostalgic?
I think I have a lot to give. It's not about being nostalgic but I do understand what the girls (models) are going through, emotionally. Especially in the nervous department because they are all out there and are being watched. So if you are somebody who likes being watched, you'll somehow enjoy being in the art, executing it on stage and then things will rationalise.
Have you been a tough judge?
I don't think I'm tough but I'm very objective and honest with myself. I think I can tend to be the same with other people too because I see it coming through a point where we don't know where they are really evolving and we have to be analytical because they have modelling potential. The show is about bringing out the potential, watching transformation and make them blossom and grow. And the one who take it seriously and are genuine, their talent do transform. They (Models) might come on to be someone else but they might also prove me wrong. Maybe we can't see it because of a mental blockage at that particular time. And there are many other reasons for why I feel that this is just not their time.
One advice you would want to give out to all the aspiring models?
You are in a business where people are judgemental. Your tool is your personality, individuality and I think you should be the best version of yourself. That means you sleep on time, drink lots of water, try and lead a healthy lifestyle, exercise, whatever that makes you the best version of yourself is what you need to bring when you are out on the runway.
What makes you the best version of yourself?
Honestly, I am very controlled. I just need to take 8-10 hours of sleep at night. I like waking up early in the morning. Seeing the sunrise is the best time of my day. I drink three litres of water a day and try to eat healthily but exercise and take care of my diet.
Which regimes do you follow- yoga, 'Kathak' dance form, since you are trained in it, functional or weight training exercises?
I did Kathak for a brief period of time, didn't do it for years and years. I used to run the marathon and these days I do nothing. I just carry my child (Zack) around. That's a lot of work. Even if he's in the baby carrier, I carry him downstairs, get upstairs. I carry him when he cries. I don't get that much time to exercise. I occasionally sit in the yoga session when he's napping. Otherwise, when I am not working, I really like to be a focussed mom. And post-pregnancy I haven't really worked much, so that's the only way to battle this. Actually, about the exercise factor, I occasionally go to spinning classes which is close to my house. I walk everywhere I go.
Now that you've been shooting and Zack is still little, how have you managed both home and work?
It was one of the most stressful periods in recent times and I kept with something that I will get better at. And 'Top Model India' is the first big project that I have done after giving birth to Zack. The most important thing to rationalise with is that you have to go to work because you have things to achieve, you have something to do and then you must understand that when you're not at work you must give your 100% to your child and you only focus on your child.
From proudly flaunting your baby bump to celebrating your first anniversary, your pictures with Zack break the Internet.
I just think it's such a proud thing. I've been modelling, I've been acting, pulled it off on television and those are all things I've achieved and I'm proud of it. But this for me is… I think any mother would say this it's a kind of an achievement, which brings various joys and it brings so much meaning to my life. Why would I not share it out with my followers? I like to keep it as real on Instagram as much as possible without divulging things about my personal life or get nasty or negative. I want to share my experience of being a mom as much as possible with people and there are other moms out there who can experience things.
Most importantly, how have you shed the post-pregnancy weight in merely five months? It was pretty quick and I'm sure everyone wants to know Lisa's secret of getting back into the hottest shape? That is really inspiring.
I actually feel a little unfair to talk about my post-pregnancy weight because everyone's body type is so different. I was around 53-54 kilo pregnant and when I was carrying the baby I was 20 more than that. The doctor told me that you have to gain minimum 10 kg and I gained 20. Everyone said that once you give birth to the baby, everything will all just come out because it's just water, maybe it's a big baby. The doctors weighed me before I had the baby, the standard way; they take you and check your blood pressure. After I finished having the kid, on my own when I could stand up, I went and stood on the scale but I had lost nothing but the baby's weight! (laughs). My baby was born around 3.5 kilos and I told my friends to leave me all by myself. I was kind of worried about it but I had to think about it someday and I enjoyed it. I was breastfeeding, as you know this is something that I really did struggle with. I lost my mom two months before I got pregnant and I knew I didn't even have her to ask. I know that she breastfed all of us. So, now let me do it because she did it as well, there was a lot of pressure about it. I was happy when I breastfed, I felt suddenly that all came out clean, things were just falling off. It's such a great thing to bond with your child and it literally just fell off me. It was like the butter melting. Every day I get up and look in the mirror and I would be like, "Oh, wow!" And I never thought my body would go back to normal again but it actually had.
With women's day around the corner, any special message for the beautiful women in our country?
I think the women are all fabulous. They must continue to be the strong, independent, hard-working women that they are. And that the only way to be independent is hard-working, that is the standard core you believe in.
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