Model Spotlight: SONAL CHAUHAN

Sometimes you have to go back into the past before you can spotlight a present day beauty. In this case, I first saw Miss Chauhan in the brainless, goofy, but stupidly endearing action dramedy, Legend, way way back in 2014. I remember at the time thinking that she was heart-achingly beautiful, if perhaps a little too vapid in her role. And then, quite frankly, I forgot all about her. Until last week, when a friend of mine posted a video clip from that same movie on Facebook. And then it was love at first sight all over again! Honestly, I had forgotten how seriously gorgeous this woman is! So with that in mind, I'd like to formally introduce you all to my latest Bollywood hottie (Bolly-hottie?) crush.

Name:  Sonal Singh Chauhan
Age:  28
Profession:  Model/Actress
Hometown:  New Delhi, India
Accolades:  Miss World Tourism (2005); Filmfare award nominee for "Best Female Debut" on the 2008 film, Jannat.
Best Known:  As Zora in the breakout Bollywood megahit, Jannat (2008).
Current:  Finalized filming on Dictator, a Telugu language action drama just released this week. She shares a leading role in the film alongside Nandamuri Balakrishna and Anjali.


Sonal Chauhan was born on May 16, 1987 in New Delhi to a Rajput family originally hailing from the state of Uttar Pradesh to the east. In her early teens, Sonal's face graced magazine covers and won her a slew of beauty contests, but she always maintained good grades in school. In college she studied Philosophy with top honors at the nation's capital, but was propelled into the world of fashion modelling almost immediately when she became a Miss World contestant at the time, and then later won the crown as 2005's Miss World Tourism in Malaysia.

The win--a first for India--led to many runway and photo op gigs, as well as appearances in several music videos for top hits of the time in her home country. But Miss Chauhan's fate was to be tied to the big screen when she was "discovered" by a film director while eating at a restaurant in Mumbai. The film he would place her in as co-star was Jannat, and it became a huge international success, garnering Sonal a nominee for "Best Female Debut" artist at the 2009 Filmfare awards (which she lost to the equally stunning and talented Kollywood actress, Asin Thottumkal).

Since then, Sonal Chauhan has appeared in numerous films from various industries throughout the sub-continent. Most recently as Nandini in the film, Sher; and as Simran in Size Zero. The latter of which is one of my personal favorite Tollywood films of 2015.

But, really, if you need to determine the honest truth behind my crush on Miss Chauhan, I'll simply submit these stunning photos below as further proof:


Sonal Chauhan

Previous Model Spotlights:
Deepika Padukone
Nazneen Contractor
Priyanka Chopra
Riya Ray
Asal Soltani

Model Spotlight: DEEPIKA PADUKONE

Okay, by now it should come as no surprise that I'm a fan of Bollywood movies. I mean, I'm a HUGE fan! Some of you may recall my post on favorite Bollywood music a few years ago (click here), as well of course as this here Model Spotlight series, in which more often than not I'm posting up some famous Indian beauty from the movie scene. And it's really a good thing I watch Bollywood, too, otherwise I would be missing out on so many hotties from the sub-continent. DAYUMMM! Case in point, today's entry.

Name:  Deepika Padukone
Age:  28
Profession:  Model/Actress
Hometown:  Bangalore, India
Accolades:  2005 "Model of the Year" - Kingfisher Fashion Awards; Filmfare award for "Best Female Debut" on the 2007 film, Om Shanti Om; and Filmfare award for "Best Actress" on the 2013 film, Goliyon Ki Raasleela: Ram-Leela.
Best Known:  As Veronica in the hit Indian romantic comedy-drama, Cocktail (2012).
Current:  Finalized filming on Piku, a comedy-drama starring alongside her childhood idol and legendary Bollywood actor, Amitabh Bachchan.


Born in Copenhagen in 1986, Deepika's parents returned home and settled in Bangalore just a year later to raise their daughter and, eventually, her little sister, Anisha, as well. Her mother was a travel agent, and her father the famous Indian pro badminton player, Prakash Padukone. And for a while there it looked as if Deepika would follow in her daddy's footsteps, becoming quite proficient at the sport of badminton, even to the point of competing on the national level. But in high school she realized her true dream was to become an actress, and so she dropped out of sports to focus on a career in modeling and movies.

Model Spotlight: NAZNEEN CONTRACTOR

Up until now, the Model Spotlight series has featured beautiful women who were known in the glamour/fashion industry first, and only in the entertainment biz second. This trend changes with today's entry, a woman who has definitely graced a few photo ops and magazine covers in her time, but who's primarily known for her strong background in theater, television, and movies. Of course, like the previous entries in this series, she would invariably have to be of either Persian or Indian descent to garner my attention. And in this case, surprisingly, the subject of today's profile is a little of both! Ah, the best of all possibilities.

Name:  Nazneen Contractor
Age:  31
Profession:  Actress
Hometown:  Toronto, Canada
Accolades:  2008 Golden Nymph Award, Montecarlo Television Festival; 2012 Best Supporting Actress, WorldFest Houston; 2014 Actor of the Year, ANOKHI Magazine.
Best Known:  As Kayla Hassan on FOX's 24.
Current:  Can be seen starring in the 5th season of the USA Network series, Covert Affairs.



Born in Mumbai, India in 1982 to parents of Gujarati-Parsi heritage, Nazneen has lived, among other places, in Nigeria, London, Toronto, and L.A., where she currently resides. At age 9 when her parents settled down in Toronto for good, she took an interest in both drama and dance, going so far as to train in classical ballet for almost a decade. But it was while majoring in both psychology and sociology at the University of Toronto that Nazneen turned her attention toward theater, and the acting bug bit her hard!

Model Spotlight: PRIYANKA CHOPRA

Continuing on the trend of exposing my Indian and Persian ... er, preferences, I'm here to bring yet another model from that part of the world into focus. Although, unlike the previous two entries in my ongoing Model Spotlight series, this beauty hardly needs any introduction if you've been paying attention to Bollywood over the past half-decade or so.

Name:  Priyanka Chopra
A.K.A.:  Priyanka
Profession:  Model; Actress; Singer
Hometown:  Bareilly - Uttar Pradesh, India
Age:  31
Accolades:  Miss World (2000); Various Bollywood awards for Best Actress, etc.
Current:  Filming biopic on 5-time World Boxing champion and Olympian, Mary Kom.




Born to parents who were both doctors in the Indian Army, Priyanka Chopra grew up at various military postings all over Northern India. In her teens, she spent four years living with one of her aunts in the United States, before returning to India to finish out her high school education. Her subjects of interest were computer science and criminal psychology, with a background in the performing arts. By her own admission, Priyanka was a rather gangly and awkward girl in early adolescence, being mostly left alone as the outsider when attending school in the U.S. However, by 2000 she had grown into a remarkable beauty and her mother entered her in the Miss Femina India pageant, where she came in as the runner-up and winner of the Miss India World title. Later that year, she went on to win the top prize of Miss World, which then paved the way for numerous modeling commitments as well as film roles in the burgeoning Bollywood film industry.

Model Spotlight: RIYA RAY

Yes, it's true. I have a thing for Middle Eastern and South Asian beauties. What can I say? It's no secret . . . everybody knows. A while back I posted this spotlight on the Persian/Dutch model, Asal Soltani. This time I move on over to the sub-continent to introduce Ms. Riya Ray. She's someone who, like Ms. Soltani, also perfectly exemplifies my personal litmus test of physical beauty.

In other words, I think she's pretty damn hot! Oh yes I do, indeed. I think she's a big deal, actually. Rising up through the ranks rather quickly. I've seen her in a few rap videos and a commercial or two, but she's also done quite a few magazine covers as well and has wrapped up production on a couple films she has roles in this year. Here are some of my favorite photos of Ms. Ray:

Breathtaking. Resembles Kim Kardashian
a little here, no?

That come hither stare gets me
EVERY TIME! Rawrrrr!

Beautiful long, dark hair compliments an oval,
angular face. Gorgeous!!!

That sweet, girl-next-door look.
Nice dress!

Those eyes!!! (faints)

Riya Ray is a Bengali gal who hails from Assam in northeast India. She's based in the States now, but still has strong roots in her hometown and visits every chance she gets. She's also not a fan of the "size zero" trend in modeling, and feels models should be allowed to show their curves. And although she's a naturally slim gal herself, I must say Riya definitely does have the curves where they count!

Just more proof that Indian women are super fly in the summer time! Or any other time of the year, for that matter. My own opinion, of course (heh, heh). Don't hate me if I just happen to be right.

Thank Heaven I Was Born A Man!

A few months ago I wrote this piece specifying all the qualities, both physical as well as intellectual, that I found attractive in the opposite gender. Some of you may remember that, on the physical side of things, I tended to favor women with oblong faces and high cheekbones, with long dark hair and smoldering almond-shaped eyes. I mentioned how these traits naturally drew me toward the Asia Minor and Subcontinent parts of the world, as this is where you'll most likely find ladies embodying this particular classification of female perfection.

And then, the other day, I beheld this Aveda commercial for some hair product or technique I wasn't paying too much attention to, because it felt like a thunderbolt had struck me from the sky:



(You can find a longer, more detailed, version of this commercial by clicking here.)


And I think it's pretty clear why I was not paying so much attention to whatever the hell this commercial is selling, right? I mean, WOW! I had to rewind the DVR several times to behold the wonder I was seeing. Who was she? Why is she only doing Aveda commercials? By god, I must rush to the Internet and learn more!!!

And learn more I did. Well, sorta. It turns out that this very lovely woman is a relatively unknown fashion model from the Netherlands named Asal Soltani. She is of Persian and Dutch descent and, I believe, is currently working in Milan. Unfortunately, that was about the extent of all I could find out.

*Sigh*

However, all was not lost. I did come back with some pretty hot pictures of Ms. Soltani, which I will share here of course. Since the majority of my readers are female, you must bear with me and allow me this one male indulgence. You all know me. I don't do this very often.

So, uh . . . yeah. She pretty much rocks my boat. I mean, hard! In particular her eyes are what really captivate me. She's not your typical looking runway model, which is a nice change. I'm so tired of the blonde, Nordic look. Aren't you?

Where are the Asal Soltani's of the world? If you're out there . . . call me, maybe.