Lisa Haydon

Modeling

Haydon wanted to be a yoga teacher at the age of 18. Studying psychology on the side, she took her friend’s suggestion to pursue modeling to pay for the classes and rent. She started modeling in Australia with her first assignment being for stretch mark cream. Encouraged by her sister’s modeling acts in India, she moved to India in 2007 to pursue a modeling career there. In India, she has walked the ramp for Wills Lifestyle India Fashion Week (WIFW) and HDIL-India Couture Week(HDIL-ICW). She is also the face of Lakmé. She has also featured in commercials for Hyundai i20, Indigo Nation, Myntra.com, and Blender’s Pride. In 2010, she did a commercial opposite, Hrithik Roshan. With the legendary photographer Peter Lindbergh, she modeled for Nirav Modi along with Rosie Huntington-Whiteley and Andreea Diaconu.

She has featured as the cover girl for major fashion magazines like Verve (March 2008, January 2011), Elle (April 2009, May 2009, May 2010, April 2011), Femina (April 2009), Harper’s Bazaar (January–February 2010), FHM (August 2010) and Adorn (November–December 2010).

She was named the best model and the most stylish persona in Cosmopolitan Fun and Fearless Awards 2009, DNA most stylish 2009, Marie Claire best model 2010. In 2011, she appeared in the Kingfisher Calendar.

Fashion designer

Haydon collaborated with lifestyle brand Sher Singh now acquired by Myntra to launch their first capsule collection inspired by her global style. On 14 February 2012, Sher Singh unveiled its spring collection online. Playful, in pastel, coral, and tan, some of the dresses have lace embellishments and can be paired with boots and jackets. Explaining their choice of Lisa, Sunjay Guleria, and Sonny Caberwal of Sher Singh reason that Lisa Haydon has a global fashion style with a distinct Indian identity. “Bohemian, jersey for comfort wear and structured cuts, I love it all,” Lisa says. “My personal style is the way I’d put an outfit I love together”.

The line will not have completely Indian pieces but will borrow elements for Indian fashion through buttons, embroidery, colors, dyes, and fabrics. This is the first time an Indian model and actor is designing her line internationally, along the lines of celebrities such as Kate Moss, Sarah Jessica-Parker, and Jennifer Lopez.

Films

She was spotted by Anil Kapoor in a coffee shop and soon her agent received a phone call for a role in the comedy-drama Aisha. The film was loosely based on Jane Austen’s novel Emma and its Hollywood adaptation Clueless, and she was offered to play the role of Aarti Menon, a New-York returned, white-collared, corporate yuppie. After signing the movie, she went to New York City for three months to learn method acting and also received classes on diction in Mumbai. In 2014, Haydon appeared in the coming-of-age dramedy Queen alongside Kangana Ranaut. She played Vijayalakshmi, a single mother who has a child out of wedlock. Haydon’s performance was extensively praised by critics; Devesh Sharma wrote that she “gives a class act”, whilst Rajeev Masand said that she “is a complete revelation in the role of Rani’s bohemian Parisian pal, investing the character with both sultriness and genuine affection.” The film earned unanimous critical acclaim and was also a box office hit. Her latest release was The Shaukeens, a remake of the 1982 film Shaukeen opposite Akshay Kumar, Anupam Kher, Annu Kapoor, and Piyush Mishra. It was released on 7 November 2014. It took a decent start at the box-office with positive reviews and ended up being an average performer. Lisa Haydon was also a part of Karan Johar’s film ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ alongside Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Ranbir Kapoor and Anushka Sharma in the lead roles.

Television

She appeared as the host and head judge of the first cycle of India’s Next Top Model on MTV India.

She is a trained Bharatnatyam dancer and has trained with Shiamak Davar for five years.

She is currently seen in the web series ‘The Trip’ on Bindass channel.