Meet 15-yr-old Maleesha Kharwa from Dharavi who is the face of luxury skincare brand Forest Essentials
Popular luxury skincare brand Forest Essentials recently shared a wholesome video featuring Maleesha Kharwa, a 15-year-old from Dharavi, known as the ‘Slum Princess’, entering a store displaying her campaign photos. Her expressions warmed the hearts of the viewers who took to the comments to share their reaction. The video was captioned, "Her face lit up with pure delight. To see her dreams in front of her. Maleesha’s story is a beautiful reminder that dreams do come true.” The video has managed to attract more than 6.2 million views since April 4, and it keeps on increasing.
Earlier this year, Forest Essentials introduced her as the ambassador for their new collection, Yuvati. Following her introduction as the face of their new campaign, the brand interviewed her, in which she answered 13 questions. Maleesha said that Priyanka Chopra is her inspiration and that she admires Nora Fatehi's dance abilities. She even performed her signature dance moves and sang her favourite tune.
Highly impressed with her charming personality and striking appearance, Hollywood actor Robert Hoffman started a GoFundMe campaign for Maleesha in 2020 to support her dreams of being a supermodel. Maleesha's Instagram following has increased significantly since then to over 2.3 lakhs, which has helped her land several modelling gigs, the most recent of which was her partnership with Forest Essentials.
Maleesha often updates her Instagram followers with glimpses from her life. On her posts, she frequently uses the hashtag #theprincessfromtheslum. She also has her own YouTube channel where she posts vlogs, shares personal stories and offers insights into her day-to-day activities.
Maleesha has also demonstrated her talents in the short film Live Your Fairytale, which centres on the first-time dining experiences of five disadvantaged children. Her fame has led her to grace the pages of prestigious magazines. She has also received two offers from Hollywood films.