Story behind a showstopper.!

I’ve walked the ramp at many fashion shows as a showstopper. I recall this one memorable incident from the Bangalore Fashion Week. At that time, I had worked with a designer who was a newcomer. It was her very first showcase and she wanted me to be her showstopper. She had come to my home and shown me her portfolio and I was thoroughly impressed with her work and zeal for designing. So, I agreed to walk the ramp. The date and timings were all set. There was one hindrance, however. My driver had gone to his native place and hence, I wouldn’t be able to drive to the fashion show destination all by myself because it was too far (I hope you know Bangalore traffic is the worst). I had asked the designer to make arrangements for transportation. 

The day had finally arrived. I was all set for the fashion show and had been waiting for the vehicle to arrive but to no avail. Just then, the designer called me 

Designer: Haripriya ma’am, where are you?

Me: Home.. waiting for the vehicle to arrive..

Designer: What!!! I thought you almost reached.

Me: Remember you agreed to send a vehicle.

Designer: My sister was supposed to take care of that!! Let me call her and get back with you

I could sense the panic in her voice. I could imagine what a grave situation she must’ve been in considering this was her first showcase. I genuinely did not want all her hard work to go in vain. 

The designer’s sister had called me and apologized for the delay and said this must’ve somehow slipped out of her mind while handling other arrangements. To make amends, she was going to drive all the way to my home and pick me up.

She finally came home and picked me up. We were on the way to the venue. She was so panicky and drove at full speed, not minding the traffic signals. She was hell-bent on reaching the destination on time because she did not want her negligence to sabotage her sister’s first fashion venture. She hit the sidewalk and it formed a huge dent and scratches on the car. 😱 (Gosh that was a BMW). I advised her to calm down since we can always request the organizers for some more time. She did not want to waste more time and was almost on the verge of tears. 

We finally reached the venue. I ran in and freaked out to hear the presenter announce the designer’s name. I had no makeup on and I wasn’t even prepared to go on stage.  I am an actress, not a runway model! Of course, I needed time to get ready and rehearse the choreography. I wore my costume and she started explaining the choreography to me and I had no idea. what was happening around me. Someone was adjusting the jewellery, one person was applying blush over my cheeks, another was putting the lipstick on and the makeup brushes were all over my face and this was the only ‘makeup’ I had on for the entire show. I heard the presenter say “PLEASE WELCOME OUR SHOWSTOPPER, THE SANDALWOOD BEAUTY QUEEN HARIPRRIYA ON STAGE” and that was it! I was on the stage. I was shocked at how I clearly remembered all the choreography without even practicing it. 😊 I walked confidently with a huge smile on my face and noticed my mother, and friends sitting in the audience. My Mom was extremely happy upon seeing me and was quite teary-eyed because of how good all this turned out to be despite all the tension. It was like a perfect Disney princess moment! HAHA. I walked another round with the designer and within a few minutes, the show was done! I finally wore my makeup properly before the press meet. I thank the designer and her sister for adding this to my list of memorable experiences.

-Hariprriya