Out of tihar, arms dealer shoots babes

Flamboyant playboy, who also dabbles in multi-crore-rupee arms deals, Abhishek Verma is finally in his element — in the company of playgirls. Verma, who till recently kept residence in Delhi’s Tihar Central Jail, can now be found in the company of gorgeous blonde models. It may seem as if he is having fun, but this time, it is all about work.
Verma, who is well known for his love for alabaster-skinned blondes — remember he was engaged to a former Miss Universe runnerup from Greece — is working hard to find the right beauties to feature in his calendar. That is right, the maverick son of literary and politician parents who gained notoriety for his suspect business dealings and love for fast cars and hot chicks, now wants to be like Vijay Mallya, who in turn is accused of being a Richard Branson wannabe. Verma wants a calendar to beat Mallya’s Kingfisher offerings.
Two of the shortlisted models, Nicoleta Macarencu and Susana Musat, are from Romania. Work is in full swing at a suburban hotel where the two girls are showing their mettle — and skin — near the pool. They have already finished shooting in Kolkata.
For starters, 22-year-old Nicoleta is no novice to covers and centre-spreads having graced the covers of lad mags Playboy and FHM. Susana has also done some campaigns in Europe for upmarket designers and editorials in fashion magazines such as Cosmopolitan, Vogue and Tatler.
The calendar will be produced by Abhishek’s company Atlas Group and will be launched and distributed by invitation only to the company’s corporate clients and VIPs after its launch in January 2009. The 2009 Atlas swimsuit calendar will be shot in Delhi, Kolkata and Goa.
Nikhil Oberoi, from the Atlas Group, said, “Six international models will feature in this calendar which will be shot by renowned fashion photographers Gilles Gagnan from France and Rana Bose. Bose has already shot the two Romanian models this weekend in Kolkata.”
He also explained the choice of Romanian models as the company does good business in that country. The company has a joint venture in telecom sector in Romania hence the two Romanian models for the first stage of the shoot. The Atlas Group is trying to rope in models from countries where it has a presence.
This is not Verma’s first foray into the world of bikini babes. He had tried his hand at calendars in 2005 with Delhi photographer Rohit Chawla. But now, he wants the exclusive and exotic calendars to be a regular feature every year. “For 2009 calendar, the theme is swimsuits. And we have models coming from Sweden, Czech Republic and Ukraine in November. After Kolkata and Delhi, Goa will be the next destination for the shoot and the French photographer Gilles too will be flown in then,” says Oberoi.
Taking inspiration from the Pirelli calendar, Verma’s company is aiming to break the barriers next year and take the shoot to more exotic locations abroad. And well, next year the theme would be different from this year’s swimsuit version.
On their first trip to India, the two models are thrilled to be here. Nicoleta, who is pursuing her degree in Journalism, says, “At 22, I am too old for modeling now, so I need to focus on my career after modeling and hence a course in journalism. In our country we start modeling pretty early. I started at 14.”
Last year Nicoleta was Romania’s Miss Bikini of the Year and after that she shot to fame with her picture on the cover of the Playboy magazine in Romania. Having walked the ramp at the Milan and Paris fashion weeks, Nicoleta finds India beautiful and the weather too good in contrast to the cool climes of Bucharest. She is dying to see the Taj Mahal.
About the shoot, she says, “I loved the pictures which Rana took in Kolkata. It’s very good stuff and I want to be featured in the summer months in the calendar as I love summers.”
Although she couldn’t meet any Indian models, Nicoleta finds Indian women beautiful. “I love the way they wear a saree, and I too have shopped quite a bit of sarees to wear back home,” she adds. The only thing she that did not agree with the model was the food – being too spicy. This is for the first time that Nicoleta is shooting for a calendar.
Unlike Nicoleta, Susana has modeled in many calendars. She too, had started early, becoming a pro at the age of 14. “I had a nice experience shooting in India. I found the people involved in the project very talented and professionals to the core,” she said.