Trending News: Meet Maleesha Kharwa, a 14-year-old girl from Mumbai's Dharavi Slum, who has risen to fame as the face of luxury beauty brand Forest Essentials' latest campaign, 'The Yuvati Collection'. Maleesha's journey began when she was discovered by Hollywood actor Robert Hoffman in 2020, who was captivated by her talent and potential. He even created a Go Fund Me page to support her aspirations. Today, Maleesha boasts an impressive following of over 225,000 on Instagram, often using the hashtag #princessfromtheslum to showcase her incredible journey. She has ventured into the world of modelling, secured multiple gigs, and even starred in a short film titled "Live Your Fairytale". Now, Forest Essentials has chosen her as the face of their empowering social initiative, the 'Yuvati Selection' campaign.
Forest Essentials shared a heartwarming video on Instagram, capturing the moment Maleesha entered their store and saw her campaign photos on display. The sheer delight on her face showed the realisation of her dreams. The caption accompanying the video read, "Her face lit up with pure delight, To see her dreams in front of her in sight. Maleesha's story is a beautiful reminder that dreams really do come true. #BecauseYourDreamsMatter." This video quickly went viral, garnering more than 5.4 million views and over 413k likes.
The internet celebrated Maleesha's achievements and showered her with praise. One user expressed, "It's wonderful to watch her savor her success!!! Blessings and much more success in the future for her!" Another remarked, "So happy to see this, and applause for the brand. In our country, dusky girls were never considered to promote beauty brands. Now, times have changed... she's so beautiful." The outpouring of positivity continued, with comments like, "Wow. So much positivity in here. Also, her smile is beautiful," and "Now this is a face every common man will relate to, a much-needed change."
Watch the viral video here:
Mira Kulkarni, the founder and chief managing director of Forest Essentials, highlighted the significance of the campaign in an interview with Vogue India. She explained that through the 'Yuvati Collection', they not only support Maleesha's dreams but also contribute to Project Paathshala, an initiative that empowers young minds. "While Maleesha is the face of this campaign, what Forest Essentials is bringing to the forefront is the idea of dreams. The undercurrent here is that no matter where you come from, how big or small your dream is, dreams are for everyone, and all dreams matter," Kulkarni said.
In her own words, Maleesha expressed that her campaign with Forest Essentials is her "biggest job till date." She aspires to be a model, but education will always remain her top priority.
