Celebrity make-up artist Cory Walia says, "If we want the next supermodel to be Indian, then we have to change the way we function in the fashion world.

For example, in the West, the preparations to transform a girl into a supermodel begin at the tender teenage, between 14 - 16 years. The creative process begins from spotting talent, then nurturing and grooming it."

In India girls don't start this early, partly because the families don't value modelling as a career.

"Even the late bloomers have to think of a respectable image to maintain in order to get married after the modelling days are over. There are constraints on the assignments Indian models accept," Cori says

Cory's favourite supermodel:  Ujjwala Raut is my favourite right now. Ujjwala has gone a long way from a middle-class Mumbai belle to Paris, Milan and other hottest ramps in the world.

Her ambition, grit and determination have taken her there.

In this photograph: Model Ujjwala Raut

Photograph: Getty Images / Nielson Brandon