Eighteen-year-old, model, actress and huge Netflix fan, Chandni Bainz is aiming for the stars.
Hi Chandni, tell us what do you do for a living.
“Hi, I’m currently a full-time model and actress. I graduated from high school last year and right now, I’m focusing on polishing my talent and skills to be a better performer. I mostly act and model, but I have also hosted in Malay for three years at a RTM kids show when I was younger.”
What’s the best part of your job?
“The excitement when I score a project. I take my job very seriously and I would say that I am a workaholic. That’s because acting and modelling fuels my creativity and I can’t get enough of it. There’s always something different every time I work and that’s the beauty of it. I am very passionate about setting my career in this creative field because it challenges me in doing my best so I definitely see myself doing this for a long time.”
And the most challenging part of your job is…
“I am somewhat still struggling to build a base and gain an audience that supports and recognises my work. After being a part of many big projects, I am happy to say that many people in the industry are starting to recognise my experiences, but I would like to have the support of my fellow Malaysians too. I am trying to overcome this so let’s see how long it takes.”
Congrats on landing your first global campaign for Sunsilk India! How did that chance come about?
“Thank you! It was definitely an unexpected opportunity. One day I received a phone call from one of the production members and he told me about the whole concept and idea of the shoot. He explained that it would be handled by the team in India over Zoom. He then asked for my audition recording and I sent it. After a week or so, I found out that I was selected for the shoot and I was OVER THE MOON! It was really a big deal for me because being in an advertisement that would play all over India is on my bucket list. Even some of my favourite Bollywood actresses like Priyanka Chopra and Alia Bhatt, who is the ambassador of Sunsilk India have starred in Sunsilk’s commercials!”.
What was the shooting process like?
“It was very unique because the team from India managed everything over Zoom! When shoots were allowed here in Malaysia, the production team from India contacted the Malaysian crew to set everything up and prepared for the shoot. So it was a really fun and surprisingly easy to do over Zoom. I will always remember this shoot because of how it was handled with so much cooperation from both sides.”
What lesson did you learn from this project?
“That distance doesn’t stop the show from going on. The whole project was very eye-opening because it showed me that distance is not an excuse to make magic happen. Seeing the end result of the Sunsilk advertisement, it was apparent that both sides of team really worked very hard to make this project a success and I am very proud to have been a part of it.”
How do you take care of your luscious hair? Walk us through your steps.
“I take my haircare routine very seriously because a bad hair day… is a bad day. I wash my hair about 2-3 times in a week. A few hours before I wash it, I usually apply a ton of oil on my scalp and all over my hair because my scalp gets really dry at times and this method helps with that. Then I use the Sunsilk shampoo and conditioner, yes, I indeed use Sunsilk. After that, I use a hair mask from Sephora. I usually let my hair air-dry and once it’s dry, I use a L’Oréal serum to improve the quality my hair. Then I like to braid my hair before I go to bed because it prevents breakage and also gives nice waves and volume the next morning.”
What’s your ultimate dream, career-wise?
My ultimate dream would definitely be to act for a Netflix Original movie or series! I really love Netflix and I just hope that I get lucky enough to star in one of their movies or shows. Currently, I want to build a strong platform here in Malaysia that will be able to support me if I ever get a role in an international or national movie and/or series. I want to be one of the representatives to represent Malaysia in big international movie industries like Hollywood and/or Bollywood. I also have a goal to maybe direct or produce a movie one day so let’s just hope for the best and see where things lead to.”
All photos are provided by Chandni Bainz.
Main header image: Asyraf/Wala Wala Pictures
