By Lissy Maruthanakuzhy
Mumbai, October 25, 2026: Maleesha Kharwa was born in Mumbai in 2008, where she lived with her father and brother in a makeshift shoreline hut at Bandstand, Bandra.
They lived in constant fear of municipal officials who repeatedly demolished their huts.
There was no road to her temporary dwelling, requiring her to walk over rocks. From there, she made her way to government school every day and topped her class.
In the absence of her mother, her aunt took care of her as her own daughter, Kharwa says.
A major breakthrough came in her life in 2020 when she was 12 years old. While selling tissues, she and her cousin spotted a foreign woman at Bandstand, Bandra.
The two girls befriended her by speaking in English. She told them that her friend, American actor Robert Hoffman, needed a girl for a dance music video.
The next day, American actor Robert Hoffman met both of them.
He selected her cousin to act in the music video, leaving Kharwa disappointed.
“I too want to act,” the 12-year-old told him without fear.
Robert Hoffman was struck by her charm and determination. He asked her if she liked to do modeling.
She asked him to explain what it was and said, “Yes. From my childhood I want to do modeling. I like it.”
Robert Hoffman told her that he needed permission from her father to take her for modeling.
Kharwa recalls, “My father told me that grandfather would not like it. But I cried and persisted in my desire, and finally they gave me permission.”
Meanwhile, Hoffman helped her set up Instagram and YouTube pages. He also started a fundraiser through GoFundMe, and these donations are used for Kharwa’s food, education and shelter.
She did not have an electricity connection in her tent. “We charge our mobile with the power bank, which we get charged with a payment,” she said.
He also launched a campaign to support her education and modeling aspirations. Soon, Kharwa’s story captured global attention. She began appearing in leading fashion magazines like Cosmopolitan India, Elle and Vogue, earning the nickname “Princess of Dharavi.”
In 2023, she became the face of Forest Essentials’ “Yuvati” collection, a luxury skincare brand. That marked her entry into mainstream fashion. She also starred in the short film Live Your Fairytale, which reflected her own journey.
“Never give up on your dreams,” Kharwa says. According to Kharwa, she never wanted her background to determine her future. “I try to remain positive in difficult situations. I tell myself, ‘you can do it.'”
Kharwa’s career has improved her living conditions. Her father confessed, “Now we live in a rented house. We have paid up all our loans.”
Confident in herself, Kharwa now pursues ballet, dance and modeling assignments between her studies.
She has designed an “infinity heart” pendant, and she says a portion of the income from this sale will go to help children in her community receive “the tools to chase their dreams.”
“I was discovered in the slums, and now I live to inspire,” she noted on her Instagram page.