Taken for a ride

Model coordinators in Delhi offering Rs 50,000 per hour for a job that DOES NOT EXIST.

Hey girls, are you 5’ 9” or taller, have good looks and a great figure… and can do stunts on a bike? Mail your photos for a chance to pocket between Rs 20,000-50,000 per hour at the Harley Davidson stall during Auto Expo.

HT Image

Everything in the above message, doing the rounds in the capital, sounds great, except one small detail. Harley Davidson does not even know about this.

Shagufta Khan*, 23, a college student who has worked at Trade Fair stalls, jumped at the opportunity. “Three different model coordinators offered me Rs 20,000 per hour to ride the Harley Davidson and Rs 50,000 if I could perform stunts like wheelie and burnouts,” she tells HT City. Another applicant, Mehar Kapoor, adds, “I was promised rehearsals before the stunts. I negotiated the rate up to Rs 40,000 an hour.”

When HT City got in touch with one such model coordinator Mayank Dureja, he confirmed that he was auditioning for the Harley Davidson stall at Auto Expo, beginning in the capital from January 5. “Harley Davidson is willing to pay Rs 20,000 per hour to girls that qualify. We need 15 such girls,” he said. Says Ashish Sharma of the agency ASV, “We are also hiring girls for auto expo, but for brands like Maruti and Hero Honda. The payment would be nowhere in comparison to Harley Davidson…between Rs 5000-8000 per day.”

Aspiring model Smriti Kaur says, “I also applied for the Harley Davidson stall. My photos were shortlisted but I wasn’t selected as I don’t know how to ride a bike.” “Delhi girls can only pose next to a bike… not ride or do stunts,” says coordinator Nanak Singh Kandhari, who claims to “have walked out” of the Harley Davidson project, because it was tough to find girls matching the brand’s requirements.

“WHAT requirements?” asked a bewildered Sanjay Tripathi, Director marketing, Harley Davidson India, when contacted. “We have not hired any agency to get us models for Auto Expo. Our stall will have models, but not with legs…only with two wheels.” He adds, “We shall soon decide on what action to initiate against agencies which are duping girls using our name.”

(*some names changed on request)