Canadian supermodel Saira Mohan, who has been called the “Global Face of Beauty”, is currently visiting India, leading a discussion on the “Role of Women in 21st Century” at the World Economic Forum in New Delhi and striking a pose for Mumbai-based designer Payal Singhal, whose collection will be launched next year, premiering in Mumbai and New York.

The 26-year-old model, who has worked with the world’s top designers and has been featured on the covers of the likes of Vogue and Harpers Bazaar, is also intending to make her debut in cinema. “I have been talking with people for a long time,” Saira admitted to The Times of India. “Things take time to work out and that’s what’s happened. But I am doing a film called Harry Tries to Marry, an independent American production. Though I have never consciously considered acting as a career, I definitely don’t mind doing it provided it is the right thing for me. Besides, Bollywood has always fascinated me with all the singing and dancing.”

Other interest of Saira, to whom modeling no longer seems enough, include polishing her writing skills. “I have been modelling for over 13 years and have done everything possible,” she said. “When I started writing, little did I realise that my e-book How to Seduce (And Marry) the Woman of My Dreams , which initially started as my own journal, would be such a success.”

Born to a Punjabi family, Saira is proud of her roots and happy being in touch with Indian culture. “My dad is Indian and my mother is half French-half Irish but, given that my dad married outside his race, we were never really accepted by his family,” she recalled. “However, instead of putting me off, my roots fostered a certain love for India which kept bringing me back to the country.”

The supermodel is visiting India with her husband Christopher Cooper, who she married at the Taj Mahal, and their eight-month-old son.