Adorned from head to toe in the finest silks and jewels, Bengaluru-based model Mahalakshmi appears in a television advertisement (above). It’s not incidental that she’s a polio survivor who needs a wheelchair. For Mahalakshmi is a differently abled model.

In an interview, she revealed that a meeting with Chennai-based fashion designer, Shalini Visakan was what pushed her to chase her dream of modelling. Her affliction is revealed only at the end of the advertisement.

The cinematographer, Jerald Dinesh, remarked: “It was an interesting concept. Mahalakshmi was very cooperative. No one would have known she’s differently abled. But we showed her on a wheelchair at the end to motivate others.”