Kamal Ghorui
The son of a farmer in a small village in Aligarh, Uttar Pradesh, Nitin Kumar (Katil Model) grew up with a dream that did not fit easily into the world around him. While most boys in his village were expected to follow familiar paths, Nitin imagined himself somewhere else entirely—walking the ramp for top fashion designers, dressed in confidence and possibility.That dream, however, came at a cost.When Nitin tried practicing his ramp walk or dressing differently, he was met with ridicule. People laughed. Some mocked him openly. In a place where ambition is often measured by how closely one follows tradition, his aspiration to become a fashion model seemed strange, even unacceptable.At just 19, Nitin has already worked multiple jobs to make ends meet. One of them was as a security guard in Dwarka, Delhi. The work was grueling-12-hour shifts that left him physically and mentally exhausted.“By the end of the day, I was so tired that I had no time to think about anything else,” he recalls.
He quit the job, hoping to find opportunities in modelling, but reality soon caught up with him. He had no money to invest in portfolios, grooming, or agency registrations. Survival came first.His next job took him to the Indira Gandhi International Airport. Nitin needed money, and so he took up this job where the work was hard and the hours were long. He worked here for some time, and then came a familiar feeling of restlessness. He was afraid he would never be able to become a model.Nitin had to make a hard choice again. He quit and got a new job with a company in Noida that had an eight-hour shift and Sundays off. It wasn’t glamorous, but it gave him something valuable: time.
On his days off and in whatever free hours he could carve out, Nitin began working on himself. He searched for modelling opportunities online, practiced his walk, studied poses, and focused on building his body and confidence. There were no shortcuts—just quiet discipline and belief. However, his efforts saw no success.His father was unhappy with his choices and eventually called him back home. Nitin began helping his father in the fields, and in whatever little time he could spare, he continued to practice.“People would laugh at me and make fun of me,” he says. “Kabhi kuch nahi kar payega”, that’s what I heard from almost everyone.”What kept him going was inspiration. Models like Jeet Gurjar and Apeksha Rajput, who came from humble beginnings yet managed to carve a place for themselves in the industry, inspired him. Their journeys reminded him that where you start does not have to decide where you end.
Nitin remained undeterred. He practiced his ramp walk daily, worked on his posture and presence, and began paying close attention to his social media. Every day, he posted videos and reels, hoping someone would notice. For a long time, nothing happened. The few offers that did come his way demanded money—something he simply did not have.Eventually, he reactivated his account with a different approach. He began uploading daily vlogs, openly sharing his journey and struggles. Slowly, people started noticing the honesty in his story.His first show came in Dwarka. He was asked to pay ₹1,000 to participate—money he borrowed from a friend. He gave his best on the ramp, and it showed. The organisers called him again for another show. This time, he wasn’t asked to pay anything.From there, the progress was slow but steady. He began getting shows with small designers who did not ask for money. More importantly, he was building a portfolio—something he could never have afforded to create on his own.\
“I still have a long way to go,” Nitin says. Although he has already done shoots for brands like Amazon, ZARA and Adidas—and has been paid for his work—he knows this is only the beginning. “I want to become a supermodel. Now I know that if you stay consistent with something, you will definitely achieve it.”For a boy once told he would never amount to anything, that belief itself is a quiet but powerful victory.
