Fearless, Resilient and Unstoppable Puneet Sud
I confess I was truly intrigued… by the incredible journey of 66-year-old Puneet Sud… a man who has redefined what it means to live, thrive, and reinvent at 60 and beyond. His story isn’t just about bagging modelling projects in a youth-obsessed industry; it’s about courage, resilience, and an unwavering belief that age is no barrier to dreams.
His path wasn’t easy… he came to Dubai with only $2 in his pocket, battled through a dark period of rheumatoid arthritis that nearly led him to despair and suicidal thoughts, but this brave-heart turned it all around with a three-second ad shoot that sparked his reinvention.
Today, from standing shoulder-to-shoulder with global icons like Jessica Alba, Jeremy Irons, and Shah Rukh Khan to embracing life as a “flag bearer of the roaring 60s,” Puneet embodies strength, elegance, and a rare authenticity that makes you stop and listen. His tale is part celebration, part revelation… reminding us that the 60s can be the boldest, most liberating chapter of all.
Here, I, Sumita Chakraborty, Founder & Editor-in-Chief, TheGlitz, am delighted to share Puneet’s extraordinary story… one that is as inspiring as it is resilient, as grounded as it is glamorous.
Over To The Inspiring Puneet Sud
In this youth-obsessed industry, how did you manage to become a visible symbol of strength and elegance at 66 and bag important projects. What message do you hope your story sends to people who feel like life slows down after 60?
Two projects in to modelling… and I quickly realized that one does not necessarily need to be “six packed” and have hair to match a lion’s mane!
So, my brave 60’s brothers and sisters in arms, take heart… re-research shows that while the modelling industry showcases a youthful allure with most models debuting before 20 and an average age of 23; recently shifting demographics reveal a gradual appreciation for experience… with a 15% rise in models over 50, highlighting that in modelling, age might just be a number!
Studies show that 92% of Active Agers bank online, 91% own smart phones, a whopping 90% research and purchase products online and 84% regularly post on social media!
It’s boom time for us folks, so reinvent, rediscover and savour the best stage of your life!
You’ve described yourself as a “flag bearer of the roaring 60s.” What have your 60s taught you that your 30s or 40s never could?
The 30’s and 40’s are a dynamic period of life defined by transition from youth to adulthood, characterized by energetic exploration, rapid learning, and developing independence, while life at 60 and beyond is a diverse, transformative stage marked by more free time and a shift towards potential new freedom from past constraints and the best time to leverage the wealth of experience to fearlessly reinvent and rediscover yourself!
You’ve worked with global icons like Jessica Alba, Jeremy Irons, and even Shah Rukh Khan. What moment on set made you stop and say, “This is really happening”? Any anecdotes
Face to face,and one to one with the big guns on set… and I had to pinch myself! This was surreal but it was happening… what with Covid in the air and SRK cautioning me to keep my distance!
Was there a campaign or shoot that felt like a full-circle moment for you… something that reflected not just professional success, but personal healing?
Every shoot, every campaign has something special about it! But sitting across an Academy Award winner in a pivotal 3-4 minute scene of a Hollywood film has to be an experience which I can only describe as surreal!
For me,those magical four minutes opposite Jeremy Irons was the full circle moment for me… a celebration of self-invention, self-discovery and a soothing balm for the physical and emotional trauma I had gone through!
Rizana :The Caged Bird is scheduled for a global release later this year.
Looking back on everything, from your corporate career to your darkest health struggles to your unexpected stardom, how would you define purpose now? And what do you hope your legacy will be?
For me, purpose has been a powerful driver and a source of resilience against the manifold challenges I have faced!
I would like to leave behind a legacy of looking adversity in the eye and inspiring my fellow brave 60’s to believe in themselves and go down proud with “all guns blazing”!
Optimistically hopeful of catching the “right” eye, my sights are firmly set on an elusive “frontier”… the burgeoning Indian modelling and entertainment space I am not done as yet
“Many miles to go before I sleep, if you may!”
– Puneet Sud
