With unwavering discipline and instinctive creativity, Nicky navigates life’s extremes—turning every setback into a lesson, every role into expression, and every step into progress on a journey of relentless growth.
Team credits:-
Male Talent: Nicky Sundaram @nickysundaramofficial at Genetics Model Management @geneticsmgmt Female Talent: Renata Gubayeva @renatagubayeva
Producer/Photographer: Tom Marvel @tommarvelphotography
Stylist: Cannon @thecannonmediagroup
Beauty and makeup:HMU for Nicky: Linh Nguyen @linhhair using Redken @redken
HMU for Renata:Grant Karpin @gkarpinmua using Danessa and Myricks @danessa_myricks
HMU Assistant: Natalie @nataliej_hair_llc
Lighting Director: Pierre Bonnet @pierrebonnet
Director of Video: Edsta @edsta
Production: Winnie Noan @winnie_noan
Pose Director: Pater Argue @peterargue
Digital Artist: Anne Nguyen @retoucher_anne
Digital Tech: Ryan Liu @justryanliu
Photographer assistant : Sarah Schneider @sarahbschneider and Michele Swain @michelewihelminaphotography
Fashion : Maksim Mizgirev @lu3alo , Madison Wen Gu @mmmaddddison , Kamryn Brown @kamryn.brown and Brooklyn Hall @hauteraf
Special thanks to Jason and the entire team at Untitled Studio @untitledstudionyc
Returning to L’Officiel India, Nicky embodies an elevated blend of discipline and artistry. His path—from Marine precision to expressive storytelling—reveals a man shaped by resilience and driven by vision. This chapter celebrates his evolution with a calm sophistication, capturing a talent steadily, gracefully ascending.
Hello Nicky, welcome back! It’s an honor to have you with us again, especially considering the incredible momentum in your career since your last feature. We’re all excited to talk about everything you’ve accomplished and what’s next.
Thank you—it’s great to be back. The last couple of years have been a whirlwind in the best way, so I’m excited to catch up and talk about everything that’s been happening.
Your career demands extreme discipline as a Marine Reservist and high levels of creativity as an actor and model. Can you describe a specific process or ritual you use to smoothly shift your mindset between these two very different worlds?
They’re completely different worlds, and I’ve learned how to switch gears pretty quickly. In the Marines, I’m all discipline and structure. In acting, I’m tapping into creativity and emotion. My reset is simple—I take a moment alone, breathe, adjust my posture, and step into whichever mindset the day requires. It sounds small, but it works every time.
Your past feature in L’Officiel India highlighted your journey. Looking back since that interview, what is the biggest lesson you’ve learned about the fashion and film industries, and how has it reshaped your career focus?
The biggest lesson has been to stay grounded. The industry can change overnight, but your attitude shouldn’t. Staying humble, staying curious, and treating people well has taken me farther than anything else.
Your background includes professional wrestling and military training. How do you utilize that level of physical control and non-verbal communication to enhance your performances, whether on a runway or in a film?
The training didn’t transform how I walk a runway or play a quiet, emotional scene, but professional wrestling has definitely helped me with action work. It taught me how to move safely, hit choreography cleanly, and do my own stunts with confidence. The Marines gave me discipline and body control, which helps in any performance space.
You trained at NYU’s Tisch School of the Arts. How does your formal acting training help you develop complex characters that may not be directly related to your real-life experiences?
Tisch exposed me to different approaches and techniques, but I’ve always learned the most from watching the actors I admire—Johnny Depp, Edward Norton, Anthony Hopkins, Marlon Brando, Heath Ledger, Tom Hardy, Al Pacino, and Jack Nicholson. Their performances pushed me to find my own instincts. Even when a character feels far from my reality, I start there and build outward.
With a substantial social media following, you serve as a brand ambassador across multiple identities. What responsibility do you feel you have to your audience when choosing roles or campaigns, and what is the core message of your personal brand?
I try to keep it simple: I show up as myself. I don’t chase a persona or try to be someone I’m not just to gain followers. If people connect with me, I want it to be because I’m being honest—whether it’s a role, a campaign, or something I share online.
Both the military and the entertainment industry can be mentally demanding. What strategies do you find most effective for maintaining your mental health, dealing with rejection, and staying motivated during downtime?
Resilience has been the biggest thing for me. Both the military and this industry can test you, but I’ve learned to take setbacks as part of the process rather than the end of the story. I allow myself to feel it, and then I get back to work. That mindset keeps me moving.
Having debuted in Tamil cinema with Mei and having worked with U.S.-based industry professionals, what key differences and similarities have you observed between the working cultures in Kollywood and Hollywood?
Both industries are full of talented people and great energy. The differences are mostly cultural—different rhythms, different ways of working. In India, the level of admiration for movie stars is on another level; it’s almost mythical. But on set, people everywhere just want to tell good stories.
If you were to title the current chapter of your life, what would it be and why? What defining goal are you focused on achieving in this chapter?
I’d call it “The Climb.” This is the chapter where I’m pushing, learning, and aiming higher with every project. My focus right now is simple: keep growing and keep building the career I want.
