True Colours Run Deep

L'Oreal India MD Didier Villanueva’s passion for everything Indian makes him perhaps one of the most Indianised expat, discovers Bhisham Mansukhani

Most of the apparent cliches that are fashionably dovetailed with the corporate elite are mercifully persona non grata for a certain soigné, Frenchman Didier Villanueva. He fronts L'Oreal's Indian operations and is totally candid about the inherent fascination he has developed for an India that its own affluents remains perversely unaware of.

Didier Villanueva hails from Eastern France but his fledgling career with L'Oreal has got him accustomed to a perpetually transient trance, postings in different markets including Finland and Korea, developing the business with an acumen that traces its secret back to the many visas contained in a sizeble passport.

However, Villanueva does not feign political correctness when asked about his take on the distinct subcontinent, gushing, "India is my favourite outside of France. The country is as unique as it is diverse and continually feeds my appetite for exploration. I love to photograph the abstract and the unapparent."

Villanueva has an inherent passion to vacation and has satiated his wanderlust all across the globe, including India. "Travel is a way of life in France, which recieves the world's largest tourist numbers and like many I have travelled through France extensively," stated Villaneuva. Having resided in India for over three years now, Villaneuva already has an extensive portfolio of states to his credit, having travelled to Kerala, Karnataka, Punjab, Haryana, Sikkim, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Delhi among others.

"My best memory is in Kanha National Park in Madhya Pradesh. Couldn't spot tigers but it was fantastic nonetheless. I got some great shots on my Kodak digicam. Another of my best memories on vacation was with my family on a trailer holiday in Australia, wandering across the country in trailers. It was a journey of continuous discovery," he beams. Regarding Mumbai, home for the moment, he says, "Mumbai is my favourite Indian city because it is a cosmopolitian city and a melting pot of communities besides the indigenous Maharashtrians. Despite being French, I do not seek out the French diaspora in Mumbai."

His mode of transport to office, a fully loaded metallic powerhouse called the Royal Enfield Bullet shows how well Villaneuva has taken to the city. "I ride an Enfield Bullet," he proudly declares, "and it enables me to venture outside the recessed environs of my air-conditioned chauffeur driven car and explore what I perceive as the real Bombay. These have been some of my best times, riding through the wide and narrow lanes, photographing sites and people, witnessing diverse cultures first hand."

Negotiating Mumbai's traffic is no tour de force for this tenacious Frenchman. From Fort to Mahim to the suburbs of Malad, through East Mumbai, Villaneuva has cruised them all on his reliable two wheeler and is au fait with and at home on Mumbai's roads. He also frequently braves the Mumbai Pune route but snubs the blase concrete of the Expressway and takes the old Highway on the bike. "On a motorbike, you are more in touch with your surroundings. Watching the countryside from inside a car is like watching television. On a bike, everything is real, like the road beneath your feet."

Getting to know a country intimately has been Villaneuva's philosophy and he has made a lot of Indian friends. According to Villaneuva Indian and French values are strikingly similar particularly in the case of family values. "I have fond memories of being invited by a good Indian friend to his house in an Alibaug village. The entire experience of passaging through the village, to the beach stands out. This is another India. In fact, the countryside and villages are more representative of India's charm than the urban environment. I prefer nature to civilisation," Villaneuva confessed.

There in lies a striking paradox to Villaneuva's preferences. One one hand, he has grown to love Indian cities for their diversity but the allure of the countryside invariably draws him into it. Villaneuva is not one for detail when it comes to vacation. "I do not think that a holiday can or should be planned meticulously, it must be a surprise. One must leave the door open to unpredictability. I have to do my own packing, though," he stresses.

He is also not one for lapping up the luxury. "I do not prefer luxury hotels because they isolate me from the country. It is like a standard package which is the same everywhere. For business trips, a five star is just about appropriate but never for vacation. I prefer bed and breakfast and inns," he divulges.

Villaneuva's passion for his host country also encompasses his gathering penchant for local cuisines. "I recall eating a mound of steaming rice on a bananna leaf in a Tamilian household and some delicious kebabs in Punjab and fish in Kolkatta. My eternal favourite remains the Gujarati Thali," he confesses. Villaneuva loves to read but doesn't regard it as a hobby, more an essential.

Another in a gamut of the anthesis that make up the Villanueva profile is his uncontrived appreciation for all things Indian, including the domestic carrier Jet Airways. "I think that their quality of service and sense of concern is among the best in the country and is far better compared to Singapore Airlines. In general I do not prefer any particular airline but I believe that airline service standards have deteriorated. However, I love Air France for its food," Villaneuva discloses.

However, when it comes to the bevy of ladies that populate the bulging portfolio of L'Oreal Ambassadors that includes the likes of Beyonce Knowles and Aishwarya Rai, he shies from playing favourites. "They all epitomise the beauty and modernity, the identity of the woman who uses our product and are easily relatable," Villaneuva avers. But what does he rate as true substance in any individual. Pat comes the repartee. "The ability to appreciate the unapparent," Villaneuve proffers. True colours run deep. Oui Monsieur Villanuvue, merci!