HT Brunch Cover Story: Kick out the patriarchy!

For boxer Nikhat Zareen, 25, there’s no such thing as losing. There’s only learning how to win, over and over again.

Wherever she is, whatever she’s doing, everything about Nikhat Zareen screams confidence. Whether she’s in the boxing ring or facing the camera for her first fashion shoot, selecting the outfits she’ll wear or chatting with the photographer about the perfect angles, nothing seems to faze the 25-year-old boxer from Nizamabad, Telangana. She seems to intuitively know how to handle things her way.

Nikhat says she wanted to change the belief that women should just be in the kitchen and not dream of doing anything more; Dress & jacket by Bloni; Top & boots by Zara; Styled by Mia; Art direction: Amit Malik; Make-up: Shruti Sharma; Hair: Rohit; Location Courtesy: Shangri-La Eros, New Delhi (Tushar Bhardwaj)

How to win in life

Nikhat, one of four daughters born into an orthodox family, began her sports career as a sprinter because her father, Mohammad Jameel Ahmed, was a sports enthusiast; Shirt, shorts & jacket by Quod; Accessories by H&M (Tushar Bhardwaj)

Nikhat’s journey through the years

The very first film that Nikhat watched in a cinema hall was the biopic of Mary Kom; Bralette & skirt by Bloni; Boots by Mango; Top & belt by Zara (Tushar Bhardwaj)