Anna Pruska
January 2, 2023
Merlyn Mantilla
February 3, 2023
Maria Furdychka grew up in a small city in western Ukraine. She says she’s grateful for it now, as her family is still living there and it’s one of the few safe places in Ukraine during the war. But back in her hometown, she dreamt big watching Hollywood TV shows and dreaming to have that kind of life. Probably, that’s why when living in New York she managed to make acquaintance with Leonardo DiCaprio, Rihanna, and other celebrities and become best friends with Brett Ratner, one of the top directors in Hollywood. Maria has even been spotted with Cristiano Ronaldo in Miami.
“Dare to dream, all dreams come true. Whatever you ask for, God will give you if you have a pure heart. Stay humble, be true to yourself, work hard and you will get everything you want in life”, believes Maria.
From a very young age, she’s been a star and has gained such titles as Queen of the World 2010, according to Wikipedia, Miss Moscow 2016, and Top Russian Beauty 2017 in New York during a beauty contest in Manhattan. When Ukraine and Russia were still on good terms, Maria lived in Moscow for 5 years.
During the Covid-19 pandemic, she came on holiday to Dubai and got an offer to work for Insignia, a luxury lifestyle company, and couldn’t refuse. But, admits Maria, she had to give up her childhood dream of being an actress and working on TV. Partly, because she had relationships with super successful businesses men who told her that such a smart woman should be making a fortune in business using her brain, not her beauty.
However, life took an unexpected turn. Last year in Dubai, Maria met Mohamed Ramadan who blew her mind. He said, “Maria, you’re destined to be an actress. Your eyes, your expression, your emotionality, charisma… You have talent, you have everything to be an actress”. And he knows what he is talking about, being the top actor in Egypt and the number 1 artist in GCC. “He told me to go for it and never give up on my dreams, as it is never too late. Honestly he inspired me to go back on track and follow my heart”, says Maria.
She left Insignia and worked for Bentley Emirates to earn a decent living. She enjoyed the experience as she has a passion for luxury cars. Currently, she is working in a top real estate agency in Dubai, selling exclusive luxury properties. “It was the Netflix show Selling Sunset that inspired me to do this. But thanks to Mohamed Ramadan, I am back to modeling, being a fashion influencer. I plan to go on TV, do some acting, and with God’s help we will soon make Selling Dubai, our own real estate TV show”, Maria told us. And now this versatile woman has found a new passion: she decided to become DJ Mar1a, since she set Zuma Dubai on fire with her tracks. Maria drove people crazy dancing and DJing with the venue’s resident DJ. Some guests said she is dancing better than Beyonce and the music sounds better with her.
Model: @mar1a.one
Designer: @merita_merja
Make Up: @dion.makolli
Hair: @hamadaartist
Photographer: @1yuzhakov