Unnati Davara, Pantaloons Femina Miss India East 2010, poses for the shutterbugs flanked by first runner-up Rohini Mukherjee (right) and second runner-up Eram Karim (left)
The glow on Unnati Davara’s face was hard to miss. Surely, that’s what a well-earned win does to one. As the much-awaited grand finalé of the most prestigious and credible beauty pageant, Pantaloons Femina Miss India East (PFMIE) 2010, came to a close, Unnati emerged a clear winner.
The winner of PFMIE 2010, Unnati, was crowned by Pooja Chopra (PFMI East Winner 2009 and PFMI World 2009, Miss World ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ title
winner) at a high-voltage show held at Nicco Park Big Lawns on Friday. Her confident reply to the final question, thrown in her direction by actor Koena Mitra, ‘If one has to choose between beauty and intelligence, what would it be?’ left nothing to the imagination about who would walk away with the crown. “I’ll choose intelligence as beauty is superficial. It fades away with time. Intelligence is what stays with you. I’ll rather use my intelligence beautifully,” said Unnati, to gain direct entry among the top 10 finalists of PFMI 2010 national pageant. Rohini Mukherjee was crowned first runner-up by Karishma Karnik (first runner-up, PFMI East 2009), while Tulip Bhattacharya (second runner-up, PFMI East 2009) crowned Eram Karim as the second runner-up.
The evening began with emcees Mir and June introducing the panel of judges — popular actors Resshmi Ghosh, Koena Mitra and Arpita, renowned fashion designer Anamika Khanna and GK Suresh, Head of Brands and Business Development with the Personal Care Products Business of ITC Limited — to the audience. Next, the contestants walked the ramp in spectacular creations by Akkriti, the contemporary Indo-Western fusion wear from Pantaloons. This
‘precious meets glam’ collection created a chic and sleek look with its rich and vibrant colors. With a blend of ethnic and modern fashions, this feminine collection represented the spirit and aspiration of the contestants. With the most beautiful women from the East walking the ramp, this stunning Pantaloons collection complemented and completed their look with panache!
It was actor Monami Ghosh’s turn next to enthrall the audience and that she did dancing to a medley of Tollywood and Bollywood chartbusters. The second round saw the girls attired in beautiful gowns by Agnimitra Paul, which had unusual cuts and rich colors. This collection saw an elegant mix of bright and pastel shades. Added was a touch of embroidery with patchwork of net and beads. Apt for the Femina Miss India Woman — who is a woman of substance, independent next-door girl, intelligent with a touch of elegance and sexiness. They are like flowers — here to bring a fresh breeze of new ideas and adding a new spirit and zeal to society.
Now was the time to announce the sub-contest winners, a perfect prelude to actor Koel Mallick’s scintillating performance. The act over, PFMIE beauties were called on stage once again, this time they came draped in six yards of magic. Anvesha for Palki presented an extraordinary collection for this round. The collection, primarily an Indo-ethnic one, consisted of saris for parties and other dressy occasions. The designs were an amalgamation of age-old crafts and contemporary cuts. The fabric comprised traditional Benarasis, brocades, silks amongst other heritage fabrics, texturized with fancy dyeing and embellished with state-of-the-art
workmanship using mukaish, dabka, zardozi. The designs were crafted by Lata and Anvesha Harlalka along with a team of in-house designers, most of them graduates from prestigious design institutes. Each of the rounds was accessorized with exquisite jewellery by Senco Gold Limited.
The final five contestants, Eram Karim, Rohini Mukherjee, Sushrii Shreya Mishraa, Unnati Davara and Vijaya Dey, were selected after this round and a little later, it was time to exercise those grey cells. The question-answer round elicited much response and had the girls fielding questions on career, family, beauty and even their USP! Yet another breathtaking performance by Subhasree Ganguly and Dev later, the evening came to a nailbiting finish.
The contestant choreography for the show was done by none other than Marc Robinson, fashion director & contestant director for PFMIE 2010. The magnificent performances were choreographed by Debraj Ghosal. The event was put together and managed by 360° Experience.
Speaking on the occasion, Marc said, “Going forward, it’s my sincere request that I get to see a lot more active participation from the Northeast, predominantly Assam, Shillong, Guwahati, Nagaland and Arunachal Pradesh, because North-Eastern beauty has a class unmatched and unparalleled and it’s high time the rest of the country gets an opportunity to see such beautiful, talented young women.”
Talking about the pageant, Alesia Raut, ramp walk trainer said, “Each contestant is like my baby. I teach them the grammar of ramp-walking, now it’s up to them to make words out of the same. Presentation is very important and one needs to connect with the audience. Be passionate and confident on the ramp and it’s bound to reflect on your face.”
Zahid Shaikh, Head Marketing, Pantaloons, also gave his take on the event, “Pantaloons Femina Miss India East is a unique pageant that scouts for beauty and talent in East and Pantaloons with its significant presence across East India, is proud to be associated with the pageant once again this year. Being a leading name in fashion, it is but natural that Pantaloons is instrumental in grooming the contestants during the run up to the pageant. We are sure Pantaloons Femina Miss India East will bring forth fresh talent this year too.”
In the nine days that went by, the Pantaloons Femina Miss India East 2010 finalists were thoroughly trained at ITC Sonar, Kolkata. The daunting task of preparing these 12 young women to achieve their aspirations was accomplished by a list of experts each renowned in their field: Marc Robinson — fashion director & contestant director, Alesia Raut — ramp walk trainer, Sabira Merchant — diction Expert, Dr Jamuna Pai — cosmetic physician, Dr Poornima Mhatre — wellness expert, Mickey Mehta — fitness expert and Johny Francis — fashion photographer.
The Femina Miss India team also thanked everyone who was responsible for making the Pantaloons Femina Miss India East 2010 pageant a grand success: Title Sponsor — Pantaloons, Hair Colouring and Styling Partner — Streax, Telecast Partner — ETV Bangla, Wellness Expert — Gorgeous Skincare Clinic, Radio Partner — Radio Mirchi, Crown & Jewellery partner — Senco Gold Limited, Outdoor Partner — TOOH (Times Out Of Home), Beverage Partner — White & Mackay and Airline Partner — Kingfisher Airlines. Special thanks went to Bridgette Jones for hair and make-up for the photoshoot and unveiling of PFMIE 2010 contestants and partners Ruchi Masala.
With awards being conferred upon the winners, the only thing that dazzled more than the crowns, was their winning smile.
Compiled by Zinia Sen & Ruman Ganguly
via Times of India
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