It's that time of the year again when 15 ravishing models are going to compete against each other to prove they are worthy of gracing the pages of the coveted limited-edition Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar 2012.
Kingfisher and NDTV Good Times' popular reality show “The Hunt for the Calendar Girl” enters its third season this year.
And with the Calendar in its tenth year, the show is going to be bigger, hotter, and bolder.
Each episode has been shot at the breathtakingly beautiful Sheraton Udaipur Palace resorts and spa Hotel which offers a perfect backdrop for the show. Ace photographer Atul Kasbekar, top model and actor Milind Soman and ramp scorcher Ujjwala Raut are the judges of this talent hunt.
In a telephonic interview with the judges, Atul divulges: “This is nothing short of a boot camp for the gorgeous and astute models. Even those who don't win the number one position will still make it big in their respective careers for sure. That's the degree of professionalism we believe in and execute.”
He adds: “The responses have only just increased over the last three years and the models view this show as the perfect launch pad. And why wouldn't they, considering girls like Anjali Lavania and Angela Johnson have made it big through the Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar.”
That the tasks given to the models are no breeze is an established fact. Ujjwala says: “Each task is different and more gruelling than the other. The models will have to pose on top of a moving car. There's also the chocolate trophy task where the girls are provided with a gold platform on which they're expected to strike a pose after taking a dip in a tub of chocolate. And this is just the tip of the iceberg!”
“Many of them are afraid of heights but I kept telling them that with so many difficult tasks to complete in a stipulated time frame, they wouldn't have the time to be scared. I've always believed that when one doesn't think too much about her situation, she gives the task her best,” she adds.
Atul adds: “The photo shoots are crazy as well. Models get to work in different lighting, shoot in places that mirror real-life assignments once the show is over and they get on with their own lives.”
Some of the contestants have unique stories about how they braved and battled some of the most challenging situations to make it to the hunt.
“They're real fighters and their resilience shows through the tasks they're given,” Ujjwala says. “And though we have gotten to know these girls well, we make sure we maintain a professional distance from them.”
According to Atul, an ideal swimsuit model should be “tall, have long legs (there's no use of having a long torso and short legs), and an athletic frame. She needs to be fit and toned, definitely not skinny.”
About 15 girls, nine weeks, three judges — Who will succumb to the pressure and who will survive to usurp the coveted position on this year's Kingfisher Swimsuit Calendar?
Find out on NDTV Good Times, Monday to Wednesday with a repeat telecast on Thursday at 10.30 p.m., starting tonight.
