The hunt for the Kingfisher Calendar Girl 2013 has begun, and expectations are high. Hosted and judged by Siddharth Mallya and supermodel, ex Kingfisher calendar girl Lisa Hayden, Season 4 promises to be a hair-raising, nail biting experience. Describing how the show is different, Lisa in a telephone interview said: “There are new challenges every year, and the tasks get more innovative and better. There are different hosts this year, which gives it a younger vibe. The way it is structured is different too. This time it airs everyday for half an hour instead of just twice a week.”
The show which has an fantasy theme this year will see 12 girls competing for the coveted spot on the Kingfisher Calendar, across 40 episodes in Goa. “There are three or four challenges sprinkled through the season that have iconic elements of fantasy. Without giving too much away, the chocolate task of the 2011 season is an example of the fantasy theme.”
The show has served as a launch pad to several well known names including Angela Jonsson and Nathalia Kaur According to Lisa, “The show will propel the model into the media spotlight. What they do with it then is their choice. But everyone sees the calendar in the industry and people wait for it to come out. Kingfisher only uses the best girls, so people wait for them as the best girls in the industry.”
Describing what she expected from the girls as a judge Lisa said: “They have to be good models, good actors. The different tasks involve role playing so they need to be versatile models. Kingfisher makes people go far, so we’re looking for women who have a future in the business. The face and the body counts, but they should have that X-factor. They need to be compelling and confident.”
Despite the advantage of having an ex Kingfisher model to give them tips and advice, few of the girls were able to set themselves up as front runners. “It was a tough competition. We couldn’t choose the winner or even the top four or five till the end. They were all good models, but inconsistent. We couldn’t choose just based on who was most beautiful, but based on the challenges. Though there were a few standouts, it was only in the last few weeks that we could identify the top few.” Lisa has nothing but praise for her co-host Siddharth Mallya who debuts on the small screen alongside her. “Sid is a lot of fun. He’s got a really dry, Brit sense of humour. He’s extremely grounded with no airs or graces about him. He’s the best co-judge I could have asked for. I’ve known him from earlier, and the girls like him. He’s made an effort to meet each of the girls.”
The Hunt for the Kingfisher Calendar Girl 2013 airs on weekdays at 10.30 pm on NDTV Good Times.
