Names from the glamour world like Sobhita Dhulipala and Ipsita Pati, who have their roots in Vizag, have been great source of inspiration for many girls in the city to step out and give wings to their dreams. Over the years, the Miss Vizag contest has turned into an ideal platform for girls to get a taste of the glamorous world of fashion and build up a career in the fashion industry.
The contest that was rescheduled this year to a later date due to the cyclone saw over 100 entries from participants who auditioned to participate in the Miss Vizag 2014 contest. Out of this, 22 contestants have been short-listed for the final rounds that will be held on November 30 at The Park.
Ajay Agarwal of Creative Plus Events who has been organising the event from the past couple of years feels there has been a great change in the way a career in the fashion industry is perceived in the city and it is waking up to the latest fashion trends in a big way. .
“International brands are coming up in the city and that has increased the fashion awareness. With Vizag girls like Sobhita winning the title of Miss India Earth last year, the entire perception about the fashion industry has changed. Now parents are eagerly coming forward to encourage the girls to take part in events like Miss Vizag,” says Ajay.
The contestants are in the age group of 18-25 years and hail from different backgrounds.
Says Laxmi Bharadwaj, who worked in the aviation industry for two years as an air hostess before embarking in the world of fashion: “It was my passion to get into the fashion industry. My experience in the airline sector has really helped me to develop my personality.”
Laxmi idolises Sushmita Sen and believes in a diet regime that she feels suits her body type.
“Contests like these are a test of one’s overall personality,” she says.
Others like Meghna Kintalli feel that Miss Vizag is an ideal platform to get noticed in the film industry. A B.Sc Biotechnology graduate, Meghna is currently shooting for her first film Nowadays at the Rama Naidu Studio in Hyderabad.
“My dream is to get into the film industry and make it big. I feel Miss Vizag contest will groom me to face the fashion world and get me closer to my final destination,” she says. To keep her fitness quotient high, she jogs every morning and goes for dance classes.
The contestants will go through a grooming session a week before the final round. The team of grooming experts comprising Amit Pandey from Delhi for choreography, Deepa Deval for fitness and nutrition, Miss Eva for make-up and hairstyles, will put the participants through rigorous training sessions.
Deepa Deval says that awareness of high fitness levels is generally high among the participants these days as compared to what it was five years ago.
“The girls follow a diet regime and are eager to lap up new techniques like Zumba to stay fit. Exercising not only builds the stamina, it also improves body posture which is very important when you are walking the ramp,” says Deepa, who has been in the fitness industry for the past two decades.
