The success of Pia Wurtzbach in Miss Universe makes me wonder why Femina doesn't see a higher re-compete rate! We've already seen some success with girls who have recompeted in Miss India and gone on to success, like Shruti Sharma, Annie Thomas (ok, she didn't make it, but that was a mistake - she was the clear #1 in MW 98), Manasi Moghe etc. We see huge swings every year in the caliber of contestants, and some years, there are girls left out who could easily win in another group or with just a little polish or experience! Especially seeing the horrible caliber of girls auditioning this year, I think that Femina should seriously consider doing a 50-50 split between newbies and girls who have competed before.
So this thread is about girls from recent editions of Miss India/Miss Diva who we would like to see back in Miss India 2016. Like an All-Stars Edition! I've been around pageants for some time now, and I think any of the girls below could compete very strongly for the beautiful blue crown of MW. So I hope someone forwards this thread to Femina!
In random order:
1. Pranati Prakash - I thought this girl could have won last year...she had everything - a very Indian beauty, perfect body, she won Miss Talented, vibrant, bubbly. Remarkable, especially given that it was really only her first pageant. I would love to see her back, she would rock MW! I can't think what went wrong last year, she was just unlucky and raw.
2. Nikhila Nandgopal - ok, while I ended up becoming a Koyal fan for her hard work and stunning dress sense, a lot of people here know that she was never my pick for Miss India in 2014. While she was always going to be a competitive delegate, I felt that she would be tripped up by, well...what she ended up being tripped up by....a lack of vibrance and projection while speaking. Nikhila on the other hand, has this in spades and then some! She is stunning - in some angles, she reminds me of Megan Young, in some others, a young Sridevi. Plus she had an amazing BWP platform, is driven, and has that young, bubbly, chirpy quality that JM likes. Plus she has the #1 attribute of a MW winner - a radiant smile! To quote her, "you can't photoshop your personality!" Her projection is immaculate - she has star presence without making the effort! I would love to see her compete, she could absolutely win Miss India and I am willing to go out on a limb and say that I think the LOWEST she will place at MW is top 5. This is one girl whose inner beauty and charisma will light up her already beautiful face even more!
3. Deeksha Kaushal - still the queen of 2014 in a lot of hearts! Deeksha has the height, the presence, the elegance, the beauty. You can't miss her. And neither will MWO. Her only weakness is that she is a bit too reserved, and when she competed she was very nervous, which really limits her projection. If she can overcome these limitations - and simply having experience can do it, this doe eyed beauty will not only be India's 6th MW, but one of the most beautiful girls ever crowned.
4. TJ Bhanupriya- To me, she is the quintessential Indian beauty. I love this type of look - that heart shaped face, the coffee skin, deep mysterious eyes, long black hair. It is a uniquely Indian look, and TJ has it in spades. In 2014, when she competed, she was my runaway favorite for the crown, and also Ines Ligron's. There is a natural loveliness in Bhanu that I rarely see in girls - she doesn't need makeup and production to look stunning, and on top of it, she has an incredibly vibrant personality and the eloquence of a Sushmita Sen. What she lacked in 2014 was a lobby, a sense of polish (she was positively rustic next to girls like Koyal Rana who were fabulously packaged and well prepared), and real focus. With a couple of years of experience as a model and actress, the former is more or less sorted out, so if she can focus her mind on wanting to win, she will not only walk to the crown but also all the way to the top of MW, in my opinion. This is the type of Indian look westerners love, and Bhanu, like Nikhila has a vibrant, confident, chirpy presence that will make her stand out.
5. Ashwati Ramesh - I always liked this girl a LOT! In 2014, the girls from the south BROUGHT IT and were inexplicably shut out! Ashwati reminds me of a more dusky version of her fellow Bangalorean - Deepika Padukone - she is also tall (5'10"), athletic (a tennis champ vs badminton), has a very similar face! She was, like Bhanupriya, too raw in 2014, and just didn't have the experience or more importantly self belief. Since then, she's walked fashion week, won the Grazia Cover Girl hunt and I think she could make a huge impression at MW! Would absolutely LOVE to see her back! She could be the first Sports winner to be MW! What Ashwati needs to work on is all the other aspects that MW looks for - especially BWP.
6. Hemali Soni - WOW! When I saw this girl in Miss Diva, I was ready to just put the crown on her head and send the rest of the girls home. Yes, yes, I know Urvashi has the Diva written all over her, but if you are looking at natural beauty, Hemali has it - in the same way that Puja Gupta did. She is flat out beautiful, but in a sweet, gentle way and balances that nicely with her personality. A part of me was really happy that she didn't win, and particularly that she didn't become a RU - because I hope she will cross over to Miss India (like her fellow Miss Diva top 5 alumnae, Vartika Singh and Jhatalekha Malhotra) and win! She needs to lose a little weight and work on all the other aspects that MW looks for, but I can see her going very far at MW - she is def better suited to it than Miss Universe!
7. Varsha Gopal - this 6' stunner won Miss Rampwalk at Miss India and while she was too raw to go further there (but should have), like Ashwati, a few years on the India fashion circuit have smoothed out any rough edges. With the right styling, she is definitely a girl who on looks alone will compete for the MW crown. Unlike Hemali, there is nothing "pretty" about Varsha. She is just beautiful, but with an edge that could go either way.
8. Sreeradhe Khanduja - In 2014, beautiful Sreeradhe flew under the radar of most Indian fans, whose only focus was Noyonita Lodh winning. So strong was the Noyo drumbeat (and I was an unabashed fan as well, and continue to be!) that even perfect looking girls like Vartika Singh were ignored. That year, Noyo had what Koyal Rana did when she competed at Miss India - laser focus and excellent physical and mental preparation. Compared to her girls like Vartika and Sreeradhe (and at Miss India - Bhanupriya and Varsha) looked like they had stepped off a bus. But Vartika is proof what a little experience, the right styling and a little polish can do! Sreeradhe may have been overlooked by us, but not by Lara (who loved her and repeatedly mentioned that there was just "something about her") and some of my friends who are NDs of other countries. This Marisa Tomei doppelganger should absolutely come back, with better styling and more focus...and I'd love to see how far she can go! To me, like Hemali, definitely more MW than Miss Universe!