An evening of beauty and royalty
Ms Tanya Bali from Brisbane, winner of Ms India Australia 2015
By Neeru Saluja
Sydney recently witnessed the finale of a beauty pageant that showcased a combination of glamour, glitz and royalty. Bollywood Princess, actress Soha Ali Khan came all the way from India to judge the winners for Miss/Mrs/Mr India Australia 2015.
Soha Ali Khan, with entry in a palanquin to join the judging panel, was a show stealer
Organised by Reena Koak from Miss India Australia Corporation and under the banner of Maharaja Haveli, the pageant featured 30 contestants from all over Australia. Ms Tanya Bali from Brisbane emerged as the winner for the Miss India Australia title, while Mrs Sneha Tahiliani was crowned Mrs India Australia and Deepanshu Dhiman as Mr India Australia.
Mr India Australia 2015 Deepanshu Dhiman
The event took place at Bowman Hall, Blacktown where the audience was eagerly waited for two hours for the contest to start. But no contest can start without the chief judge which was actress Soha Ali Khan. She entered in a royal entourage befitting a princess seated in a palanquin which made everyone forget the delay.
Sneha Tahiliani, winner of Mrs India Australia 2015
The contest started with the contestants introducing themselves dressed in traditional royal attire. This was followed by the swimwear round where the women showed their oomph and the men took off their shirts to show their well sculptured bodies. While the damsels brought umbrellas, hats, fans and flowers as props, the men went a step ahead and rocked the stage with guitars, surfboards and even boxing gloves!
Judging panel: Alex Hawke, Federal MP for Mitchell, Soha Ali Khan, Corrine Tansley (former Miss Swimwear 2008), Ms Rani Benepal from Haveli, Nicole Eljed (Miss Lebanon Emigrant Australia) and Mr. Gaganjit Singh Barnala (former MLA Punjab)
In between rounds, the audience was entertained by dance performances from Sumati Swastik Dance and beautiful songs by Electric Korma. The final rounds included cocktail, evening wear and the most difficult round where the contestants were asked questions by the judges. Besides actress Soha ali Khan, Alex Hawke, Federal MP for Mitchell, Corrine Tansley (former Miss Swimwear 2008); Nicole Eljed (Miss Lebanon Emigrant Australia), Ms Rani Benepal from Haveli and Mr. Gaganjit Singh Barnala (former MLA Punjab) comprised the judging panel.
Soha poses with Reena Koak, Alex Hawke and Satinder Benepal
The winners who claimed their crowns in the wee hours of June 19, 2015 could have many doors open for them. They will now get a chance to represent themselves at an international level pageant competing with representatives of over 70 countries in July 2015 to be held at Kingston, Jamaica.
The organiser of the contest Reena Koak has come a long way since the pageant’s inception. It’s a big task to bring a Bollywood actress for judging a contest. The only drawback was when the photographers blocked the crowning moment for the audience that had patiently sat for good four hours to witness the final results. Despite constant requests from the organisers and the security, a lineup of paparazzi’s backs was to be seen on stage to everyone’s frustration. But as they say, beauty comes with a spot!
Other Winners:
Runner Ups
Miss India Australia -Touch the Soul ® 2015 1st Runner Up: Ms Puja Paul
Mrs India Australia -Touch the Soul ® 2015 1st Runner Up: Mrs. Bhavna Yadav, Mrs Jaspreet Dhillon (Joint Runner Up)
Mr India Australia: 1st Runner Up: Jasvir Singh (Milind)
Online Polling Winner
Miss Isha Bhagwe
Mrs Pallavi Jagga
Mr Jasvir Singh (Milind)
Sub Titles:
Ms Top Model 2015: Maimoonah
Ms Photogenic 2015: Ms Puja Paul
Ms Congeniality 2015: Miss Jasneet Kaur
Ms Body Beautiful 2015: Vatsala Lal
Mr Top Model 2015: Govinda Kesur
Mr Photogenic: Govinda Kesur
Ms Lifestyle 2015: Tanya Bali
Mr Fitness 2015: Deepanshu Dhiman
Short URL: https://indiandownunder.com.au/?p=5143