Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest

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Template:Infobox organization The Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest is an annual unisex pageant conducted by the Indian Gladrags magazine. The most appealing male and female models are selected and promoted by the magazine.

They first conduct a round of selection from the regions and then post all the elimination rounds for the final contestants. The group undergoes training including physical fitness, grooming, catwalk, diction and speech.[1]

Gladrags Manhunt Contest

History

The Gladrags Contest is an annual modeling event established in the early 1990s by Maureen Wadia, wife of industrialist Nusli Wadia, who owns Bombay Dyeing, one of India's oldest textile companies.[2][3] Initially started to support Bombay Dyeing's promotional efforts, Maureen Wadia created the Gladrags magazine, which functioned both as a fashion publication and a men's magazine, featuring swimsuit images of models.[2] The contest later expanded to include Mrs. India and Little Miss and Master contests.[2]

The contest provided Bombay Dyeing with a source of models for its products, including bath and bed linens, while winners gained visibility that could launch careers in modeling or film.[2] Unlike other beauty pageants, Gladrags contest was notable for its focus on the swimsuit round, with winners often featured on the magazine cover.[2]

The first Gladrags Manhunt Contest India was held in 1994.[4] Rajat Bedi of Punjab was the first winner.[4] He represented India at Manhunt International 1994 held in Greece and was fourth runner up.

At the 2017 contest was held at the Mahalaxmi Racecourse in Mumbai[5] In the Little Miss & Master India Pageant, Mishika Sonkar and Shaurya Saraswat won the juniors’ division, and Tithi Surti and Nikhil Chhabria won in the seniors’ category.[5] Arni Sapkal won the Mrs. India Mumbai title, and Hina Azad and Bobby Vij were named winners of the Megamodel Manhunt Mumbai pageant.[5]

International achievements

In 2001, Rajeev Singh of Rajasthan became the first Asian and IndianTemplate:Citation needed to win the Manhunt International contest.[6] He also won two sub-awards at the contest including Sharmoon Best Dressed Gentleman Award and Best in National Costume.Template:Citation needed

India has produced many runners-up at the pageant, most notably Dino Morea,[7] Zulfi Syed[8] and John Abraham,[9] all of whom have since established themselves in the Bollywood industry.[10] The contest has also given India some of the finest models ever seen by Indian fashion industry like supermodel Muzamil Ibrahim,[11] actor and model Sidharth Shukla,[12] model Farhad Shahnawaz, actor and model Abhimanyu Jain, 4th runner up Manhunt International 2006 and Arry Dabas, semifinalist in 2012. Other notable winners include Romeo Gates,[13] Ahran Chaudhary and Ravi Awana.Template:Citation needed

In 2005, Sidharth Shukla, runner-up of Gladrags Manhunt 2004, represented India at the Best Model Of The World contest held in Turkey and became the first Indian to win the title. Later Shukla became a model in India and starred in Bollywood films.[14][15][16][17]

Winners of Gladrags Manhunt India

Year Winner State Ref
1994 Kelly Dorji, Rishabh Loomba, Rajat Bedi Punjab [18]
1995 Dino Morea Karnataka [7]
1996-97 Zulfi Syed Karnataka [19]
1998 Tarun Arora Assam
1999 John Abraham Maharashtra [9]
2000 Regi Verghese Hyderabad
2001 Rajeev Singh Rajasthan
2002 Nitin Singh Maharashtra
2003 Muzamil Ibrahim Jammu and Kashmir [11]
2004 Hrishant Goswami New Delhi [20]
2005 Pawan Setpal Maharashtra
2006 Abhimanyu Jain Rajasthan [21]
2007 Romeo Gates London
2008 Karan Ambardar New Delhi [22]
2009 Prateek Balhara Haryana
2010 Aaran Chaudhary Uttar Pradesh
2011-12 Sam Kapoor London, UK
2013-14 Ravi Awana Uttar Pradesh
2016-17 Ansh Duggal New Delhi

Representatives to Manhunt International

  • The winner of the Gladrags Manhunt represents India at Manhunt International, but if for any reason the winner is unable to compete then a runner up is sent to the pageant.
Year Representative State Ranking Special awards
1994 Rajat Bedi Punjab Template:Center
1995 Dino Morea Karnataka Template:Center
1997 Zulfi Syed Karnataka Template:Center
1998 Balbir Meena Rajasthan Template:Center
1999 John Abraham Maharashtra Template:Center
2000 Regi Verghese Hyderabad Template:Center
2001 Rajeev Singh Rajasthan Template:Center Template:Center
2002 Nitin Singh Maharashtra Template:Center
2005 Pawan Setpal Maharashtra Template:Center Template:Center
2006 Aryan Baruah Template:Center Template:Center
2007 Vivian Dsena Ujjain Top 10

Finalist

2007 Abhimanyu Jain Rajasthan Template:Center
2008 Romeo Gates London Template:Center Template:Center
2010 Ahran Chaudhary Uttar Pradesh Template:Center Template:Center
2011 Shashvath Seth Maharashtra Template:Center
2012 Arry Dabas Karnataka Template:Center Template:Center
2014 Gaurav Kumar New Delhi

Representatives to Best Model of the World

  • The winner of the Gladrags Manhunt represents India at the Best Model of the World contest, but if for any reason the winner is unable to compete then a runner up is sent to the pageant.
Year Representative State Ranking Special awards Ref.
2000 Shabbir Ali Karnataka Template:Center Template:Center
2001 Abhinav Gautam Maharashtra Template:Center Template:Center [23]
2002 Vijay Balhara Maharashtra Template:Center Template:Center
2003 Ganesh Venkatraman Maharashtra Template:Center
2005 Sidharth Shukla Maharashtra Template:Center [24][12]
2006 Abhimanyu Jain Rajasthan Template:Center Template:Center
2007 Romeo Gates London Template:Center
2009 Prateek Balhara Maharashtra Template:Center

Photographs of some notable winners of Gladrags Manhunt Contest

Gladrags Mega model Contest

History

The first Mega model contest was held in 1994, and girls all across the country competed for the coveted title. Shweta Menon of Kerala was declared the winner.

Lara Dutta later established herself as a leading Bollywood actress.

Winners

year Winner Age Height State Country Ref
1994 Shweta Menon Template:Height Kerala India [25]
1995 Lara Dutta[26] 16 Template:Height Karnataka India
1996 Aditi Gowitrikar 22 Template:Height Maharashtra India
1997-98 Tora Khasigar 17 Template:Height Assam India
1999 Aanchal Kumar 19 Template:Height Punjab India
2000 Candice Pinto 19 Template:Height Maharashtra India
2001 Koena Mitra 16 Template:Height Maharashtra India
2002 Mugdha Godse 16 Template:Height Maharashtra India
2003 Deepti Gujral 17 Template:Height Maharashtra India
2004 Deepa Chari 19 Template:Height Maharashtra India
2005 Niki D Souza 20 Template:Height Maharashtra India
2006 Arti Sharma 23 Template:Height Haryana India
2007 Mahima Chaudhary 17 Template:Height Pune India
2008 Payal Tarafdar 20 Template:Height Assam India
2009 Ankita Mohapatra 23 Template:Height Odisha India
2010 Arshina Trivedi 21 Template:Height London United Kingdom
2011-12 Sakshi Chaudhary 19 Template:Height New Delhi India
2013-14 Charlotte Claire 23 Template:Height Mumbai India
2015
2016-17 Karuna Singh 20 Chandigarh India [27]

Representatives to Miss Intercontinental

  • The winner of Gladrags Mega model represented India at Miss Intercontinental from 1997 to 2003.
  • Earlier Femina Teen Princess held the franchise of Miss Intercontinental pageant in India.
  • From 2011, Indian Princess holds the franchise of Miss Intercontinental in India.
Year Representative State Ranking Special awards
1997 Lara Dutta Karnataka Template:Center
1998 Tora Khasigar Assam Template:Center
1999 Aanchal Kumar Punjab Template:Center
2001 Koena Mitra Maharashtra Template:Center
2002 Rakhee Chaudhary Karnataka Template:Center
2003 Deepti Gujral Maharashtra Template:Center

Representatives to Miss Tourism International

Year Representative State Ranking Special awards
2001 Candice Pinto Maharashtra Template:Center
2002 Tejinder Kaur New Delhi Template:Center
2003 Deepa Chari Maharashtra Template:Center
2004 Parul Chaudhry Maharashtra Template:Center
2005 Shriya Singh Punjab Template:Center
2009 Anousha Chauhan New Delhi Template:Center
2010 Mahima Chaudhary Pune Template:Center

Representatives to Miss Tourism Queen International

Year Representative State Ranking Special awards
2004 Zabina Khan Maharashtra Template:Center Template:Center
2005 Neha Oberoi Maharashtra Template:Center
2006 Rupali Suri Maharashtra Template:Center Template:Center
2007 Mahima Chaudhary Maharashtra Template:Center Template:Center
2008 Devyani Mandavgane Maharashtra Template:Center Template:Center

Representatives to Miss Tourism Queen of the Year International

Year Representative State Ranking Special awards
2005 Roopa Howaldar
2004 Amanpreet Kaur Wahi Punjab Template:Center

Representatives to Best Model of the World

  • The winner of the Gladrags Mega model contest represented India at Best Model of the World contest, but if for any reason the winner was unable to compete then a runner up was sent to the pageant.
Year Representative State Ranking Special awards
2000 Jacqueline D’souza Karnataka Template:Center
2001 Zinobia Boocha New Delhi Template:Center
2002 Mugdha Godse Maharashtra Template:Center
2003 Deepa Chari Maharashtra Template:Center
2006 Aarti Sharma Haryana Template:Center
2007 Mahima Chaudhary Maharashtra Template:Center Template:Center
2008 Payal Tarafdar Assam Template:Center
2009 Ankita Mohapatra Odisha Template:Center

References

  1. ↑ Contestants get teased by stream of questions at Gladrags Mega Model and Manhunt Contest. India Today(2001-04-02). Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 Mannequin: Working Women in India's Glamour Industry{{#if:Bhattacharjya|, Bhattacharjya}. Zubaan. ISBN 978-93-85932-58-8
  3. ↑ Model manners. The Hindu(2015-03-08). Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  4. ↑ 4.0 4.1 Baddie cool. The Hindu(26 July 2004). Retrieved 11 November 2010.
  5. ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 WHERE STARS ARE BORN. Hindustan Times(16 March 2017). Retrieved 2024-11-10.
  6. ↑ I am not a typical model-model, says Gladrags Manhunt 2001 winner Rajeev Singh. India Today(2001-11-12). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  7. ↑ 7.0 7.1 Dino Morea on why models looking for a Bollywood career have it tough now: 'There was a craze, at par with actors'. The Indian Express(2023-04-22). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  8. ↑ The Order of the Crest: Tracing the Alumni of Bishop Cotton Boys' School, Bangalore (1865–2015){{#if:Sondhi|, Sondhi}. Penguin UK(2014-12-18). ISBN 978-93-5118-905-3
  9. ↑ 9.0 9.1 Only actors get ads now, not supermodels: John Abraham. www.dtnext.in(2024-09-07). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  10. ↑ The John Abraham Interview. Rediff. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 Muzamil Ibrahim wants to help restore peace in Kashmir. www.ndtv.com. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  12. ↑ 12.0 12.1 Sidharth Shukla Defines Beauty Marvelously In This Old Video From Gladrags Manhunt Contest. Indiatimes(2022-09-02). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  13. ↑ Romeo Gates, Mahima Chaudhary win Gladrags Megamodel and Manhunt Contest. Retrieved 24 Jan 2014.
  14. ↑ Payal Tarafdar (L), and Karan Ambardar (R) are the winners of Gladrags mega model and manhunt held at Spring Mill ground Wadala in Mumbai - Photogallery. photogallery.indiatimes.com. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  15. ↑ One and only. The Indian Express(2009-03-03). Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  16. ↑ Gladrags Mega model and Manhunt contest 2007. India Forums. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  17. ↑ The Tribune, Chandigarh, India - The Tribune Lifestyle. www.tribuneindia.com. Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  18. ↑ Let's Talk Sex | Wedding Season is Here! Premarital Medical Tests for Ensuring a Healthy Marriage. News18. Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  19. ↑ Imran Khan had a gala time meeting his old friends. The Times of India(2016-08-07). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  20. ↑ 'Badhaai Do' fame Chum Darang dating former Bigg Boss contestant Hrishant Goswami. The Economic Times(2023-02-24). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  21. ↑ Sporting a crown to conquer.
  22. ↑ Model turned anchor Karan Ambardar is living his dreams by hosting ICC World Cup 2019, Khatoon, F.. Indulgexpress(2019-06-18). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  23. ↑ Abhinav Gautam is truly a star in the making, here's why!. www.asianage.com(2019-09-16). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  24. ↑ Abhinav Shukla participated with Sidharth Shukla in Gladrags 2004 contest, shares pic as he mourns his death(2 September 2021).
  25. ↑ Shwetha Menon competed in Miss India. The Times of India(2013-05-03). Retrieved 2024-11-08.
  26. ↑ Lara Dutta wins Gladrags battle. The Times of India(2005-04-13). Retrieved 2024-11-01.
  27. ↑ Fashion Forward: India Today. India Today({Template:Date).

Template:Beauty pageants in India

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