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Of pageants and glamour...

PTI | ByCALIFORNIA DIARY | Shalini Narang
Aug 24, 2006 11:53 AM IST

The 15th annual glitzy and glamorous event for the Mr /Miss/Mrs India America 2006 was presented by JIN Model Management, writes Shalini Narang.

JIN Model Management and Mehta Entertainment presented the 15th annual glitzy and glamorous event for the Mr/Miss/Mrs India America 2006, on Saturday, August 19, 2006 at the Scottish Rite Center in Oakland, California.

Thirty-six men and women of South Asian descent from all over US competed for the titles in a showcase of talent, confidence, disposition, demeanour, and luck.

Besides judging the pageant, producer/director/writer Jag Mohan Mundra was also felicitated for his contribution to cinema.

Introducing the film director and an old friend, Ramesh Murarkar, Publisher of India West, the oldest south Asian media outlet in California reminisced about old times and mentioned Jag Mohan's idea and encouragement towards the initiation of the newspaper in 1975.

Later, after getting the Director of the year award, Jag Mohan Mundra congratulated all the participants of the concert and said, “It is very important to feel passion for what you do in Life.

Narrating his own entry into the uncertain world of film production/direction after a steady career as an electrical engineering assistant professor in a US university, he opined, “Love for your work ensures success. Whatever dreams you have, the important element is to be passionate about them and feel that it is your calling. I have been in filmmaking full time since 1980 and I have made 30 movies. After initial setbacks, I tasted success in Kamala and the critically acclaimed Bawandar.”

Remembering and commenting about his association to the Bay Area, he said, “Bawandar was first released here and fortunately the movie got good reviews.”

Speaking about his forthcoming film Provoked-starring Aishwarya Rai, he said, “Aishwarya will be seen in a new, unglamorous role and has given her best to the movie.

I want Provoked to be seen not only as a source of entertainment but also as a channel for a cause of halting domestic violence in society. He added, “Kiranjeet Ahluwalia, the protagonist whose life is showcased in the movie will be traveling with the team during the promotions and screenings in different countries and the profits from the production would be distributed to different women’s organizations sheltering, protecting, and rehabilitating women who have been victims of this social scourge.

He added that as a society, we have to teach our young men to treat women with respect and mothers can play an important role in teaching their sons about regard for women.

On his penchant for making women oriented movies, Mundra said that he is passionate about bringing the issues affecting the women of the world to the forefront via cinema.

The program of the evening commenced with the traditional wear section in which the competitors comprising of young men and women from different professions like medicine, architecture, modeling, engineering, etc displayed beautiful formal Indian dresses while sashaying down the podium.

The second and most entertaining section of the evening was the talent round. From power yoga to dancing and singing, the myriad high-energy Bollywood songs and dances were the reigning inspiration for many competes.

The most memorable incident of the evening was the spirit of Bhavik, one of the participants in the Men’s category. Despite repeated failure of his MP3 player during the talent round, the gutsy lad did not give up and asked the audience to sing along while dancing to complete his routine without the recording. Deservedly, he went on to win the crown.

Amongst others, several family connections were also brought to the show. Literarily bringing sibling rivalry to the podium were two brothers, competing for the crown of Mr India. The other family cord in the pageant was a husband and wife team competing for Mr and Mrs India America titles.

All in all, the five-hour pageant would not only go down in the memories of participants and spectators as a glamorous gala but also as an event exemplifying and upholding old virtues of never giving up in the face of adversities, keeping calm in difficult circumstances, and keeping hope and faith alive.

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