BENGALURU: A city girl has won the eight edition of Miss Supranational, held in Poland recently. Srinidhi Shetty, 24, was coveted the title of Miss Supranational 2016 at Hall of Sports in Krynica Zdrój, Poland. She is the second Indian to win the title after Asha Bhatt, three years ago.
The competition witnessed 81 participants from all over the world. Srinidhi Shetty also received a cash prize of $30,000 on winning the title. She says that the victory was completely unexpected. “I do not keep expectations when I go for auditions or contests. Winning is not in our hands. I just work hard into it. So, I felt very happy. I feel so blessed and honoured that I represented our country. It is dream come true. I have been dreaming about this moment many times and now it has turned to a reality.”
Modelling began during the engineering days. Srinidhi recalls. “I was always into used to participate in the college level at different inter-college competitions while I was doing my engineering. I realised I love walking the ramp. Then, I started auditioning and participating in different contests. I worked hard and it turned out to be good., she says.
She quit her job in an IT company to focus on her modelling career. She adds, “It was difficult to manage. I used to work for 10 hours every day. So I couldn’t take up much modelling assignments then. I would go on weekends or on holidays for it and if the assignment was out of city, then I had to think about it. I finally decided to quit my job. July 31 was the final auditions for Miss Supranational in Mumbai and July 29 was my last day at work. Many people asked me why should I quit my job for an uncertain career in modelling. Sometimes, it’s okay as it is about your love and passion.”
She says her family has been her backbone. “There were times when I had self doubt but my father would motivate me and say I can do it. When I told him I wanted to quit my job, not even once did he ask me to think again. He asked me to do whatever I want to do and that he would always be there for all support and help.”
In her earlier interview before Supranational 2016, when she was asked if she had any plans of getting into films, she said she would like to focus on Supranational first. Now that she has won, she says, she is looking forward to working in films and explore the industry. “No harm in exploring them,” she says.