KOCHI: Twenty-two exceptional women selected from a pool of over 350 battled it out in the grand finale of Miss Kerala 2019 pageant held on Thrusday. As the curtain falls on a revamped beauty contest celebrating its 20th year, Express talks to the three winners
Ansi Kabeer
Hailing from Thiruvananthapuram, this year’s Miss Kerala crown winner is no newbie to the world of pageants. She bagged the first runner-up position at the Miss Malabar and Lulu beauty fest contests held last year but Ansi’s penchant for modelling only bloomed while she was in college. “When I was in school, I was a nerd, always occupied with books. But when I joined the fashion team in college, I received a lot of appreciation.
That’s when I realised I should give this a try,” says the engineering graduate who works at Infosys. Ansi, who says the Miss Kerala experience transformed her into a more confident person would like to act in films in the future. “It’s not like I want the main role but I would like to play meaningful characters,” adds Ansi.
Anjana Shajan
An ayurvedic doctor by profession, Miss Kerala first runner-up, Anjan Shajan is all smiles. Finishing second in the beauty contest is a dream come true for this Thrissur girl who had never participated in a pageant before. “I don’t have any experience in modelling but I have always been passionate about it. Honestly, my audition for Miss Kerala also happened by chance. I stumbled upon the application call on social media but ignored it the first two times but then I realised that this is the perfect time for me to give it a try,” says Anjana who is all set to work at a hospital in Bengaluru.
Anjana Venu
The second runner-up of Miss Kerala 2019 is nothing if not articulate. A finance graduate from American University of Sharjah, Anjana Venu spent most of her life abroad. The sheer drive to be the face of fashion ad campaigns propelled this 22-year-old to participate and win the Vanitha International Glam Girl in 2018. “For me, pageants are a platform to build confidence and improve oratorial skills.
Ever since actress Rima Kalingal won the title, I have been following Miss Kerala,” says Anjana. Talking about this season’s new audition format, she thinks that the organisers judged the contestants on a holistic level. Enthusiastic about what lies ahead, Anjana says, “I would like to study further, work and simultaneously model. I believe multiple dreams can be achieved at the same time.”