MRS WORLD (she introduced the pageant in India) is back after a brief hiatus when it was taken over by the Sahara Group. Good reasons for Maureen N Wadia, president, Gladrags, to feel proud. Her efforts with Gladrags Megamodel and Manhunt contest have yielded several faces to the entertainment industry at large and Bollywood in particular. Aishwarya Rai, John Abraham, Lara Dutta and recent entrants Kangana Ranaut and Mugdha Godse, who made heads turn in Fashion, all come from the same stable.
Incidentally, she has made a name for herself as the fairy godmother to quite a few young men and women from smaller towns, unfamiliar with English. Participants in Gladrags beauty pageants are even allowed to introduce themselves in Hindi during the pageant. That is perhaps the unique point about the contests that she holds -- they are inclusive. And then there is the more recent Mrs India-Mrs World contest. Between the two, it is the Mrs India contest that is closer to her heart. “I enjoy Mrs India contest (started in 2000) more because there is a lot of family participation. Over two years ago, I visited a contestant’s house in Andheri and she would not let me leave till her mother-in-law, who wanted to meet me, arrived from the hospital!” “People are now asking me to start a contest for grandmothers,” says Wadia, a rather glamorous grandmother herself. The interesting dichotomy about Wadia is that while Gladrags Megamodel and Manhunt and Mrs India/ World are all about good looks, she is all for beauty with smartness. A former model herself, Wadia is no champion for the excesses of glamour such as size zero. Mrs India, she emphasises is about self-awareness and fulfillment.
Past winners have included newlyweds and not-so-newly-married with grown-up children to boot. The quintessential swimsuit round, however, is not for the world to watch, it is an in-camera affair conducted by Wadia.
“It’s a wake-up call to those who have let themselves go after their children and triggers off a health alert. Finance is the other aspect — we Indian women know our bazaar but not how much we have in our bank account.” She also advises contestants to not think of themselves as models but sometimes, after the glamorous makeover, it is tough to not be blinded by the stardust. What she does not intend doing is promoting mindless consumer- ism as pageants are meant to do.
“There is so much of keeping-up-with-the- Singhs all around. People are practically asking each other about the labels they wear. Time was when you gave your son a fancy watch on his graduation or wedding.
The good part of this recession may just be that we will go back to these,” muses Wadia.
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