HYDERABAD: Crowned Miss Hyderabad, 19-year-old Gauri Priya is obviously elated. Although she makes it look like a piece of cake, a small peek into her life shows that it really is not. Wowing her judges with the confidence far above her years and wit that ultimately won her the crown, Gauri Priya is a fun teenager. Barely a month since she donned the title, GP as her close circle calls her, looks perfectly comfortable in the big shoes of Miss Hyderabad.
Signing up for the Miss Hyderabad pageant wasn’t on her to-do list that day. The organisation called for applications in her college, St Francis College for Women, during the intercollege fest, Yuvaflare. But GP was busy owing to the college fest. “My friends urged me to just fill in the application. But I was in my own world. After the fest however, I thought back and put in my name just for the sake of it. And quite unexpectedly I was among the ones called for the next round,” she shares. And then she unwittingly succeeded step by step until she was one of the 24 finalists. “That’s when it hit me that this isn’t a fluke anymore. I had to get serious and actually focus on going forward,” she says. “We were trained in basic grooming - doing our own make up, doing our hair, basic styling and fashion, etiquette, how to speak etc. During the pre-event party we were given titles and I won Miss Timeless,” the BMS student beams.
It wasn’t long before GP was a part of the finals, after taxing rounds which included one-on-one interaction with the jury to know them better. During the Q&A round on the main event though, GP thought that she ran her mouth a little too far. “I was randomly allotted Sandeep Kishan for my Q&A round and he asked, ‘What would you chose - being Miss Hyderabad or being a Tollywood heroine?’ I immediately responded Miss Hyderabad because if I win the title I will invariably get film offers. I said what honestly came to mind but the crowd was dead silent and I thought this was it. I am not going further,” she shares. But lo and behold! She was one of the five finalists. One opinion round later, Gauri Priya was crowned Miss Hyderabad.
Pursuing Business Management Studies itself is trying. Add that to her pageant dreams and it would sound like a nightmare. But GP is unfazed. Turns out what would be a hectic day for most of us is just a regular Tuesday for her. “I had trained in Carnatic music for 10 years since childhood and was a part of a singing reality show, Bol Baby Bol too. I was juggling school and that then. I am also a district-level athlete. Later I played a couple of small roles in films like Nirmala Convent and then Shekar Kammula’s Fidaa. Now besides college I also act in a Youtube channel called Girl Formula which I make time for. Our college is also accommodating as I have fair reason to miss classes. I was pretty much always used to doing more than one thing all my life. And I like being busy,” she quips. Open to the offers she gets, whether singing or acting or otherwise, GP is ready to experiment with her talents. “I don’t want to miss out on any opportunity,” she says affirmatively.
Contrary to popular belief, pageants are not all about beauty. “You could be the most beautiful person but if you don’t have the brain to channel thoughts and put them in words, there isn’t much it will do in a pageant. Confidence is everything,” she explains and coyly shares that she was commended most for how confident she presented herself.
Ask her about what’s in store for the future she says, “I found myself interested in acting lately and I want to try out my hand at that based on the opportunities that come my way. I would also like to keep pursuing a career in singing. Meanwhile as Miss Hyderabad I’d like to take this forward and try out regionals and later hopefully the nationals too.”
— Srividya Palaparthi
srividya.palaparthi@newindianexpress.com
@PSrividya53