Lara Dutta,

Former Miss Universe

The television ser ie s chronicling the journey of the 16 finalists will be aired on Colors Infinity

from August 27. Lara Dutta will mentor the contestants

Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva 2016 has launched a sixpart television series that will chronicle the journey of the 16 finalists of the beauty pageant. The winner of the

pageant will represent the country at Miss Universe 2016. Bollywood actor and former Miss Universe Lara Dutta unveiled the finalists of the pageant and the first look of the TV series. The series will be aired on Colors Infinity from August 27 on Saturday and Sunday at 7 pm. Speaking on the partnership, Ferzad Palia, Executive VicePresident & Head – English & Youth Entertainment, Viacom18, said, “Colors Infinity has always aimed to consistently provide viewers with a unique experience through its disruptive international and home- grown programming. The concept of Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva – Miss Universe India 2016 seamlessly integrates into our channel’s unique proposition. We are delighted to partner with them this year, and wish the participants and winners luck.” Yamaha Fascino has partnered with the pageant as the title sponsor. Speaking on the occasion, Roy Kurian, Vice-President, Sales & Marketing, Yamaha Motor India Sales Pvt. Ltd, said, “Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva – Miss Universe India 2016 is the right platform for modern Indian women to get recognised for their passion and aspirations. We are proud to be the title sponsor of the Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva – Miss Universe India 2016, for the third time in a row. As a young brand, we firmly believe in the potential of young India. With this in mind, we at Yamaha want to support, encourage and give them a more fulfilling life.” Yamaha Fascino will also cast one of the lucky finalists to feature in a brand new TV commercial for them. Lara Dutta, the mentor and

host for the show, said, “I am looking forward to the journey of mentoring the gorgeous finalists and starting the exciting shoot of the television series with them. The six episode tele-series will chronicle the journey of the shortlisted finalists from across the country and the winner will represent India at the prestigious Miss Universe pageant. The viewers will get a sneak peek into the high octane, glamorous journey that the finalists will take this year in this sensational promo and will get a chance to be a part of their journey as they race ahead to clinch the title. I will be mentoring these girls on various parameters like elegance, confidence, poise, intelligence and the right attitude.” The shoot for the series will start on August 18. The 16 finalists who made their way through a fine screening will be seen competing for various attributes like photoshoot, ramp walk, TV commercial shoot, perfect body, boot camp and many more. The finalists will be seen entering The Diva Villa located at Madh Island where they will live with their fellow contestants and be mentored by Lara Dutta and experts from the industry. The finalists will undergo rigorous training to reach closer to the crown. YAMAHA FASCINO MISS DIVA 2016 Miss Diva

2016 was established in 2013 as a franchise for Miss Universe under the Times of India. The Pageant explores and brings together young talent for the fashion, lifestyle and entertainment industry. "The winner of Miss Diva 2016 will represent India at

Miss Universe 2016"

Contestants ready to vie for Miss Universe India 2016 Former Miss Universe Lara

Dutta is looking forward to mentoring 16 finalists who will compete with one another to represent the country at the prestigious Miss Universe pageant. The journey of the contestants will be chronicled on "Yamaha Fascino Miss Diva - Miss Universe India 2016", a six-part series which will be aired on Colors Infinity starting August 27. It was launched amidst much fanfare and glitterati here on

Wednesday. Lara, who revealed the first look of the TV series through a promo launch, said: “I am looking forward to the journey of mentoring the 16 gorgeous finalists and starting the exciting shoot of the television series with them." "The viewers will get a sneak peak into the high octane, glamorous journey these finalists will take this year and they will get a chance to be part of their journey as they race ahead to clinch the title." The actress, who bagged the Miss Universe crown in 2000, said she will mentor the contestants on various parameters like elegance, confidence, poise, intelligence and the right attitude. Shooting for the TV series will begin on August 18. There will be six episodes of glamour, fashion intelligence, grit, and beauty, and the finalists will be seen competing for various attributes like photo-shoot, ramp walk, TV commercial shoot, perfect body, bootcamp and more. The finalists will also be seen entering The Diva Villa located at Madh island where they will live with their fellow contestants and be mentored by Lara as well as other industry experts. Yamaha Fascino has partnered with the pageant as the title sponsor as it reflects the spirit of freedom and the desire to go beyond conventional boundaries. The brand aims to fascinate the youth by fulfilling their life with products and services. The selected 16 finalists are Aayushi Arora, Alankrita Bora, Aradhana Buragohain, Avantika Masand, Heena Bhalla, Ishita Sachdeva, Monisha Ramesh, Muskan Deria, Natasha Bharadwaj, Richa Chaturvedi, Roshmitha Harimurthy, Sakshma Srivastav, Sophiya Singh, Srinidhi Shetty, Srishti Vyakaranam and Tanishq Sharma

Name: Roshmitha Harimurthy School: Sophia High School, Bengaluru College: Mount Carmel College, Bengaluru Native City: Bengaluru

Name :Muskan Deria School: Samaritans English Medium Higher Secondary School, Hoshangabad College: Prestige Institute of Management and Research, Indore Native City: Hoshangabad, MP

Name: Monisha Ramesh School: New Horizon Public School, Bengaluru School College: CMR Institute of Technology, Bengaluru Native City: Bengaluru

Name: Natasha Bharadwaj School: Gokuldham High School, Mumbai College: Jai Hind College, Mumbai Native City: Mumbai

Name: Richa Chaturvedi School: Vivekanand School, Delhi College: Jaypee Institute of Information Technology, Noida Native City: Delhi

Name: Sakshma Srivastav School: Gokuldham High School, Mumbai College: Mumbai University Native City: Mumbai

Name: Aayushi Arora School: Manav Mangal Smart School, Mohali College: University Institute Of Legal Studies, PU Native City: Chandigarh Winner: Of Yamaha Miss Fascino 2016

Name: Aradhana Buragohain School: Little Flower School, Dibrugarh College: Tezpur Central University Native City: Dibrugarh

Name: Avantika Masand School: Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute, Delhi College: Amity University, Noida Native City: Secunderabad

Name: Ishita Sachdeva School: The Air Force School, Delhi College: Lady Shri Ram College for Women, DU Native City: Delhi Winner: Of Campus Princess 2016

Name: Heena Bhalla School: Laxman Public School, Delhi College: Apeejay Institute of Design, Delhi Native City: Delhi

Name: Alankrita Bora School: Delhi public school, Guwahati College: NA Native City: Guwahati

Zayed Khan, Bollywood Stars

Shamita Singha, Former Miss India

Urvashi Rautela, Miss Diva 2015

Arjun Rampal, Bollywood Stars

Sonu Sood, Bollywood Stars

Ferzad Palia Executive Vice President Head - Youth & English Entertainment

Lara Dutta, Former Miss Universe

Name: Srinidhi Shetty School: Sri Narayana Guru English Medium School, Mangaluru College: Jain College of Engineering, Bengaluru Native City: Mangaluru

Name: Tanishq Sharma School: Tribhuwan Chandra Ghildiyal Public School, Kotdwar College: Al-Buraimi University, Muscat Native City: Kotdwar

Name: Sophiya Singh School: Sarla Chopra DAV Public School, Noida College: Birla Institute of Technology, Noida Native City: Noida

Name: Srishti Vyakaranam School: St. Joseph's Convent HrSec School, Sambalpur College: GITAM University, Visakhapatnam Native City: Hyderabad