Beauties do battle for Miss India SA title

ANOTHER explosion of fashion and culture is expected when the Zee TV Miss India South Africa International Pageant plays out at the Sibaya Casino and Entertainment Kingdom on Saturday.

The event has drawn 20 contestants from around the country, vying for the coveted crown, which carries a main prize of a trip to India and a shot at becoming a model or even a Zee TV presenter.

On the night of the pageant, the bevy of beauties are expected to make about 120 costume changes.

Three highly-rated designers and a new fashion boutique are set to kit the ladies out for their on-stage appearances.

Designer Shamima Tayob will reveal her take on the latest trends in Muslim fashion at the event.

Nadine Pillay of Nadine Couture is expected to present her latest range of ball gowns, and Amanda May will unveil her African Collection line, which promises to set the trend for fashionistas this year.

The Johannesburg-based Shamz Boutique, which opened recently, will dress contestants in their range of Eastern wear, created especially for the event.

The pageant producer, Preetha Nanhoo, said the costume changes will present a “hectic evening for the backstage team, but will make for a memorable night for the contestants and the audience”.

Nanhoo said the event would be life-changing for the winner.

“This is a very special fashion event with the eventual winner standing the chance to spend time in Mumbai, where she will be (groomed) to be an international model,” she said.

Kamisha Nanhoo Maharaj, the pageant’s director, has been working with the production team and the contestants for the past two months, perfecting the five sequences at the rehearsal rooms of the Playhouse.

“We have a very special group of young women who have blossomed with every rehearsal.

“It is going to be an exciting competition,” said Nanhoo Maharaj.

She said it was great to have had past winner Ruzelle Ganesan (2015) and the reigning queen, Kimara Juman, play an integral behind-the-scenes role.

“This is the first event of its kind to be staged at the Sun Park, which is the latest addition to the Sibaya Casino and Entertainment World.”

Durban North’s Kiolee Bugwandeen is a 20-year-old second-year LLB student at the University of the Free State; Sheinna Mungroo, 23, of Verulam is a human resources consultant at Alexander Forbes; and Kiara Rampaul, 19, of umhlanga is a second-year...