The grand-finale of Fbb Colors Femina Miss India West 2018 took place on Sunday,13th of May, 2018 at the Regency Ballroom at the Hyatt Regency, Pune. I was one of the lucky few to have gotten a chance to attend the finale. The pageant saw contestants from West Zone of India (Maharashtra, Gujarat, Goa, and Rajasthan) competing to secure their place at the national final of Fbb Colors Femina Miss India 2018 where they will try to succeed Manushi Chhillar as the next Miss India.

The guest list last night was filled with who’s who of Pune’s Elite club and people from glamour world. The west zone girls were mentored by former Miss India contestant and upcoming  Bollywood actress Pooja Hegde.  The pageant was hosted by Meiyang Chang of Indian Idol fame. The judges for the evening apart from Pooja were Fashion designer Sonaakshi Raaj who also designed the finale gowns. Actor Shreyas Talpade, Bollywood beauty Nushrat Bharucha, and Marathi film actress Sai Tamhankar. The girls who took home the crown were Anushka Luhar (Gujarat), Aashna Gaurav (Goa), Mehaak Punjabi (Maharashtra) & Nikita Soni (Rajasthan).

Here is the list of things that I truly enjoyed/liked about Femina Miss India West 2018 Finale.

1. Pooja Hegde is just so stunning and well spoken that it made me wonder what would have happened if they had sent her to the Miss Universe 2010 edition. Her advice to the contestants is something which we all can apply in our lives as well ” You are not done until you say it”.
2. The contestants were the stars of the evening as they all did a remarkable job. I couldn’t spot a contestant with low energy, nervous or under-confident. The came to slay and they slayed it.
3. The evening gowns provided by Sonaakshi Raaj were so princess like and the detailing on it was so amazing. I just loved the pastel color pallet and my favorite gown of the night was worn by Nehal Chudasama, not only was the gown pretty but it fitted her like a glove.
4. The choreography done by the legendary Anu Ahuja was on point.  Alicia Raut’s Catwalk training worked really well as the girls just glided on the runway. Oh! I forgot to tell you guys Alicia Raut looks like a living doll in person, so pretty and poised.
5. The Fbb round saw the girls walk the down the runway wearing their summer collection in the hues of blue. This was this was the first round and the thing more than the outfit that struck me was the styling and accessories. They were just perfect and gave the contestants boho-chic vibes.
6. Natasha Grover’s energy is so infectious.  I don’t know from where she gets it but it is commendable that she brings so much positive vibes to the table.
7. Salman Yusuf Khan’s performance was the highlight of the night. This guy sure knows how to bring the roof down. His performance along with his troop was just fabulous, you have to be there to experience the level of energy this guy rings to the stage.
8. Seeing so many familiar faces, I got to see the reigning Mr. India Jitesh Singh Deo, Miss India Goa 2017, Audrey Dsilva, Miss India Rajasthan 2017, Aditi Hundia all of them simply stunning and beautiful no wonder they did so well last year.
9. Meiyang Chang as the host was fun. He kept the audiences in splits with his one-liners.
10. The food was amazing!!! The chefs at Hyatt did an amazing job. Although I missed the cocktail session, post-pageant dinner was something worth waiting for.

I would like to thank the people working at the Miss India Organization for inviting TGPC for the west zone crowning. I thoroughly enjoyed watching the pageant live.

Article by Roopesh D’Souza.

Photo Credit: Miss India Organization

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