Miss Diva 2018 Preview

Written for Global Beauties by 'Albin B' 

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As we go into the homestretch of Miss Diva 2018, the national contest to select the Indian representatives for Miss Universe and Miss Supranational, the mood that lingers over fans and pundits is perhaps best described as confused. After all, this is India – a country once so prolific at Miss Universe that its presence along with Venezuela and USA in the top 10 led to the phrase “sash factor” being coined. Yet, it enters the 2018 contest with three consecutive strikeouts at the New York based pageant….a low India has not seen in pageantry since the doldrums of the 80s. Of course, some of this can be attributed to the natural lull that seems to befall countries that build long winning streaks – Philippines went through this, as did Colombia … but in India’s case, the question runs a little more deep – after all, India has found great success in recent years at the other Grand Slam pageants. So what is India doing wrong at Miss Universe in particular? Is it bad timing? Certainly, Urvashi Rautela would have found great favor in the Trump Era… Is it bad selection – how on earth did Roshmita Harimurthy win the nod in 2016 over the near perfect Srinidhi Shetty? Is it a bad formula  - Shraddha Sashidhar seemed to check the IMG accomplishment box but was she what MUO is looking for in the end?

At the same time, India has found the winning formula for Miss Supranational! Certainly, there are a handful of girls in this year’s contest who could be crown contenders again so let us just hope that the Miss Diva judges apply the same formula to both selections and make the right choices. The Miss Diva Organization knows that change is needed – and have completely revamped the format, eliminating the reality show and instead grooming the top 20 to compete in a MU style elimination in the finale.

This may be the first year in a long time that a clear favorite has not emerged for Miss Diva. On the positive side, it reflects a uniformly strong field with many naturally beautiful girls. But part of the challenge has been that some girls are better known and more exposed than others, which has led many fans to place them on top of the list. And certainly these girls – Shefali Sood, Roshni Sheoran and Nehal Chudasama amongst them, have much to offer in terms of beauty and eloquence. But there are many new faces in the mix this year from Aditi Shetty to Lavina Israni, and in the moments that they appear, they have also impressed us greatly. So rather than just pick a single winner for Miss Universe and Miss Supranational, we are going to offer our favorites for each of the titles and a few alternates.

For Miss Universe:

Aditi Hundia

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Let me be honest for a moment. I have no idea what MUO is looking for. If the contest has a clear sense of identity, the selection of winner lacks this alignment with the many glossy slogans IMG throws about. They tout women of substance and achievement, but the MU winner is essentially an Instagram girl, with a few random public appearances scattered through the year which seem to focus mostly on her looks and presence.

The 2018 Miss Universe field already has talkers and all-rounders, so from India we would like to see a girl whose beauty will make her stand out and put her in the mix with other front runners, and in essence be perfect for the job that Miss Universe is actually put to. Aditi Hundia to our mind, fits that bill perfectly. She was a semifinalist at Femina Miss India 2017 but she came into that contest with very little preparation and it showed. This year, with a year of personality development and fitness training behind her, she is a completely different candidate. She reminds us of some of our favorite Miss Indias at MU – Celina Jaitley and Puja Gupta – who had similarly tiny frames and were not necessarily the most articulate but whose beauty instantly captivated fans and judges. Aditi’s weakness is her limited eloquence but she has worked on this and if she can hold her nerve, she should leave with a crown!

For Miss Supranational: We are torn between two very balanced contestants -

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Hannah Reji Koshy: Like Aditi, Hannah was a contestant at Miss India 2017 but didn’t make the cut. She has similarly spent a year working on her flaws, which were principally to do with her fitness and has come to the 2018 Diva contest as a very complete candidate: intelligent, eloquent, congenial and with the will to win. She reminds us a little of Miss India 1997 Nafisa Joseph – with a similar striking beauty and a soulful presence. This complete persona should resonate with the Miss Supranational Organization and we think she will be a compelling representative. To win, Hannah will need to overcome her reticence and speak her heart out in the finale.

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Nehal Chudasama: Similar to Hannah, Nehal has bested her demons to emerge as a strong contender at this year’s contest, winning quick fans with her win at the preliminary swimsuit contest. Her strengths are her unique looks, which with the right styling will really help her stand out, and a balance of physical, mental and personal attributes. Nehal is one of the most driven and eloquent girls in this batch and would be a popular winner.

Alternates:

From L to R Preethi, Roshni, Himanshi 

From L to R Preethi, Roshni, Himanshi 

Three other girls really impress us this year. They could easily replace any of the girls above with a strong finale showing.

Himanshi Badhana:

Himanshi has been one of the surprises of the year, always charming with her pretty face but somehow not cutting through the mix of contenders. All that changed at the presentation show in Chennai, where she cut like a blaze of lightning through the runway, showing that she is prepared and can deliver when it matters. A software engineer, Himanshi balances her beautiful face with intelligence, a fit body and great poise. She will need to bring this fire in the finale!

 

Roshni Sheoran:

Roshni has stood out since her first audition for Miss Diva with her height and striking resemblance to past Miss Indias Manushi Chillar and Kanishta Dhankar. Roshni is a professional model and her ease on the ramp shows – she won the Miss Top Model sub contest earlier. But beyond just her towering frame and facility on the ramp, Roshni comes across as an articulate, mature, balanced woman. Of all the delegates this year, she is the most balanced and would be a very compelling winner. If there is any concern about Roshni, it is her youth – Miss Universe tends to be the territory of older, more experienced women with a life story. We’d almost like to see her come back in a year or two!

Preethi Prabhakaran:

This sultry stunner from Chennai, has captivated us from the moment she appeared in the audition round. Her beauty is undeniable and distinct, and she is pure fire on the ramp. With a little work on her body and the right styling, she will, like Aditi Hundia, be a standout at Miss universe just for looks!

So this is it! Our SPECIAL SIX! Will one of these girls win the crown?

Or will it be one of several other promising contenders – beautiful and vivacious Aditi Shetty, the smouldering and eloquent Shefali Sood, or the doe eyed Anindita Kakoti from Assam?

Find out on the 31st when a new Miss Universe India and Miss Supranational India are crowned by the outgong queens and the reigning Miss Universe, Demi-Leigh Nel-Peters,  and Miss Supranational, Jenny Kim,  respectively!

[Albin Beart has been a close observer of pageants for over three decades, his love forever cemented after witnessing Yvonne Ryding crowned as Miss Universe in 1984. The last time he did a prediction for GB, he correctly predicted that Manasvi Mamgai, Nicole Faria and Neha Hinge would finish 1-2-3 at Femina Miss India 2010. He heads up policy and advocacy for one of the world's leading global development agencies. Albin is a pseudonym.]