Pantaloons Femina Miss India South 2008 winners

AND THE WINNER IS: Pantaloons Femina Miss India South 2008 winner Parvathy Omanakuttam (C) with first runner-up Shreya Dhanwantary (R) and second runner-up Kavya Barli during the finals at the HICC in Hyderabad on Wednesday

Femina South beauty queens ready to take India by storm

Hyderabad: Parvathy Omanakuttam walked tall among the bevy of beauties that gathered in the city on Wednesday night as she was crowned the Pantaloons Femina Miss India South 2008 (PFMIS 2008). Though she was the clear winner, she was closely followed by Shreya Dhanwanthary (first runner up) and Kavya Barli (second runner up), ending months of suspense. All the winners get direct entry into PFMI 2008 Finals to be held in Mumbai.

The grand finale of the prestigious beauty contest unfolded amidst fanfare and an array of dazzling celebrity guests. The winners were announced at a glittering, star-studded ceremony held at the Hyderabad International Convention Centre. The task of choosing the winners from the 16 lovely finalists was handled with aplomb by a panel of judges comprising Ramya Krishna, Deepika Govind, Mani Shankar, Nethra Raghuraman, Ravi Teja, Pinky Reddy and Sanjay Gupta.

The first ever PFMIS pageant began with the contestants walking the ramp in spectacular creations from Pantaloons. The collection was a mix of fusion and Western wear. And keeping up the southern spirit, its essence remained rich, bright and colourful. If the invitees were mesmerised by the contestants and their clothes, the foot-tapping performances by Malavika, Nitu Chandra, Minakshi Sarkar, Devisri Prasad, Gauri Munjal, Sindhu Menon and Samiksha kept them entertained for hours.

Round II saw the contestants in

Rana Gill’s collection ‘Skin’, with signature prints in cherry, chocolate, black, olive and other shades. The silk and jersey collection flattered the contestants without distracting from their innate grace even as the low necks and jewelled detailing gave them grandeur. At the end of this round, Priyanka Shah — Pantaloons Femina Miss India Finalist 2007 who earlier won the Miss Tourism Title this year — walked the ramp to a huge round of applause.
The timeless designs from Puneet Nanda for Satya Paul were the cynosure of all eyes during the finale. Blending the appeal of the classic colours of black, white and red with strong, contemporary graphic patterns, the collection paid tribute to the Indian woman. The beautiful saris were accessorized to great effect with exquisite jewellery from Gitanjali Mayagold. Nanda received thunderous applause when he came on stage to take a bow.

The event was choreographed by Hemant Trevedi who is the official choreographer and contestant director for PFMIS 2008, with Radhika Rao as the official assistant choreographer. Krishna Reddy choreographed the final show hosted by Sindhura Gadde and Aseem Sharma.
Earlier, the contestants went through vigorous in-house training sessions at the Novotel Hotel, Hyderabad. The daunting task of preparing the 16 women to achieve their aspirations was accomplished by experts: Hemant Trevedi (official contestant director and choreographer), Deanne Pandey (official fitness expert), Dr Jamuna Pai (official skin expert), Sabira Merchant (official diction expert) Leila Sharma (official make-up expert), Niti Desai (official diet & nutrition expert) and Radhika Rao (assistant choreographer).

source:thetimesofindia