L to R – Kiran Gulati (Mrs. Bollywood 2nd Runner Up), Pavana Gadde (Mrs. Bollywood 1st Runner Up), Raveena Tandon, Ruchika Dias (Founder & CEO Bollywood Shake), Nina Desai (Mrs. Bollywood Houston 2014). Photo Credit Murali Santhana.
HOUSTON – The first ever Mrs. & Mr. Bollywood Houston pageant organized by Ruchika Dias, Founder and CEO of Bollywood Shake was held on Saturday, Sept 6th at the Hilton Americas in downtown Houston. The event delivered all it promised and more! The Houston crowd came out in big numbers elegantly dressed for a memorable evening of fun and entertainment.
The event began with the guests entering the beautiful and exquisite venue where they were met with a visual treat with the very classy ballroom decorated by Deco-Art.
Mr. Bollywood 2014 winner, Waqas Syed gets the sash from Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon. Photo by Harsh M Photography.
The show included dance performances by Bollywood Shake’s dance troupe and a spectacular performance by celebrity Bollywood singer and Houston’s own Mauli Dave who sang songs like Balam Pichkari and Mayya Mayya.
The judging panel included Bollywood actress Raveena Tandon, singer and reality TV series host Mauli Dave, upcoming star Mahesh Sriram, Amiralli Dodhiya of New York Life, Jahan Siddiq and Hina Lakhani from Kaaya Salon. The MCs for the night were Syeda Hasan, RJ on Houston’s NPR station and Syed Ali, a Sangeet Radio RJ. Grand sponsors of the event were Amiralli Dodhiya from New York Life, Kaaya Salon & Spa, Kohinoor Diamonds & Parinaz boutique.
Bollywood celebrity guest Raveena Tandon got a true Bollywood style entry with the song Tu Cheez Badi Hai Mast Mast from her film Mohra played out by Bollywood Shake dancers and dhol players.
The Mrs. Bollywood Pageant consisted of three Rounds: Round 1, choreographed by Raza Hasan was the Introduction Round where the 12 contestants were dressed in exquisite designer sarees. A short introduction video was also played for each contestant that included glimpses of their talent. Round 2 was the formal round where the Mrs. Bollywood contestants wore stunning and gorgeous bridal clothing accompanied Mauli as she sang “Dil Mera Muft Ka” and “Halkat Jawani” and Round 3 was the question and answer round where the Final 6 contestants got a question each from a judge ranging from “if you get a chance, what is one thing you would change in your life?” from Mauli Dave to Kiran Kaur to “if a genie offers you three wishes, what will you wish for?” from Raveena Tandon to Shaneel Mitha.
The show also included a Mr. Bollywood contest where the five male contestants got a chance to showcase their talent in Round 1. In Round 2, the Mr. Bollywood contestants came out in Ethnic wear to the song “Maria” by Ricky Martin.
Ms. Tandon was welcomed by Ruchika Dias on stage and their interaction was very entertaining to watch. Ms. Tandon talked about how she had visited Houston several times. Ruchika then praised Raveena on her punctuality and professionalism.
Mrs Bollywood Winners were announced as: Nina Desai winner of title Mrs. Bollywood 2014, Pavana Gadde, , 1st Runner up and Kiran Gulati, 2nd Runner up.
Special Awards recepients were: Beautiful Smile- Shaneel Mitha, Beautiful Skin- Heena Ali, Perfect 10 – Reshu Bagga, People Choice/FB Award – Ruchi Singh & Mrs Talented – Dimpy Kaur Virk.
The title of Mr. Bollywood 2014 was bestowed on Waqas Syed while Varun Gupta was selected as the 1st Runner up and Parminder Singh as the 2nd Runner up.
This event was a true celebration of married women who showed that you can still pursue your dreams after marriage. Although only one could win the crown, all the contestants are winners because they took the bold step of participating in the pageant and showcasing their personality and talent.
Kudos to Ruchika Dias and the entire Bollywood Shake team for putting together an entertaining and well organized event which was truly a one-of-a-kind show for Houston. Bollywood Shake would like to thank all its sponsors, volunteers and Houston for making this event possible! This will be an annual event – so look out for the next one! Look out for the next Bollywood Shake pageant event – the Miss Bollywood pageant in March 2015.
The event was also featured on ABC 13, Fox 26 Houston and TV-Asia!
This story originally appeared on Voice of Asia Online.