Miss Chennai

Miss Chennai
Formation1999
TypeBeauty pageant
HeadquartersChennai
Location
Official language
English

Miss Chennai was a city beauty pageant in Chennai, India, which operated under the parent organization VIBA between 1999 and 2009. The competition's first winner was Trisha Krishnan, and several of the participants from the pageant went on to make a career in the film industry.[1][2][3]

History

[edit]

The Miss Chennai contest was organised by the entertainment group VIBA, created by sisters Vidya Balakrishnan and Shoba Ravishankar. The group had first created "Teen Super Model 97", before making Miss Chennai their flagship event in 1999. Trisha Krishnan was the first winner of the competition and was crowned at an event in September 1999. In the following years, VIBA continued to host the Miss Chennai pageant in locations such as the Rajah Muthiah Hall, the Madras Race Club and the Chettinad Auditorium.[4][5] Vidya and Shobha later expanded their awards portfolio to include ceremonies titled "Chennai Man" and "Mom and I".[6][7]

For the 2009 pageant, it was revealed that there were 750 applications, 300 contestants were screened, with 20 shortlisted and 12 finalised for the finals. The 2009 pageant was shown as a reality television show over 12 weeks on Star Vijay. No further ceremonies have been held since 2009.[8]

In the late 2010s, former contestants suggested that the influx of new competitions such as Miss South India, Face of Chennai, Miss Madras had hampered career prospects for the winners of Miss Chennai.[9]

Legacy

[edit]

Several of the participating models went on to represent India at other international pageants following their success with Miss Chennai. This included Aparna Pillai at Miss Petite International 2003, Medha Raghunath at World Miss University 2003 and Nirupama Natarajan at Miss Intercontinental 2004.[10] In 2006, it was announced that the winner would go on to represent Chennai in the Miss Intercontinental pageant.[11]

Many of the winners and runners-up of the competition moved on to work in the film industry including Trisha Krishnan (1999), Medha Raghunath (2000), Divya Subramanian (2001), Sruti Harihara Subramanian (2002), Aparna Pillai (2002), Bidushi Dash Barde (2005–06), Samyuktha (2007) and Sahithya Jagannathan (2009).

Other participants who have worked in the film industry include Mamathi Chari (2000), Ramya Subramanian (2004–05), Vasundhara Kashyap (2005–06), Varsha Ashwathi (2005–06), Ann Alexia Anra (2007) and Chandini Tamilarasan (2007).

List of titleholders

[edit]
Year Miss Chennai 1st Runner-up 2nd Runner-up Other finalists Source
1999 Trisha Krishnan Maheshwari Thyagarajan Sandhya Prakash
Candice
Dharthi
Lisa
Nirupama Natarajan
Sangita
Schwetlav
Sheetal Bajaj
Shipa
Swapna
[12]
2000 Pooja Nair Medha Raghunath Divya Bhatnagar
Aishwarya
Ashrutha
Chahath
Lavanya
Leena
Mamathi Chari
Nina
Salani
Schwetlav
Shamini
Simran Mathew
Swetha
Upasna Raju
[13]
2001 Anurithi Chikerurar Rathika Venugopal Divya Subramanian
Amanda
Anju
Archana
Aru
Deepa
Divya Singaravelu
Merita
Nalana
Pavithra
[14]
2002 Sitara Devanadan Sruti Harihara Subramanian Aparna Pillai
Andrea
Anurahini
Aparna N.
Archana A.
Archana B.
Hema
Meetu
Sharmishta
Surya
[15]
2003 Bindya Devi Talluri Nina Mehta Jain Aashritha Devi Talluri
Apsara Srinivasan
Archana
Baviya
Farida
Karishma
Nisha
Prishi
Ridhi
Riya Mathew
[16]
2004-5 Deepa Rajan Ketki Chandravarkar Pooja Priyanka
Divya Balasubramanian
Gajaprasha D.
Laxmi Rakade
Niharikha
Ramya Subramanian
Reshu Jain
Sakina Dhankot
Shruti
Taruna Chugani
[17]
2005-6 Deepika Vasudevan Taruna Chugani Bidushi Dash Barde
Anjena C.
Aparna Ram
Gayathri R.
Kiran Mahendran
Nataasha B. Jamani
Natasha Shekar
Niyati Thakar
Priyanka Vempati
S. Parxana
Sneha S.
Tanvi Thakkar
Varsha Ashwathi
Vasundhara Kashyap
[18]
2007 Samyuktha Rohini Singh Swapna Rajasekar
Ann Alexia Anra
Chandni Nahar
Chandini Tamilarasan
Garima Mishra
Manasvini Sridhar
Niyati
Pooja Amarnath
Saloni S. Shah
Shirley
Sonali Shenoy
[18]
2008-9 Sahithya Jagannathan Kavi Priya Priya Thalur
Divya Ravishankar
Pavithra
Rishita Sawlani
Sneha
Suchitra
Swetha
Tanuja
[18]

See also

[edit]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ BasuUpdated, Nilanjana (30 September 2020). "Trisha Krishnan's Throwback To The Day That "Changed" Her Life 21 Years Ago". NDTV.com. Retrieved 22 January 2023.
  2. ^ "No Filter: The duo who bid bye to dye and embraced grey hair". dtNext.in. 16 February 2019.[dead link]
  3. ^ "Tiara tribulations". The New Indian Express.
  4. ^ "Miss Chennai Contest Participants Winners Runners Sponsors Organizers Photo Gallery Training Session Pictures Wall". 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
  5. ^ "I am more confident now: Miss Chennai". 7 May 2008. Archived from the original on 7 May 2008.
  6. ^ "Reaching for perfection". India Today.
  7. ^ "Online edition of Sunday Observer – Business". archives.sundayobserver.lk.
  8. ^ "Chennai's fashion envoys". The New Indian Express.
  9. ^ Purushothaman, Kirubhakar (23 June 2017). "Will the real Miss Chennai stand up?". Deccan Chronicle.
  10. ^ "Miss Chennai Contest Participants Winners Runners Sponsors Organizers Photo Gallery Training Session Pictures Wall". 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
  11. ^ "'Eva Miss Chennai' pageant on Feb 24". 28 September 2007. Archived from the original on 28 September 2007.
  12. ^ "Miss Chennai Contest Participants Winners Runners Sponsors Organizers Photo Gallery Training Session Pictures Wall". 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
  13. ^ "Miss Chennai Contest Participants Winners Runners Sponsors Organizers Photo Gallery Training Session Pictures Wall". 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
  14. ^ "Miss Chennai Contest Participants Winners Runners Sponsors Organizers Photo Gallery Training Session Pictures Wall". 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
  15. ^ "Miss Chennai Contest Participants Winners Runners Sponsors Organizers Photo Gallery Training Session Pictures Wall". 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
  16. ^ "Miss Chennai Contest Participants Winners Runners Sponsors Organizers Photo Gallery Training Session Pictures Wall". 24 May 2006. Archived from the original on 24 May 2006.
  17. ^ "Miss Chennai Contest Participants Winners Runners Sponsors Organizers Photo Gallery Training Session Pictures Wall". 16 July 2006. Archived from the original on 16 July 2006.
  18. ^ a b c "Participate in Miss Chennai, Chennai Man, Miss Chennai Winners". www.vibamisschennai.com.