The Miss South India 2016-2017 beauty paegant will be a bit different from the contests we have seen thus far. The difference is Meera Mithun, a Chennai-based model, the reigning Miss South India, who seems to have made it her goal to ensure that the next winner is from Chennai as well. Meera, winner of several beauty pageants, is now the key player in auditioning the models from Tamil Nadu. She has also planned to groom the selected contestants.
“The contests have been happening for about 15 years now, and I was the first Tamil girl to win the title. I will be crowning the next winner and I wanted it to be a Tamil girl again. So, I approached Naturals and suggested that we groom and bring out talents together. They were very welcoming,” she says. The organisers of the beauty contest, for the first time in their history, has handed over the audition process to someone outside, and Meera views this as a chance to take the modelling scene in the state to another level.
“For some reason, there are very few girls pursuing modelling professionally. This could be due to the lack of knowledge about the field. That’s why we have campaigned in colleges. This contest is not just for professionals — we would like to have many freshers competing this time,” she asserts. When asked if it would be possible for someone with no experience to win the title, she reveals, “I had only two months of professional experience before I won the Miss South India and Miss Tamil Nadu title together. So, I think it is possible. And I will give a rundown of the whole process to the selected few.”
Giving a heads up, Meera says, “That appearance is the only thing that matters for a model is a wrong notion that many believe in. One should be mentally strong and must be aware of the current affairs. So, an aspiring model should be looking at these things too. They should be beauties with brains.” Foraying into films, Meera already has two films in her kitty — Grahanam and 8 Thottakal. She admits that while there are many offers coming her way, she is particular about choosing the right script. “I want to be known as a good actor, and not as eye candy.”
