“I Am She is an institution that reflects and personifies the grace, charm and elegance of an Indian woman. It has been acknowledged internationally as one of the best conceived pageants,” she says of the pageant that will be held in July for the second year running.
Talking about the response the contest has attracted, the former Miss Universe said she was ecstatic about the numbers. “I am overjoyed by the response. The best part is that this time the girls can speak in any language they are comfortable in, Hindi, Tamil, Telugu,” said the dazzling Sen.
As a result of dismantling the language barrier, she says, almost 1,800 women have applied to take part in the contest, many of them from really small towns, “which is a great sign. You will see the raw Indian beauty now.”
Is the aim of all these prospective contestants to ultimately land up with a plum role in Bollywood, an industry she herself has quit?
Sushmita disagrees; the pageant has gone beyond Bollywood, she says. “You wouldn’t believe it but we have got a contestant who is a lawyer, another who is a practising doctor, we have got contestants from various fields. And so, no, they are not craving for a career in the film industry. Instead, their aim is to win the scholarship.”
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