Celina: Miss India is the key to Bollywood

Three former Miss Indias who represented the country at the prestigious Miss Universe and were placed among the Top 10, then returned home and took up careers in films, are excited about the new tie-up between Bollywood and the Pantaloons Femina Miss India beauty pageant.
Celina Jaitly, Neha Dhupia and Tanushree Dutta, Miss India Universe of 2001, 2002 and 2004 respectively, said the coveted title gave their acting aspirations a super boost.And now with the involvement of big-time filmmakers Madhur Bhandarkar and Vipul Amrutlal Shah, beauty queens from Miss India have even greater and easier access to Bollywood.
“I believe talent alone survives,” said the sexy Neha “but a Miss India has had such fabulous grooming, that she effortlessly stands apart from the rest. She’s camera savvy already.” Neha’s speaking from experience having debuted in Qayamat and done films like Shootout at Lokhandwala Complex, Dus Kahaniyaan and then Vipul’s Singh is Kingg in 2008.
The sultry and green-eyed Celina, who made her debut in Feroz Khan’s Janasheen and acted in films like No Entry, Golmaan Returns and Heyy Babyy, agreed, “I had talent, but the training for Miss India polished it further and gave me a world of opportunities to promote myself in the right manner. Madhur and Vipul are wonderful people and sensible directors. By opening doors to Bollywood, they are providing a new beginning for Miss India winners.”
Whereas Bengali beauty Tanushree, who did Aashiq Banaya Aapne, Bhagam Bhag and Speed among other films, added, “I always aspired to be an actress, and the Miss India title furthered this ambition. The pageant’s training is like studying at a finishing school. It gave me the confidence to make a mark in Bollywood.”
All the three Bollywood beauties wish that Vipul and Madhur were involved with the Miss India beauty pageant during their time. Madhur, a National Award-winning filmmaker and scriptwriter whose films hold up a mirror to society, is known to make the actress the main protagonist of his projects. Among his finest works are Fashion, Corporate, Chandni Bar and Page 3. While Vipul, who’s won praise from critics and audience for his directorial efforts in Aankhen, Waqt and Namastey London, believes in dealing with sensitive issues in an entertaining manner. “Which Miss India would not want to launch their Bollywood careers in their films,” asked Celina, Neha, and Tanushree wistfully.
Check out Celina Jaitly’s homepage
Follow us on Twitter for more stories