Model and actress Dune Kossatz, 35, of East London was named Miss Bollywood IPL South Africa at a glittering event at the Montecasino entertainment complex in Johannesburg early on Sunday morning.Kossatz, who had garnered the most Internet votes of 48 finalists selected from each of the IPL games held at various South African venues, was ecstatic at the opportunity to do screen tests for a movie with Shah Rukh Khan as part of her prize package.
DUNE KOSSATZ
This on-off component of the prize was finally revealed at the event after it was announced at the start of the series, and then changed midway through the contest to "a guided tour through Bollywood", because organisers said guaranteeing a role with Shah Rukh Khan would be difficult.
Johannesburg Business Marketing graduate Genna Cloud, 24, who got the second greatest number of votes, was also named First Princess by the panel of judges and Dunay Nortje was crowned Second Princess.
Confessing that she had not seen any Bollywood movies yet, Kossatz said she was going to start doing so immediately. She also promised to start learning Hindi.
Commenting on the fact that all three winners were white South Africans who beat several Indian contestants, Kossatz said it showed the true nature of the rainbow nation that the country was: "I think it's great! I think we should all stick together and love another and be respectful and tolerant of each other and their cultures."
Kossatz received a specially made crown from Gitanjali Jewellers containing gold, silver, diamonds and other precious stones from former Miss Universe Michelle McLean of South Africa.
Earlier, Mclean got out of her seat in the small overhead booth to dance to the music of Caribbean music legend Eddy Grant. She even got IPL supremo Lalit Modi to join in. They were two of the judges on the one side of the theatre, while opposite them; Shilpa Shetty joined a more staid group.
GENNA.................................................................................................................................................CARLA
They are both 24, South African, with dark tresses and an ability to catch the eye in a crowd. They are also KKR’s only hope for winning anything in IPL Season II.
Genna Cloud and Carla Dennis are vying to win the Indian Premier League’s Miss Bollywood contest for the Kolkata Knight Riders.
They are two among 15 girls chosen through SMS voting from 48 who were picked from the crowds at the eight match venues.
All IPL teams don’t have equal representation. There are five girls from Vijay Mallya’s Royal Challengers Bangalore and just one each for Kings XI Punjab and Chennai Super Kings.
So, two of the six girls from the KKR gallery making it to the final list is an achievement, given the squad’s unimpressive show on the field. The boys, by the way, have returned home.
Genna, a marketing graduate from Johannesburg, got the second highest number of SMS votes, behind Chennai’s Dune Kossatz. She is one of the favourites to win the title.
Genna said she was banking on the judges’ sympathy. “Hopefully everyone will support me and give me their sympathy vote with the Knight Riders eliminated so early in the tournament,” said the aspiring singer at the Montecasino Theatre in Johannesburg this afternoon. The girls were rehearsing for the final round that will be held at the same place tomorrow night.
But the sympathy vote may prove hard to come by, for there is no SMS polling in the final.
Miss Bollywood will be chosen by a panel of judges that will have actresses Shilpa Shetty and Katrina Kaif, former Miss Universe Michelle Mclean and former Miss South Africa Jo-Ann Strauss.
The girls will walk the ramp in designer Tarun Tahiliani’s outfits.
Both Shah Rukh Khan and Preity Zinta have been spoilsports and have excused themselves from the event.
Shah Rukh, of course, is still a big attraction for the girls. Most of the 15 believe that the winner’s sash will not only make them richer by 50,000 rands, with a free trip to Mumbai thrown in, but will give them a chance to audition for an SRK film.
“Oh, I want to learn cooking from him,” gushed Gabriella Demetriades, who represents the Deccan Chargers. She’s a model and a contest favourite too.
But Aparna Behl, who was flown from Delhi to choreograph the girls for the final, said a model was not what the judges were looking for. “In a competition like this one, you want a face which is familiar, which you can relate to, which can make you happy, which can make you cry, versatile as well as sexy… someone like a Katrina Kaif. It is also, of course, about talent,” she said.
The girls are polishing whatever skills they have.
Like Genna, Carla, who studies law but wants to be an actress, has watched Om Shanti Om four times. “Oh, Shah Rukh Khan is so fantastic!” she said. “I hope I can do a film opposite him if I win. (As I am) representing Kolkata Knight Riders, I am sure he will treat me extra special.”
But that will happen only if they don’t choke like the boys in black and gold did on the greens.