Unish Kuri Fresh Face 2008 winner Mehtab Mirza (centre) with Anwesha Banerjee, first runner-up (right) and Shilpa Mullick, second runner-up. Picture by Rashbehari Das

The contest: Dabur Gulabari Moisturising Cold Cream and Lotion Unish Kuri Fresh Face 2008.

The screening: A tour of 12 city colleges threw up as many participants.

The chosen 12: Anam, Tannistha, Sreyoshi, Chandrima, Shilpa Biswas, Priyanka, Nafisa (who couldn’t make it for the show), Anwesha, Shilpa Mullick, Parijat, Oindri and Mehtab.

The evening: The GD Birla Sabhagar stage was done up in pink and white. Friends and family had come in early. And they cheered away the whole evening, keeping participants enthused.

The jury: The red VIP chairs in the front row were occupied by some of the city’s best known faces. There was model-turned actress Dipannita Patra in a sexy printed number with a plunging neckline, her floral tattoo making heads turn, and actress Rimjhim Mitra. Cactus frontman Sidhu and designer duo Dev and Nil were the other judges of the evening.

And what exactly was required to make the cut? “We are looking for a nice face,” revealed Dipannita. And for those who did not make it this time (t2 witnessed a lot of tears being shed backstage), there were words of encouragement from the successful model. “For me, everyone is a winner. This is a very good platform and the grooming that they have received will help them a lot,” she added.

Round one: Their first on-stage performance had the contestants grooving to Jaaniye (Dus Kahaniyaan) in shimmery pink strappies and slim-fit denims. A ‘denim-wear’ round followed accompanied by personal A/V introductions. Sandy, the stylist, dressed them in striped shirts tied around the waist and jeans, accessorised with flowers around the neck.

Round two: Casual and colourful was the code-word as the PYTs donned vibrant tunics and leggings and danced to Rock On!!

This was also the first of the two Q&A sessions that tested the participants on their spontaneity and quick-thinking. Designer Nil and singer Sidhu had some of the contestants stumped. Nil asked one of them, “An eye for an eye… terror for what?” Sidhu had a musical query lined up: “Why do you think there are so few women singers in the city bands?”

Backstage buzz: Nervous and tense was the mood after the first couple of rounds. As the contestants waited for the elimination axe to fall, their grooming expert for the last fortnight or so, Madhabilata, shared with t2 her experience of grooming the newbies. “All of them are between the ages of 17 and 21. The grooming period was too short a span to really teach. I have tried to pass on whatever I know about poise, walking and grace and have repeatedly told them to be confident and the importance of holding that smile,” smiled the lissome Tilottama 2006.

Make-up done, Sandy was chilling in the wings. “They are more dedicated than last year’s batch. But they have no idea about hair and make-up,” he said.

The final six: Anwesha, Chandrima, Anam, Shilpa Mullick, Shilpa Biswas and Mehtab Mirza made it. They would sashay down the aisle in embroidered and printed salwar suits for the final showdown. A common poser awaited the six: “Name five things you would like to carry along with you if you are sent to an island.” While mobile phones featured in all the lists, some wanted to carry detective novels and make-up.

The winners: Eighteen-year-old Anwesha Banerjee from Santoshpur was first runner-up, for which she received a Rs 7,000 cheque. The second-runner-up sash went to Shilpa Mullick, who bagged Rs 5,000.

But it was Mehtab Mirza, standing tall at 5’8”, who was crowned Fresh Face 2008. The gal who said she would carry a copy of the Quran with her to her island habitat received a prize of Rs 10,000.

Fun factor: Performances by Unish Kuri Modhur Kantha finalist Bibhobendu and dance performances by Challengers were on the menu. The high point of the evening (besides the beauties that is) was, however, the power-packed performance by Cactus with Sidhu slipping into his printed red kurta and string of beads to get into the mood.