Ten days of grooming later, the 10 finalists of Reliance Trends presents Unish Kuri Glam Hunt 2015 faced a three-member judges’ panel comprising actress Tridha, Rukmini Maitra, a model, and fashion designer Sayantan Sarkar for the swimwear round at the Eastern Metropolitan Club (Survey Park) on September 17. The grand finale is on September 23 at Swabhumi. 

Moments of anxiety followed by a rush of elation. That was September 7 in a nutshell for the 10 finalists who beat 90 aspirants at the prelims of Unish Kuri Glam Hunt 2015. Actor Bonny Sengupta (third from left), model Antahsheela Ghosh (fourth from left), actor Neel Bhattacharya (fifth from left) and actress Moushumi Ghosh (third from right) picked the finalists. 

(L-R) Adrika Ghosh, Sushmita Pal, Madhurima Das, Deepsheta Mitra, Chayanika Debnath, Sayan Karmakar, Shibabrata Das, Promit Shome, Indranil Chatterjee and Rupam Das stepped out in La Lingerie bikinis and trunks for the swimwear round. 

Want a cue to go minimal glam? Check out how judges Tridha (left) and Rukmini turned heads with their simple-and-chic day looks. If it was a maxi cinched at the waist with a belt for Tridha, Rukmini dressed up whites with a splash of red. Tridha’s top tip for a bikini-confident body? “Exfoliation. If you’re showing that much skin, it’s not just about your body but about good skin too.” Rukmini’s motto as a model? “You have to worship your body and skin. Eat healthy and do not starve yourself.” 

What’s Sayantan’s definition of a model? “For a designer, a model is basically like a palette. The structure and surface is very important — that is, body and skin. And what holds these two together is confidence,” said the fashion designer. 

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Adrika Ghosh, a BCA student of Heritage Academy, has always been drawn to “modelling, dancing and dressing up”. “I was nervous but as soon as I saw the judges, I felt calmer,” said the 20-year-old.

Though Asutosh College student Sushmita Pal could not make the cut last year, there was no stopping her this year. “Looking back, I feel I wasn’t very confident last year. I believe confidence is the key,” said the 23-year-old who felt like idol Kareena Kapoor in Tashan on Thursday!

For Madhurima Das, the competition is a learning curve. “The grooming classes have done wonders,” said the 20-year-old who would love to be as famous as King Khan and as pretty as Alia Bhatt, her idol.

Deepsheta Mitra, 19, sported a two-piece for the first time and fought off her jitters as soon as she hit the ramp. “When I started walking in front of the judges, everything seemed perfect,” said the English honours student at Bhawanipur Education Society College who loves Shilpa Shetty’s curves and flat abs.

Chayanika Debnath, 20, gave herself a quick pep talk before hitting the ramp and it worked wonders. “My strategy was to keep calm and smile. Later I got feedback that I did well, so I guess it worked,” said the Tripura girl who wants to give 
acting a shot.

Who is Sayan Karmakar’s modelling idol? Milind Soman. “Today I was confident and couldn’t wait to hit the ramp. Glam Hunt is a huge stage and winning it would change everything for me,” said the 20-year-old BCom student of Bhairab Ganguly College.

Shibabrata Das dreams of making it big as an actor. “For me, Glam Hunt is a platform that will lead to bigger and better opportunities,” said the 22-year-old civil engineering student of Heritage Institute of Technology.

Promit Shome described the swimwear round as “fun and hectic”. “Modelling has always been my hobby but after being a part of this competition, I realised just how much I want to be a part of this industry,” said the 20-year-old BCom student of St. Xavier’s College. 

Glamour was the only thing on Indranil Chatterjee’s mind after his first ramp walk in swimwear. The 21-year-old mechanical engineering student would like to explore both modelling and acting, like his favourite Arjun Rampal.

Rupam Das, 20, is “more excited than nervous” about the grand finale. “As a fresher, this is the perfect platform for me to showcase my talent,” said the first-year BPharm student who hopes to be as fit as Hrithik Roshan some day.

Text: Deborima Ganguly
Pictures: Pabitra Das and Rashbehari Das