Finalists of Renew Hair Colour Cream Sananda Tilottama in the swimwear round earlier this month. Picture by Pabitra Das

Tonight will change the fate of three lucky girls who will don the Tilottama crowns as they take their first real steps into the world of glamour.

From 6 pm, at ITC Sonar Bangla, 20 young women of the city, shortlisted from thousands of applicants, will vie for the Renew Hair Colour Cream Sananda Tilottama crown of 2005.

The annual beauty pageant, the most sought-after crown at the regional level, will see tough competition with the finalists fighting it out through ramp walk and question-answer rounds.

Having been groomed for over two weeks, the contestants are raring to take the stage that has thrown up the likes of Bipasha Basu, Celina Jaitley, Reshmi Ghosh, Nicolette Bird and more..

Public poll

For the first time in the history of the contest, this year there was SMS and Internet polling where one could vote for his or her favourite face among the finalists. With an overwhelming response in both categories, the most popular contestant will be given a special award on the final day, alongside the winners picked by the judges.

Besides voting for the best contestant, one could also send in good-luck wishes and questions that they would want the judges to ask contestants on Friday evening. Two of the best questions will be asked to two contestants during the question-answer rounds. The lucky two senders will be present among the city?s glitterati gracing the five-star banquet.

Music masti

Be prepared to be mesmerised by the magical voice of Kunal Ganjawala as he sings Bheege honth tere ? only this time you?ll hear the Murder man live. Kunal, credited with the biggest hit of 2004, will be part of a team entertaining the high-profile guest list on D-Day. Backing him up would be the sound of the home-bred band Shiva.

Adding to the list of firsts this year, the contest will have a theme track that has been created by city fusion band Class Apart.

Pandit Santanu Bondopadhyay and Neel have also penned and sung Don?t lose your way, which will accompany the catwalk, with fashion shows by the contestants and models from Mumbai adding to the glam impact.

Prizes galore

From weeks before the final contest, the finalists have been participating in sub-contests evaluating their beauty and brains at one go. The result is a range of prizes in over half-a-dozen categories and titles ? all to be given away tonight.