LOS ANGELES, CA: The star studded beauty and entertainment gala extravaganza saw the crowning of Priya Patel from Alabama & Saavan Patel of California as Mr & Miss India America 2015 held at the Renaissance hotel in Los Angeles, CA on August 8. This year marked the 23rd anniversary of the international phenomenon, Miss India America beauty pageant, presented by South Asia Magazine, Mera TV, JINmodels.com, Bodvar of Sweden.
Created by Jinnder Chohaan who is known to have been the first to create a Mr India pageant in the world (five years before India).
The evening began with an amazing group of prominent personalities from all over the world walking down the red carpet, these included: actress Annett Mahendru (The Americans), actor Tyler Olson (The Prince, Vice, Jarhead), Supermodel Katie Cleary (cover girl for South Asia Magazine), Hollywood producer Sunil Perkash (Salt, The Enchanted), actor Ken Davitian (Borat), Bravo TV’s Asifa Mirza (Shahs of Sunset), actor Ravi Patel (Grandfathered), model & TV host Jessa Hinton, model/actor Sam Asghari, Screenwriter Bill Kelly (Premonition), actor Asif Ali (Mr Robinson) Australian singer Katja, actress Nishi Munshi (CW’s The Originals), actress Wedil David (Valentine’s Day), and many others.
The event was also graced with all the former winners. Miss India America 2014, punjabi singer and college student from Arizona, Maya Sarihan expressed her happiness about passing down her crown. “Miss India America introduced me to the world of glamour, and as my reign comes to an end, it’s bittersweet. A wonderful year is over, yet I’m so excited to be able to share this gift with another young lady tonight, this is just the beginning.”
That lucky young lady was Alabama native Priya Patel. Priya, a medical student at St George’s Medical School in the Carribean, is a beautiful young lady who danced her way into the hearts of all the judges and audience members. Confident, striking, and elegant, when Priya was asked how she felt as the new Miss India America 2015 she exclaimed “I’m in shock and so excited!!”
With many of the pageant’s past winners making it in Hollywood, its no surprise that Priya was thrilled. Melanie Kannokada, former Miss India America, can be seen on HBO’s ‘The Brink’ with Jack Black and Tim Robbins, and soon on CBS new TV Series ‘Code Black’ in September. Nishi Munshi, former Miss India California, can be seen on CW’s ‘The Originals’, and Hasan Minaj, former Mr India California, is seen as a regular on ‘The Daily Show’ with Jon Stewart.
Ravishing Anisha
Winning the Miss South Asia 2015 title was none other than the ravishing Anisha Kurukulasuriya. This beauty not only is already an accomplished dancer in the Bollywood Dance Circuit, but also has worked with Youtube sensation SuperWoman during her most recent world tour and is a neuroscience major at USC. When asked what was the first thing she was going to do as Miss South Asia 2015 she exclaimed “Hug my mom!!”
In the Mr India American 2015 portion, we saw accomplished Bharat Natyam dancer Saavan Patel take first with Mr India America 2015 and the very handsome Joseph Berg grab the Mr South Asia 2015.
The other Miss India title winners that night were: Heart Hayes (Miss India Globe 2015), Mayuri Bhandari of Nevada (Miss India Global 2015), Gurleen Kaur (Miss India Galaxy 2015), Jasmine Mann (Miss India North America 2015), and Neeru Sehgal (Miss India California 2015), Tamana Khan (Miss South Asia USA 2015), and Parul Berry (Beauty of India 2015).
For the Mr India winners: Rohit Agarwal of Minnesota (Mr India Globe 2015), Prem Rahman of Georgia (Mr India Global 2015), Saksham Ghai (Mr India Galaxy 2015), Dilip Reddy of Pennsylvania (Mr India North America 2015), and Paul Perumal (Mr India California 2015).
Along with the pageant, The Elite Awards were held that honored those that have excelled in the entertainment industry and have inspired others. The Elite Awards 2015 honored today’s top Hollywood producers: Randall Emmett (Lone Survivor, 2 Guns, Escape Plan, Rambo) and Adi Shankar (Broken City, Killing Them Softly, The Grey).
When asked how they felt about the evening, Randall expressed that it was truly, “Magical”, while Adi Shankar stated, “I’m having a great time”.
Randall Emmett’s blockbuster hits included: Lone Survivor w/ Mark Wahlberg, 2 Guns w/ Denzel Washingon, Empire State w/ Liam Hemsworth, Escape Plan w/ Sylvester Stallone, 16 Blocks w/ Bruce Willis, and Rambo w/ Sylvester Stallone. Adi Shankar’s blockbusters include: Killing Them Softly w/ Brad Pit, Broken City w/ Russell, and The Grey w/ Liam Neeson.
While all the contestants and guests made the event spectacular, it was truly made possible by event sponsors: Robert Mondavi winery, PrintLife, Belvedere Vodka, People Water, Brain Toniq, Domaine Chandon, Patron, Scala, Top Priority Media, and Cloud 21.
The show will be aired on Star Plus TV. Email info@SouthAsiaInc.com to get details on the show’s airing date and time.
Judges for the pageant were: actress Annett Mahendru (The Americans on FX & The Following on Fox), Supermodel Katie Cleary (cover girl for South Asia Magazine issue revealed that night), actor Ken Davitian (Borat), Bravo TV’s Asifa Mirza (Shahs of Sunset), actor Ravi Patel (Grandfathered), model & TV host Jessa Hinton, model/actor Sam Asghari, actor Asif Ali (Mr. Robinson) actress Wedil David (Valentine’s Day), Sony Pictures VP David Ducar.
South Asia Inc. is a prestigious production company in Bollywood and Hollywood with over 23 years in the entertainment industry. The organization has simple goals: to provide young South Asians an opportunity to display and enhance their talent, to heighten their self-esteem, and to enhance the image of the South Asian community all over the world.
India Post News Service
Thank You For Your Vote!
Sorry You have Already Voted!
