INTERVIEW WITH SAYALI BHAGAT - II

Who : Sayali Bhagat
About : Actress, Miss India World 2004
Website: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sayali_Bhagat

How it happened : Interview with Sayali Bhagat
Interview Date: June, 2004
Place: Indian School, Bahrain
Pics: Interview Pics


Nikhil Taneja (NT) : You started dreaming about Miss India pretty early isn’t it ? You have said somewhere that you aspired for the crown as early as in VIIth standard !
Sayali Bhagat (SB) : (Chuckles) Oh yes, it’s true. In every picture that I saw of a Miss India, they were smiling. If somebody is smiling, you tend to believe they are so happy. So I felt that the Miss Indias were the happiest people on earth. So I always wanted to be a Miss India, ever since the VIIth grade. Later, life took a different course. I joined college and started studying in a Business School but finally my dream had to come back to me.

NT: So how different are your goals now, after your becoming Miss India World than those which you had written in your class essay way back then ?
SB : (Smiles) Oh yes, of course. The goals are pretty much similar, but now they are at a higher scale. That day, I probably wanted to win the Miss India competition for myself but after winning Miss India, I realized after visiting so many cities and villages that I am truly a representative of the 100 crore plus population. So I shoulder those responsibilities and I am completely responsible for what happens in the country, whether directly or indirectly.

NT:Were your parents supportive of your bid to enter the competition ?
SB : Yes they were, very much. My parents were very, very supportive. They have supported every dream of mine. In fact, some people tend to ask me whether my parents minded me entering Miss India like most the other parents, but in my case, it was not that. If my parents were worried about something, it was not about entering Miss India, they were worried that if I did lose it, if the childhood dream of mine didn’t come true, how will I take it. My parents are very sweet parents !

NT:From the time you entered the competition to the time you won yourself the crown, did your confidence fluctuate on seeing the other beauty and brain combinations around ?
SB : Initially, it was all a high, or probably just the zest of entering Miss India. Because this year there were about 4 lakh contender entries for the Miss India, out of which 6000 girls got the chance for the verification round, 5000 among those got a chance for the personal interview. After that, came the top 30, the top 10, the top and then the top 3. Coming in the top 30 and getting an exclusive training was in itself like winning Miss India.

At that point of time, my ambition was to do well at the training, because I had already made it to Miss India then, and then of course, by God’s grace, I made it. So there was no reason for confidence fluctuating. It was always more enthusiasm then than anything else.

NT :When you did win yourself the crown, what was the prominent feeling inside you – the bliss on winning the crown or the disappointment on not being Miss India Universe ?
SB : (Giggles) The fact is that for the past four years, we have had three titles – Miss India Universe, Miss India World and Miss India Earth. The title holders are randomly chosen and not according to their scores. I wasn’t the first runners up or second runners up as such. The title given to me was Miss India World. There are three different organizations, which work for three different causes. So whomsoever’s personality suits the certain cause joins that title and it is not in order or 1,2,3.

NT :Do you think Laxmi Pandit’s ouster from the competition exposed some unnecessarily harsh truths about the regulations of the competition?
SB : Not really, because the Laxmi Pandit issue controversy has been sorted out with an established fact that she was unmarried. Also, she did that for renting an apartment. Mumbai, as we know, is the best place for the newcomers to try their luck. So we almost have 3000 to 6000 people coming to Mumbai everyday, migrating from their various regions, for employment purposes.

And in such circumstances, for a landlord or a landlady to trust their tenants is quite difficult. Therefore she had to say she was married, in order for the landlady to trust her. But she felt that this would ever come in her being Miss India, because, like I told you, there were 4 lakh contestants, out of which if she comes in the top three, she is definitely an extraordinary girl and we can’t take away the credit for her because of what she did for her residence. And yes, the organization has been strict but has taken care of everything and there has been no mistakes by them.

NT: But what about the pressure she was under which ultimately drove her into surrendering the crown ?
SB : Yes, actually it is definitely sad that her family and her herself had to go through a hard time and that was the reason which made her decide to surrender the crown. But what has happened, has happened. We should now move on and leave the controversy behind.

NT :You have made it very clear that you would like to get into Bollywood and it seems you are already getting film offers by the plenty. Are you considering any at the moment ?
SB: I can’t talk about it much as of now, but you will definitely be seeing me on the big screen very soon.

NT :You are even said to believe that models make better actors than the other starry eyed aspirants ?
SB : I do think that modeling is acting, though on a smaller scale. Because as models, what we do on the ramp or in ad commercials is modeling. So if we are supposed to get into mainstream acting or become a full time actor, it is what we do at a larger scale. So definitely, models are capable of becoming very good actors.

NT :You have even shot an exotic Arabic music video in Egypt. Can you tell us more about it?
SB : Oh yes. I have just shot in an Egyptian – Arabic music video with singer Hisham Abbas of Nari, Nari fame. I am really looking forward to seeing it on screen because it was a beautiful experience of shooting the video. We shot it at the exclusive locations of the pyramids. So, I am very happy and very hopeful that this music video does very well (Grins).

NT :Tell us about the documentary you worked in based on your role model, Baba Amte ?
SB : Yes, of course. The documentary that I have done with Dr. Baba Amte is based on the tribal life of a small village at the borders of Maharashtra, Chattigarh and Andhra Pradesh. Out there, because of the Naxalite role and because of the poverty, the tribals do not get various amenities like electricity and medical help. Also, there are some exclusive animal species present there. Like there is this species of deer, called the mouse deer, which is as small as a mouse. And if we do not conserve that species, we will have a risk of it getting extinct. So this is been a small effort from my side to recognize this area, give it its importance and raise funds for it.

NT :Though you already hold for yourself a MBA degree, do you regret on not being able to study a little further ?
SB : (Laughs) Actually I am yet to complete my management degree – only one semester to go. Yes(laughs again), look at my luck. But I am very hopeful of taking up my studies and my management career in the near future. Whether I do movies or I get into modeling or Bollywood, at the end of the day I will get back to my corporate career because education is my backbone.

NT :Apart from studying intensively about the Indian culture in general, how different is your preparation for the Miss World Pageant than the Miss India one ?
SB : I also wish to study about the other countries who shall be participating this year because for me to strike up an intelligent conversation with the other girls is very important and for that reason, I should be studying about the different countries. And this year, I believe, like last year, I shall be having another 130 contestants for the Miss World Pageant. So learning about 130 countries is tough ! (laughs)

NT: Lastly, what message would you give to Miss India aspirants ?
SB : As a young girl, I always wanted to become Miss India, so in my case, I have found out that if you dream big and work hard, your dreams and wishes do come true. So always follow your dreams and if you wish strongly enough, God hears it and that’s the only message I would like to give.

© Nikhil Taneja (nikhiltaneja@gmail.com)