In a magical night, amongst Bollywood and Hollywood celebrities, Seepaj Dhaliwal was crowned Miss India North America. Spirit Of India’s 22nd annual sold-out pageant had Indian contestants from all over USA and Canada competing for the coveted titles.
The pageant was presented by GillAutoGroup.com and L.A. Tan in association with co-presenters included Wells Fargo, South Asia Magazine, OrgaNick Life and Royal Challenge. Beauty queen Rima Fakih, the first Muslim-American to win Miss USA 2010, was revealed as South Asia Magazine’s cover girl on the red carpet.
Rajan Sra, from Indiana, was declared Mr. India North America 2014 title and Amit Keswani won Mr. India California 2014. Aparajita Panda, from Washington, won Mrs. India North America 2014 and Mili Shah took home the Mrs. India California 2014 title.
Seepaj declared, “I was extremely happy when I won the title that night. I couldn’t believe that my name had been called as Miss India North America.”
Seepaj Dhaliwal, a 24 year old, 5’8” Sikh punjabi beauty born in Los Angeles and now lives in San Diego. Seepaj grbaduated from University of California, San Diego with a Bachelors of Science degree in Biology. Currently she is working at a medical internship in San Diego while applying to Medical schools.
“It was an honor to represent the Indian community on such a grand stage, and to win this title not only for myself but for other young Indian girls. The biggest thing I hope for is to be able to inspire young Indian girls across America to reach for their goals and let nothing stop them. Winning this title was a truly humbling experience and something I will cherish for the rest of my life,” she added.
The newly crowned Miss India North America 2014 Seepaj Dhaliwal, and Mr. India North America 2014 Rajan Sra are hopeful to grab a role in Rahul Rawail’s ‘Love Story Again’, as they got to meet with the legendary Bollywood director.
Bollywood director Rahul Rawail traveled from Mumbai exclusively for Mr. & Miss India North America 2014 pageant, looking for fresh faces for his upcoming film, “Love Story Again.” “We are in search of our two male leads and our second lead actress. I’m enjoying the pageant and see a lot of talent here. i don’t care if the new faces don’t have acting experience, as I am looking for those that fit the mid-twenties characters,” stated Rahul Rawail.
The contestants took the stage for traditional wear, formal wear and talent categories. In traditional, semifinalists were seen in elegant wear from India, and in the American formal wear the ladies wore beautiful evening gowns and the men in tuxedos. The talent round showed very energetic performance highlighting dances, singing, and acting skills.
Among the gorgeous semifinalists, Mehr Bhatti was announced Miss South Asia America 2014. Other title winners were: Veena Gurbani, Miss South Asia USA 2014; Fariba Ghorbani, Miss India California 2014; Shivani Gupta, Miss Teen South Asia 2014; and Trisha Rupani, Miss South Asia California 2014.
The prestigious judging panel included: legendary Bollywood director Rahul Rawail (“Betaab,” “Love Story,” “Bekhudi,” “Anjaam”); Miss USA 2010 Rima Fakih; Bollywood actress Ashwini Bhave turned Hollywood producer (“Henna,” “Parampara”); San Francisco Deputy Consul General K.J. Srinivasa; and top costume designer and fashion stylist G.K. Reid (GK’s high clientele include Rihanna, David Bowie, Lady Gaga, Janet Jackson, Jennifer Lopez, etc.)
Host of the pageant and music video director Indrani Pal-Chaudhari mentioned, “I am here to support the young artists coming out. I think some of these talented people in Mr. & Miss India North America will become actors and actresses. I advise them give their 1,000 percent to every project and believe in their own talent, no matter what anyone else may say.”Indrani’s latest music video is Mariah Carey’s ‘You’re Mine’. Indrani has worked with Beyonce, Jay Z, Britney Spears, Kanye West, David Bowie, etc.