Mohar Basu (MID-DAY; October 4, 2017)

Sangeeta Bijlani, who was among the first to take the leap from modelling to acting following her crowning as Miss India 1980, is set to give mothers a “shot at their dreams” with a beauty pageant in Dubai. Bijlani will curate and judge the event, which will specifically cater to women who have turned mothers in the last five years.

Reminiscing her days as winner of the coveted title, an experience that she says she will “cherish forever”, Bijlani tells mid-day, “Telling a woman that she isn’t eligible for a beauty pageant, only because she has given birth, is not a nice thing to do. A woman is beautiful at every age, and at all stages of her life. The society needs to offer more platforms to married women [to showcase their talent]. This event will give them a second shot at a dream that they thought would never see the light of the day.”

Sources suggest that the show will kickstart by the end of the year and will enjoy a two-month-long run on a video-streaming platform. The daily will showcase the journey of the participants — from their auditions, the grooming process and execution of fitness- related tasks — to the final bestowing of the title.