Media Release
Los Angeles, Sep 1: The star studded VIP fashion, beauty and entertainment gala extravaganza saw the crowning of Mr and Miss India America and the honoring of those that have excelled in entertainment during The Elite Awards.
The 26th annual winners were announced at Mr and Miss India America 2018 during a star-studded red carpet gala in Los Angeles on August 25. The event was presented by JUS Hindi TV, South Asia Magazine, Wells Fargo and JINmodels.com. The show will air later on JUS Hindi TV, for more details on airtime, email info@SouthAsiaInc.com. This year marked the 26th anniversary for the beauty pageant. Founded in 1992, by Jinnder Chohaan, the pageant has grown to become an international phenomenon. American-born Indian Jinnder Chohaan was the first to create and produce a Mr India pageant in the world - five years before India did.
The Prince of Abu Dhabi joined an amazing group of prominent personalities from all over the world walking down the red carpet, inlcuding royalty from UAE Zulfiquar Ghadiyali, KFC heiress Kaila Methven (fashion designer of Madame Methven), Paul Sorvino (Goodfellas), actress Tara Reid (American Pie), founder of E Entertainment Larry Namer, hotelier and executive producer Vikram Chatwal, actress Camila Banus (Days of our Lives), supermodel Anastasia Makerenko, producer Larry Kasanoff (Mortal Kombat), actress/model Eugenia Kuzmina (Bad Moms), actress Melinda Shankar (Degrassi: Next Generation), actress Naomi Grossman (American Horror Story), director Indrani Pal-Chaudhari, media influencer Rachel McCord, fashion designer G K Reid, American Idol’s singer Sonika Vaid, model Gabriela Dias, actress Dustin Quick, music producer Medi EM, Playboy model Khloe Terae, NFL player Bret Lockett, Alex Rose Wiesel (Hotel Du Loone), model Krystle Lina, Ravi Patel (Master of None), Pilar Holland (Grey’s Anatomy), world renowned record producer Paul Oakenfold, supermodel Nataljia Ugrani, actress Porscha Coleman and many others.
Creator and producer Jinnder Chohaan expressed, “Over the decades, our annual event has successfully turned into a huge Hollywood gala where actors, producers, musicians and models get together and enrich our glam night.” The guests were treated to a delicious dinner by Tandoori Garden of Anaheim, followed by the show which displayed three segments: Indian wear, talent and formal wear. The audience was treated to a fabulous performance by American Idol’s Sonika Vaid before the winners were announced.
After the dazzling fanfare, Seerat Chopra was crowned Miss India America by E! Entertainment founder Larry NaMER. Seerat, 17, gushed after winning, “Thank you Jinnder so much for this amazing platform. I am still so overwhelmed by my win.” Mr India America 2018 was grabbed by Vimal Moorti, “I am thankful for being given the opportunity to participate in this event. I had an amazing time.”
The other pageant winners included: Sugouri Batra – Miss India Globe 2018, Shank Ramesh – Mr India Globe 2018, Vinita Khilani – Miss India North America 2018, Amandeep Singh – Mr India North America 2018, Sonia Grover – Ms India America 2018, Shivangi Pande – Mrs India North America 2018 and Manshi Nawab - Mrs India California 2018.
Judges for Mr and Miss India America 2018 included: KFC heiress Kaila Methven, Catarina Mendoza (Where’s Catarina), actress Dustin Quick, musician Medi EM, celebrity stylist G K Reid, director Indrani Pal - Chaudhuri, Jezlan Moyet (Good Morning LaLaLand), actress Josie Goldberg, celebrity makeup entrepreneur Shalini Vadhera and TV hosts Tony Potts.
JINmodels.com Photogenic 2018 awards went to: Miss Photogenic - Nidhi Mastey, Mr Photogenic – Nitish Singh and Ms Photogenic – Sonia Grover. The People’s Choice awards were given to Miss Harleen Riar, Shank Ramesh and Shivangi Pande.
The gala supports JAGRITI, a non-profit organization that deals with domestic violence victims and issues in the South Asian community in the US, providing strong support to unite the voice of celebrities from Hollywood and Bollywood and to raise awareness toward combating domestic violence.
During The Elite Awards, Paul Sorvino was honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award. The legendary actor attended the event with his wife Dee Dee and was presented the award by E! founder Larry Namer and actress/model Claudia Graf. He gave a heartfelt acceptance speech about the cultural connection between India and America, his personal experience with domestic violence that his mother experienced and described himself as a 'feminist'. Also known for his opera talents, Sorvino capped off his speech with a few lines from the aria Nessun Dorma, delighting the audience who cheered on and yelled “Encore!” Producer Jinnder Chohaan mentioned, “We were excited to honor legendary Hollywood actor Paul Sorvino with the Lifetime Achievement Award. Past recipients at The Elite Awards have included: Garry Marshall, Steven Seagal, Randall Emmett, Anurag Kashyap, Kunal Kohli, Shekhar Kapur, Subhash Ghai and many others from Hollywood and Bollywood.”
Actress Porscha Coleman and TV host Tony Potts presented the International Media Legacy Award to Daphna Edwards Ziman, president, Cinemoi USA, who also gave an impassioned speech about this issue of domestic abuse and human trafficking.
Fashion stylist G K Reid, with supermodel Nataljia Ugrina and actress Dustin Quik, presented KFC heiress Kaila Methven, CEO/founder of Madame Methven with the Global Designer of the Year award.
Sponsors include Dr J’s Natural, My Power of One, VeeTee Rice, Beauty Kitchen, Craig Shelly Beverly Hills, Femargent, Bodvár – House of Rosés and others. The evening ended with a fantastic celebration dance party led by DJ Baljit Sandhu of Dhamaka Entertainment.
South Asia Inc is a prestigious production company in Bollywood and Hollywood with over 26 years in the entertainment industry. The organization has simple goals: to provide young South Asians an opportunity to display and enhance their talent, while heightening their self-esteem and mainly to enhance the image of the South Asian community all over the world. For more info log on to: www.SouthAsiaInc.com.