Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest

Indian beauty pageant

The Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest is an annual unisex pageant conducted by the Indian Gladrags magazine. The most appealing male and female models are selected and promoted by the magazine. They first conduct a round of selection from the regions and then post all the elimination rounds for the final contestants. The group undergoes training including physical fitness, grooming, catwalk, diction and speech.

The first Gladrags Manhunt Contest India was held in 1994. Rajat Bedi of Punjab was the first winner. He represented India at Manhunt International 1994 held in Greece and was awarded 4th Runner Up in the finale.

In 2001, Rajeev Singh of Rajasthan became the first Asian and Indian to win the Manhunt International contest. He also won two sub awards at the contest including Sharmoon Best Dressed Gentleman Award and Best in National Costume. After his victory he established himself in the Indian fashion industry as a successful model. India has produced many runners up at the pageant, most notably Dino Morea, Zulfi Syed and John Abraham, all of whom have since established themselves in the Bollywood industry. The contest has also given India some of the finest models ever seen by Indian fashion industry like supermodel Muzamil Ibrahim, actor and model Sidharth Shukla, model Farhad Shahnawaz, actor and model Abhimanyu Jain, 4th runner up Manhunt International 2006 and Arry Dabas, semifinalist in 2012. Other notable winners include Romeo Gates, Ahran Chaudhary and Ravi Awana. In 2005, Sidharth Shukla, runner up of Gladrags Manhunt 2004, represented India at the Best Model Of The World contest held in Turkey and became the first Indian to win the title. Later Shukla became a famous model in India and star in the Indian film industry.

The winner of the Gladrags Manhunt represents India at Manhunt International, but if for any reason the winner is unable to compete then a runner up is sent to the pageant. Year Representative State Ranking Special awards1994Rajat BediPunjab4th Runner Up1995Dino MoreaKarnataka1st Runner Up1997Zulfi SyedKarnataka4th Runner Up1998Balbir MeenaRajasthanUnplaced1999John AbrahamMaharashtra1st Runner Up 2000 Regi VergheseHyderabadUnplaced2001Rajeev SinghRajasthanManhunt International 2001Sharmoon Best Dressed GentlemanBest National Costume2002Nitin SinghMaharashtraTop 152005 Pawan SetpalMaharashtraUnplacedMr. Photogenic 1st Runner Up2006Aryan BaruahTop 15Mister Personality 2nd Runner Up2007Abhimanyu JainRajasthan4th Runner Up2008Romeo GatesLondonTop 15Mister Internet Popularity2010Ahran ChaudharyUttar PradeshTop 16Mister Internet Popularity2011 Shashvath SethMaharashtraUnplaced2012Arry DabasKarnatakaTop 15Mister Photogenic2014Gaurav KumarNew Delhi

The first Mega model contest was held in 1994, and girls all across the country competed for the coveted title. Shweta Menon of Kerala was declared the winner. Lara Dutta later established herself as a leading Bollywood actress.