Entertainment
Ramdaspeths panipuri and Rajesh farsan’s samosa are the best foods I’ve ever tasted: Manasi Moghe

Indores ?girl next door? Manasi Moghe, who went on to become Miss Diva (2013), was one of the top 10 finalists in Miss Universe 2013 in Moscow, Russia. Manasi, who pursued her engineering from St. Vincent Pallotti College of Engineering and Technology, Nagpur, remembers her college days fondly. In a conversation with Nation Next, Manasi Moghe speaks about her familys support and her transition from a techie to a beauty pageant winner!
Your parents are doctors. Unlike any doctor’s kid, you didn’t choose medicine as your career; rather you went on to pursue engineering. Why?
When I was in my 11th grade, instead of taking up biology as a subject, I took up Maths as I didn’t want to restrict myself to MBBS only. With Maths as the subject, I ended up doing engineering. I even had a plan to pursue MBA or something similar post graduation.
Despite a rigorous and intensive engineering course, how did you end up becoming Miss Diva in 2013? Please tell us about your journey.
It might sound a bit clichéd but this was my childhood dream! Coming from Indore, unlike a metro city girl, I wasn’t aware of any beauty pageant auditions. To my luck, the organisers of Femina Miss India, on their 50th year, conducted auditions in each and every city. I had just appeared for my engineering exams (from St. Vincent Pallotti College of Engineering and Technology, Nagpur) the day the auditions were being held in Nagpur. To my surprise, I got selected in the auditions. After getting selected, I became more health conscious and started working out in the gym. Also, I’m a foodie, so changing my food habits was quite a task.
You were pretty young when you were crowned Miss Diva. From a girl next door, you became a celeb over night. How did you handle stardom at such a tender age?
Nothing was pre-planned. Everything seemed to be happening in a jiffy to me. I love where I am right now because this is what I had always aspired to become ever since I was a child, but stardom never got to my head. I firmly believe that there is so much more for me to do in the industry. It’s a long journey.
Coming from a typical Maharashtrian conservative family, did you or your family have any apprehensions about you making your career in the modeling world
Not at all! I’m fortunate that my parents have always supported all my choices. I believe mental support, especially from parents, plays a major role in a childs life. Modeling was something that nobody in my family had ever tried a hand at. So, I had no clue of how things function in this industry.
How was the time that you spent in Nagpur? What kind of connect do you have with the Orange city?
While pursuing my engineering, I stayed in the campus hostel as my parents thought it was the best option for me to live in. Nagpur will always be close to my heart as it’s the city from where my career began. During my time in Nagpur, we discovered some good eateries where we would often visit. Ramdaspeths panipuri and Rajesh farsan’s samosa in Nagpur (in Deo Nagar) are the best foods I’ve ever tasted in my life!
You made your cinematic debut in a Marathi film Bugadi Maazi Sandli Ga in 2014. Do you have any plans of entering Bollywood
I’d love to work in Bollywood. I’ve been offered quite many scripts of late but I won’t go ahead with them unless I’m fully confident about the story line. Also, along with a good script, I believe a good director has the capacity to turn things around for the film. I can’t choose one particular director, because all are so good. Still, I’d love to work with Imtiaz Ali, Sanjay Leela Bhansali, Ashutosh Gowariker, Vishal Bhardwaj, etc. Salman Khan is my all time favourite actor. I envy Deepika Padukone and Priyanka Chopra because of their hard work and determination. They’ve strived to become global stars and if given an opportunity, I would love to work with them someday.
Bollywood
Ram Kamal Mukherjee named ‘Best Director’ for his short film ‘Ek Duaa’ at IWMBuzz Digital Awards

Ram Kamal Mukherjee (R) whikle receiving the ‘Best Director’ trophy at IWMBuzz Digital Awards ceremony in Mumbai
Filmmaker Ram Kamal Mukherjee won the ‘Best Director’ award for his short film ‘Ek Duaa’ at the recently held IWMBuzz Digital Awards ceremony at Taj Lands End in Mumbai. The film is produced by Esha Deol Takhtani and Assorted Motion Pictures. Apart from winning the award, it was a special occasion for Mukherjee as two other films he directed also got recognized.
Esha won the ‘Best Actress’ award in the popular categories for her critically acclaimed performance in ‘Ek Duaa.’ After accepting the award, Esha said: “This film is extremely special for me, because I turned producer with this film and I would like to give entire credit to captain of the ship Ram Kamal Mukherjee for bringing such a wonderful subject to me.”
Avinash Dwivedi won the ‘Most Promising Debut’ award for his acclaimed performance in ‘Rickshawala,’ a film directed by Mukherjee. Avinash, who was accompanied by his wife and actor Sambhavna Seth, said: “This is beyond my expectation that today I am getting this recognition as an actor amidst all Bollywood celebrities for my role in Ram Kamal sir’s film Rickshawala. To get honoured for a regional cinema amidst such Bollywood biggie reinforced my faith in good content.”
Gurmeet Choudhary won the ‘Most Popular Actor’ award for his performance in Mukherjee’s film ‘Shubho Bijoya.’ Choudhary said: “Ram Kamal is an amazing story teller. When he narrated this story to me and Debina, we knew that this film will click instantly. I am honoured to receive this award, though the competition was really tough. I thank my fans and jury members who voted for me.”
Other winners at the award ceremony included Kartik Aaryan, Kiara Advani, Rakul Preet, Raveena Tandon, Huma Qureshi, Dino Morea, Sikander Kher, Sonu Sood, Anurag Kashyap, Guneet Monga, Manish Paul and other popular names from the Hindi film industry.
Bollywood
JUST MARRIED! Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt tie the knot | Check pictures
The much awaited Ranbir Kapoor-Alia Bhatt wedding fans had been eagerly waiting for finally got solemnised today afternoon in the presence of close friends and family members at Ranbir’s residence ‘Vastu’ in Mumbai. Check out some pictures of the same…
Alia took to her social media to write, “Today, surrounded by our family and friends, at home … in our favourite spot – the balcony we’ve spent the last 5 years of our relationship – we got married.

Ranbir Kapoor and Alia Bhatt




Bollywood
The Kashmir Files should be declared tax-free in Maharashtra, says BJP spokesperson Rajeev Panday
BJP spokesperson for Maharashtra Rajeev Panday, while speaking to Nation Next, said the controversial movie ‘The Kashmir Files,’ which grossed over ₹240 crore in India, should be made tax-free in the state.
Panday told Nation Next, “The movie has managed to depict, if not all, the brutalities on Kashmiri Pandits. It is a bold representation of truth. Kashmiri Pandit community was forced to leave their own homes in the country. Imagine their plight! Maharashtra government should make it tax-free in their state like the BJP did.”
The movie, which is based on the exodus of Kashmiri Pandits from the Valley in the 1990s, has been made tax-free in at least BJP-run eight states namely Haryana, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka, Goa, Tripura and Uttar Pradesh. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had also received requests asking him to exempt the film from entertainment tax in the state.

Rajeev Panday
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