Seventeen talented contestants, nine in the female and eight in the male category, will be competing in The Indian Weekender’s Mr & Ms Auckland Diwali 2022 at Auckland Diwali Festival 2022 on Saturday, October 8 at Aotea Square.
Mr & Ms Auckland Diwali 2022 is an annual talent hunt which is organised by the Indian Weekender in association with Auckland Council. But it is back this year after a gap due to the Covid-19 pandemic.
The event’s semi-final round was hosted at the Indian Weekender office at 133 Onehunga Mall Road in Onehunga on Sunday (September 26).
The event contestants taking part in an introduction, talent round and Q&A session with the judges. The contestants, judged by known Gujarati theatre Rupal Solanki, stylist Daya and make-up artist Agastya, was held at The Indian Weekender studio that marked the contestants on their introduction, ramp-walk and dress-up.
The housefull event witnessed the contestants doing a round of ramp walk and enthralling the audience with their talent.
From mimicry to monolgue and from dance to poem recitation, the contestant surely impressed the judges and audience. They certainly left everyone asking for more.
The contestants gave an astounding performance on semi-final and have already raised the bar for this year’s finale.
“Auckland is rocking and shining, thanks to the Indian Weekender and the Diwali festivities, that is highlighted with the Ms and Mr. Auckland Diwali Pageant. The last Sunday, the 25th of September saw an undying and youthful energy from the participants and it was a great platform for them to step ahead, building confidence and bringing out the best in them, showcasing to the world an amalgamation of beautiful cultures.” Daya told The Indian Weekender.
“Ms & Mr Auckland was one of those events which was quite well organised and had some outstanding contestants. Indian Weekender has done a great job by finding such hidden talent. Congratulations to the team for the great work!,” Agastya said.
“The contestants simply amazed us their mind-blowing talent and confidence. I wish everyone best of luck for the main event.” Rupal Solanki said.
Gaurav Juneja who was the emcee for the event deserves a special mention for his outstanding work.
The event also saw presence of ex-winners of the show such as Manik, Devika and Sourabh who shared their experience and motivated the contestants.
The live singing by Darshan Lange brought a perfect ending to the event. “Audience support and putting smile on faces through my singing is the best part when I perform. I had a wonderful time performing in front of very talented and beautiful people,” said Lange.