LADIES, don’t hate Simran Kaur Mundi because she’s drop-dead gorgeous. Don’t even hate her because she’s the 2008 Miss India Universe.

You can save that emotional outburst for this: This beauty queen was told to gain weight for the Miss Universe contest!

After she won the Miss India crown last year, Simran was told by her pageant minders that she had to add 4kg to her whippet-thin frame – all part of the beauty bootcamp that the 24-year-old former marketing manager of a Mumbai multiplex had to undergo before the Miss Universe pageant.

Speaking to tabla! during her recent show for local fashion designer Rashmi Gogna featuring the festive season collection as part of the Pure Earth line, Simran talked about her preparations for the Miss Universe pageant, which she did not win even though she was considered one of the favourites.

She finished first runner-up in the beach beauty competition, second runner- up in the evening gown contest and fourth in the national costumes round at the pageant which was held in Vietnam.

The crown went to Miss Venezuela Dayana Mendoza.

“Each girl has a tailor-made training session for her. Some get told to lose weight, others like me have to gain weight because it looks better if we have curves.

“There is a lot of effort behind the Miss India contests as we are representing the country,” she revealed.

The Miss Indias have to go through rigorous exercise classes that involve calisthenics, weight training and cardio workouts as well as yoga and meditation sessions.

This combines with a strict diet plan and classes on etiquette, grooming and speech.

Some reportedly even get a nip and tuck to turn out the perfect package.

That said, Simran rejected the suggestion that the Miss India contests are mere beauty factories, churning out young women in the same mould for global competitions.

“It’s hardly like that at all. I was treated like a princess when I won,” she said.

Despite the reported hundreds of thousands of rupees spent on the beauty queens, the pageant factory however has not had an international win since the likes of Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita Sen, Yukta Mookhey, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta dominated the stage in the 1990s and early 2000s.

Simran could not give a reason for the Miss Indias’ recent lack of success, saying that it was based on the judges’ preferences.

But she did let on that being a beauty queen has its benefits, even though she didn’t win the Miss Universe contest.

The self-confessed former tomboy with a penchant for white T-shirts, blue jeans and sneakers has given up her marketing job and is now a full-time model.

She has worked the ramp at three India Fashion Weeks and several other international shows around Asia. The Pure Earth show was her first Singapore gig and she hopes to come back to the city for more work since she loves the shopping.

She even thinks Changi airport is a great place to shop.

“I could stay weeks in the airport. Singapore airport is the best for everything, shopping and chilling,” she said.

Of course, like most Indian beauty queens, Bollywood has come knocking on her door but Simran has not said yes to any of the scripts that have come her way.

“I want to make sure that when I make my debut, it will be in a movie that I would like to watch as well and not just any masala film,” she said.

sheela@ sph.com.sg