Gladrags' obsession with light-skinned light-eyed beauties goes far back. Its most famous model and successful print edition featured Indo-Canadian export Lisa Ray. Young Aishwarya Rai was also featured on Gladrags covers early on - and they weirdly took credit for her launch when she had already appeared in ads and other magazine covers...
Gladrags evaporated from newsstands when Maureen Wadia abandoned her once pet-project.
Gladrags was an editorial mess... it didn't know what it wanted to be; feature prominent Western stars and gossip or feature more Indian features and interviews. It could have become and stayed till date as a great launch pad for female and male models as it was often a steppingstone for several people who became stars, both big and small.
A quick, semi deep-dive; Gladrags was a Mumbai-based fashion and lifestyle magazine (also functioning as a men's magazine with swimsuit features) published by the Wadia Group. Founded and edited by Maureen Wadia (wife of industrialist Nusli Wadia), the magazine was launched in the early 1990s (around 1989–1991) primarily to support promotional efforts for Bombay Dyeing. In January 2019, the official Instagram account celebrated "30 years of Gladrags," ipso facto pointing to a launch around 1989!
At its peak, it was a platform for fashion, modeling, and glamour content, and became well-known for its associated beauty pageants as the magazine organized the annual Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest (starting in 1994), which served as a major launchpad for many Indian models who later became Bollywood actors, supermodels, and celebrities. It included regional selections, grooming/training, and swimsuit rounds, with winners often featured on the magazine cover and gaining visibility for modeling or film careers.
Notable stars whose careers were launched or significantly boosted through Gladrags contests (winners or prominent participants):John Abraham — Winner of Gladrags Manhunt 1999; went on to a successful Bollywood career.
Dino Morea — Manhunt winner 1995; Bollywood actor and model.
Aditi Gowitrikar — Megamodel winner 1996; actress and model.
Zulfi Syed — Manhunt winner (1996–97); model/actor.
Muzamil Ibrahim — Manhunt winner 2003; model who walked hundreds of shows.
Sidharth Shukla — Participated (runner-up in 2004); later became a popular TV actor and Bigg Boss winner.
Others: Arjun Rampal (prominent model associated with the era), Rajat Bedi (first Manhunt winner 1994), Aanchal Kumar, Koena Mitra, Mugdha Godse, Candice Pinto, and many more who became supermodels or entered films, finding success or failing to make an impact, they got their foot in at notoriously difficult Bollywood and its perilous gatekeepers.
Gladrags has a far more ambiguous relationship with the outspoken Lara Dutta — Winner of Gladrags Megamodel 1995 (at age 16); later Miss Universe 2000 and who went on to become a fine Bollywood actress. Lara Dutta sued Gladrags in early April 2005 (case filed in the Bombay High Court), as Dutta filed a copyright infringement suit against Gladrags (specifically its managing editor Maureen Wadia). as they were using her old photographs and images without her permission on hoardings, posters, and promotional material for their upcoming supermodel contest. She alleged this violated her copyright over her own images, but there was also an underlying grievance that Gladrags had not promoted her adequately after her win and were still claiming credit for her later success (she went on to win Miss Intercontinental 1997 and Miss Universe 2000), while exploiting her pictures for their branding. The articulate, sharply intelligent Ms Dutta won; the court ruled in Lara Dutta’s favour within a week or so (around 12–13 April 2005). The Bombay High Court ordered Gladrags to immediately stop using Lara Dutta’s pictures on their hoardings and promotional materials.
It was a quick victory for Lara on the issue of unauthorized use of her photographs, and the matter was widely reported in 2005 as “Lara Dutta wins Gladrags battle.” The civil copyright case focused on image rights rather than a long-drawn dispute, and there is no record of major financial compensation or further escalation. However, the incident highlighted early awareness around image rights and celebrity control over their photographs in the Indian entertainment industry, especially for models and pageant winners associated with contests like Gladrags. Gladrags was restrained from using her images; and rightfully so. The way they promoted the men, Ray or Rai, was very different from how they projected and promoted Lara. Well, in essence, they didn't - until it was convenient to do so.
Gladrags will sadly be forgotten soon unless its funded richly for a comeback. The contest it created is credited with discovering and launching dozens of Indian models and stars in the 1990s–2000s, helping shape the Indian fashion and entertainment industry during its boom. It also expanded to Mrs. India, Little Miss & Master contests. While not every winner became a massive Bollywood star, it provided early breaks to numerous faces who dominated ramps and screens.
There is no clear public information on an exact final print edition or official discontinuation date for the magazine. Contests were held as late as 2016–2017 (with winners like Ansh Duggal and others announced), but it seems like a dead end like other print media... Cine Blitz, Showtime, Stardust and other remnants of pop culture ink.
Like many print magazines in the 2010s–2020s, Gladrags likely faced declining print circulation and transitioned or scaled back significantly. No specific "last issue" date (e.g., year or month) is widely documented in available sources. The launchpad of many is sadly buried six-feet under.
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| Lisa Ray crowns Aishwarya Rai during one of the rounds at the Miss India pageant |
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