Maureen is extremely annoyed with Dimpy Ganguly

Maureen Wadia, the face and the brain behind Gladrags Mega Model and Manhunt Contests, is extremely annoyed with Dimpy Ganguly, aka Soumashree Ganguly, one of the three finalists in Rahul Mahajan’s show, Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jayega.

Reason: Ganguly had signed a two-year contract with the Gladrags modelling agency last year. And as per the clauses in the contract, Ganguly wasn’t supposed to participate in a contest or accept any work without prior permission from the agency.

When asked, Wadia rues that she feels cheated, given that she invested a lot in shaping and polishing Dimpy Ganguly’s personality. “The girl was quite a badly behaved child. She was all of 20 when she applied to participate in the contest in December 2008. I was forced to throw her out last year, two days before the actual ground event, because of her irresponsible and insincere behaviour. By then she was already under our two-year-contract,” adds Wadia.

Irresponsible behaviour
Wadia points also points out that Ganguly would often report late to the grooming sessions. She says the delays were always unaccounted for. “For six weeks through the grooming sessions, she didn’t know a soul in Mumbai. The rehearsal spot was just five minutes from her cushy room and she would still be late. She was the only one who would be missing from the scene everyday. On March 26 last year, she arrived almost eight hours late for the rehearsals. It blew my top off because she was my responsibility and I would be worried where she was with her phone switched off,” says Wadia, adding that when asked, Ganguly said that she had been to see someone in the middle of the night in Malad from Wadala, after the rehearsals the previous night.

Gladrags modelling agency and Wadia now plan to take legal action against Ganguly, who is just a few steps away from winning the contest. Wadia says that her company has sent a copy of the contract to Ganguly’s father, a lawyer and also to the channel but there has been no response. “Her father pretends to be in a state of amnesia. He doesn’t remember if his daughter ever entered a contract. The channel has been telling me that they will look into the matter but they don’t act on what they say,” says Wadia. She adds that the matter could have been settled amicably if she received any response from their end.

No contact
“All Dimpy had to do was ask for permission. I wouldn’t have stopped her from going but what she has resorted to has set a wrong precedent for others. I just wish Rahul Mahajan all the best with choosing a wife,” says Wadia.

A spokesperson from the channel says, “Dimpy Ganguly has been one of the most popular contestants on our show Rahul Dulhaniya Le Jaayega show that was launched on February 1, 2010. However, we have received the first communication from Gladrags on February 22, 2010, mentioning their contract with Dimpy Ganguly. We were very surprised to hear about it, three weeks after our show was launched. While this matter does not really concern us, it being an arrangement between Gladrags and Ganguly, Gladrags and Imagine have a long standing relationship — we have aired the Gladrags Mega Model and Manhunt Contest 2009 and the Gladrags Mrs India 2010 on Imagine. Hence, we are in touch with Gladrags on this matter and remain committed to resolving it amicably and expeditiously.”