11th edition of TOI's Livon Times Fresh Face concludes on a successful note

The Times of India, in collaboration with Livon, rolled out the 11th edition of its flagship talent-hunt platform - Livon Times Fresh Face in September 2018. The National Finale was held on Friday, 8th March in Mumbai, where Afzaal Siddique and Sukanya Girish were declared winners after the finale jury round. This year, the hunt stretched across over 180 college auditions and open mall auditions across 11 cities to scout for the freshest talent to battle it out at the Grand Finale. For a decade now, the hunt has helped create a national platform that brings together young and talented collegians with striking personality. What sets the competition apart from the rest, is the focus on recognizing real talent.  Since its inception, it has conducted auditions and events across 11 cities and over 3200 live events in the country.

The 24 finalists from across the country were given Training & Grooming sessions in Mumbai where they received mentorship by the industry doyens like Anupam Kher, Dabboo Ratnani, Mandira Bedi, Mithila Palkar, Sachin Kumbhar and other leading professionals across the entertainment industry. As is the case in every edition, the hunt witnessed participation of numerous celebrities from the entertainment sector to mentor and judge the collegian talent. The contestants have been judged by a panel of esteemed members from the likes of Vicky Kaushal, who judged the prestigious national finale, to Sanya Malhotra and Nora Fatehi among others.

Along with their striking personality, the National Finale winners Afzaal and Sukanya won the hearts of the jury and won the chance to be a part of the upcoming digital campaigns by Set Wet and Livon respectively. In addition to which, the winners and runner-ups were also awarded scholarships at the prestigious academy, Anupam Kher’s Actor Prepares. Styled by ace fashion designer Narendra Kumar, the finalists presented an array of talents ranging from rapping, and singing to dancing & mimicry. Adding to the entertainment quotient of the Finale was the enthralling live performance by the millennial heart-throb, Shirley Setia who left the audience, contestants and judges mesmerized. The platform has built a strong online community of over 1.2 million followers with over 4mn engagements across social media.

Speaking about the success of the property, Sanjeev Bhargava, Director, Brand TOI said, “At TOI we strongly believe that the future of the country lies in the hands of the youth. It is wonderful to see the undying love that this property has been receiving year-after-year. By providing a platform for young collegians, we aim to hone their talent and inspire them to chase their passion, while also instilling a competitive spirit in them. Times Fresh Face is our flagship property, and each year we are absolutely taken aback by the talent that we witness on our platform. With the conclusion of yet another successful edition, I wish the participants have a bright future and hope to see them accomplish their goals.”

Speaking about Livon Times Fresh Face, actor Vicky Kaushal said, “I have been following Times Fresh Face for the past few editions and I’m so excited to finally be a part of it. I believe the youth of India is extremely talented and a platform like this will help immensely. The participants tonight were absolutely outstanding and so confident, when I was their age I probably didn’t even have 10% of the confidence that they possess. I wish the winners and the finalists the very best for the future and look forward to see them ace it.

Amongst the many fresh faces scouted by the talent platform are the breakout star, Siddhant Chaturvedi, of Gully Boy fame, and prominent influencer Aanam Chasmawala. Times Fresh Face has become an expansive talent-pool that brings together young and talented collegians from all over the country and gives them a national platform to showcase their talent and personality.