Besides, a gruelling schedule keeps her busy. "My routine's not very different from the one we had to undergo while competing for the Miss India title. It's just more intense. I start with a workout at 10:30 am, followed by make-up classes or a shopping expedition (or two interviews a day). At 2:30 pm, I have a dance class and it's aerobics after that."

No time for fun, huh? "Not really," she shrugs. "I don't have too many friends in the city, but I do go out once in a while. Also, I'm pretty particular about what I eat. I stick to fruits, vegetables and white meat."

She's not too perturbed about the question-answer round. "I'm a well-read person, so I don't need to do anything special. Besides, you can't study for this round, you either have it in you or you don't."

The dance classes, tutored by Daisy Irani, are to prepare her for the talent round. "We're working on a Rajasthani folk dance," says Daisy. "But since she's had only a few hours to spare over the past four or five days, I really haven't had much time to work with her. I don't even know if she'll use it."

Daisy admits that working with Rani was a good experience. "She's very sweet, gentle, respectful. Unlike a lot of people from her generation, she doesn't have any attitude problems." And her chances at wearing that prestigious crown? Daisy laughs, "I can't take one person and the judge the situation without seeing what the rest are like. I really don't know."

Designer Ritu Kumar seems to echo the sentiment. "Since I've not seen anyone else, it's really difficult to say what her chances are. We'll have a better idea once we're closer to the preliminaries."

Ritu, who has designed for Sushmita Sen, Aishwarya Rai, Manpreet Brar and Sandhya Chib, is also doing Rani's entire wardrobe. "There are two or three rounds for which I'm designing gowns - basically, evening wear. This year, the traditional round has been scrapped. Then there's beachwear for the swimsuit round. We're including about 10 to 12 heavy outfits for the formal functions. Apart from that, there's a wide range of Indian and western casual wear, accessories, bags, shoes..." Any particular themes? "Well, most of the clothes are craft-oriented, reflecting the Indian ethos."

Rani adds, "I need about 50 outfits for the 20 days of the contest. Apart from Ritu, Bangalore-based designer Aarti Chandrasekhar is designing a gown for me." Rani is lucky in a lot of ways since she does not have to pay for anything - The Times of India will be picking up the entire tab. And, in case you're interested, each outfit costs approximately Rs 50,000!

Looks, personality and the best of Indian talent are on her side. What else could she possibly need to win?

Manpreet Brar, VJ, model, Miss India 1995 and first runner-up at the Miss Universe competition last year feels luck figures pretty high on the agenda. "Luck," she says, "counts a lot in any competition. And it's not just the final round that is important. A lot depends on what you wear, how you carry yourself through all those days. The preliminary rounds and the interviews are very important."

Manpreet feels Rani has a good chance of winning. "If the Miss World is similar to the Miss Universe, if it's more of a personality thing than just looks, then, in my opinion, she definitely stands a good chance.

"Talking isn't a problem for her at all, she's a good communicator. And her looks, well, she's got a very traditional Indian face, big eyes and all. And she's shed all that excess weight."

The fact that the competition is on home territory could work both ways for her. "It's good for your morale. When you're in a foreign country, you tend to get tense and lonely. She's lucky to be on familiar grounds. But, then again, with the spotlight on her, the pressure could get more intense."

Luck is the key word and, considering that the finals coincide with her birthday, it could just as well be a sign. "I've put in a lot of work," says Rani, "so I hope things go well. And although it wouldn't be the end of the world if I didn't win, I'd be very hurt."

Options? "No Hindi films for me." Why? "For that, you need to love either acting or money. And I don't love either of them sincerely enough to go through that kind of hard work." A career in mass communication is more up her alley.

So what's the verdict? Will she or won't she? It seems appropriate to end with an opinion from Sathya Saran, editor, Femina. "I think she has a pretty good chance. Not because I'm an optimist, but because I think she has an amazing ability to project herself on stage, plus incredible presence of mind. And she's consciously preparing herself for the competition. She can make it!"

We hope so too. And, Rani, we're rooting for you!