Dubai girl Aarpita Kaur has made it.
The 20-year-old was crowned Miss Congeniality at an earlier event before the finals of the annual Femina Miss India. Jaipur girl Koyal Rana was crowned Femina Miss India 2014 on Saturday night while Jhataleka Malhotra from Mumbai was first runner-up and Gail Nicole Da Silva from Goa was crowned second runner-up at the star-studded event in Mumbai.
Last month, Kaur, who grew up in Dubai’s Karama neighbourhood, beat 1,500 beauty queen hopefuls to make it to the top 25.
“The auditions were a gruelling process but I am so happy and honoured that I made it to the top 25 contestants,” she told tabloid! in an earlier interview. “It has still not sunk in that I am a part of Femina Miss India. It’s been my dream to be a part of this franchise… but I am not going to ask for world peace. Aren’t people tired of hearing that?
“I used to do modelling in Dubai but I don’t want to be the one who just models for clothes. Beauty Queens can be a voice of millions of people. We can take up a cause and be heard,” she added.
The three main winners on Saturday night were selected from the top five finalists that also included Lopamudra Raut and Nikhila Nandgopal.
Miss India 2013 winners Navneet Kaur Dhillon, Sobhita Dhulipala and Zoya Afroz handed over the titles to the winners at YashRaj Studio.
Actors Shahid Kapoor and Shradhha Kapoor added glamour to the ceremony, which was judged by actors Abhay Deol, Jacqueline Fernandez, Vidyut Jamwal, Aditi Rao Hydari, Malaika Arora Khan along with fashion designer Manish Malhotra, singer Yo Yo Honey Singh, Miss World 2013 Megan Young and boxer Vijender Singh.
Mika Singh set the stage afire when he sang his popular number Agal Bagal from Phata Poster Nikla Hero and his new song Party toh banti hai from Amitabh Bachchan’s ready-to-release film Bhoothnath Returns.
Honey Singh also performed at the finale, hosted by actor Riteish Deshmukh who kept the audience in splits with his wit.
The high point of the evening was Sonakshi Sinha’s tribute to former beauty queen Zeenat Aman, who was later felicitated by the Dabangg star.
