8 Indian beauty queens who won Miss Universe and Miss World

Sushmita Sen: The first Indian to win the prestigious Miss Universe pageant was a 19-year-old teenager from a Bengali family, Sushmita Sen, in 1994. Sen went on to forge a successful career in Bollywood, making her film debut in 1996 with the thriller ‘Dastak’. She currently stars in web series ‘Aarya’.

Lara Dutta: She began her pageant journey at the age of 17 by participating in events such as the annual Gladrags Megamodel India competition and the Miss Intercontinental Pageant (both of which she one). But her biggest win was being crowned Miss Universe in 2000. Dutta also went onto star in a number of Bollywood movies.

Reita Faria: This beauty queen from Mumbai was the first to bring pride to Indians on the international pageant stage, by becoming the first from the country to be crowned Miss World in 1966. She was also the first Miss World winner to become a physician, having ignored movie offers in order to focus on her medical career.

Aishwarya Rai: More than two decades after Faria’s win, this beauty queen from Mangalore took the Miss World crown in 1994. She went down the Bollywood route finding fame with films such as ‘Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam’ and ‘Devdas’. She also cemented her place in Bollywood history when she married Abhishek Bachchan, the son of revered actor Amitabh Bachchan.

Diana Hayden: A few years later, the Anglo Indian model from Hyderabad won the title of Miss World in 1997. Like others before her, she made her way to films, however, she hasn’t as active in the industry as her peers.

Yukta Mookhey: The Bengaluru-born, Sindhi beauty queen — who was partly raised in Dubai — took the crown in 1999. She is an environmental activist and had a short stint in movies.

Priyanka Chopra: One of the most popular stars on the globe right now first got her big break when she won the Miss World crown in 2000. She went on to star in Bollywood blockbusters, before making a name for herself in the West.

Manushi Chhillar: This young star from Haryana broke a dry spell for India by winning the Miss World contest in 2017. She’s also set to go the Bollywood route, with a role opposite Akshay Kumar in historical drama ‘Prithviraj’.

Here's an honourable mention: Dia Mirza won the Miss Asia Pacific title in 2000 and later had a string of Bollywood movies including her debut ‘Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein’, ‘Dus’, ‘Lage Raho Munnabhai’ and ‘Sanju’.