Did You Known These Bollywood Actresses Were Also Beauty Queens?

A big pageant win often comes accompanied by a promising Bollywood career in India. Take, for instance, Priyanka Chopra who won Miss World in 2000 and is currently dominating the global entertainment industry. Sushmita Sen claimed the Miss Universe title in 1994 and continues to be one of the most sought-after divas in the Indian entertainment industry. Of course, they are not the only desi beauty queens making their presence felt in the film industry after entering a pageant.

From Juhi Chawla to Esha Gupta, check out all the desi actresses who were part of the prestigious pageants:

Juhi Chawla

Juhi Chawla was only 17 when she won the prestigious Miss India Universe title in 1984. She also won the best national costume award at the international. After her big win, Juhi went on to become one of Bollywood’s finest actresses. She stole many hearts with her acting and incredible comic timing.

Neha Dhupia

We all have witnessed Neha Dhupia’s baddie avatar on MTV Roadies. She won the coveted Femina Miss India title in 2002 and also represented India at Miss Universe. Then in 2003, Neha entered the film industry and made her debut with Qayamat: City Under Threat. However, it was the movie Julie that got her recognition. Now the beauty queen is married to Angad Bedi and has two kids with him.

Dia Mirza

Dia Mirza’s charm and beauty are def intoxicating. People have been in awe of her ever since she participated in the Miss India pageant. Dia was the second runner-up at the Miss India pageant in 2000. However, she was crowned Femina Miss Asia Pacific in 2000 and then went on to win Miss Asia Pacific International. She made her acting debut with the film Rehnaa Hai Tere Dil Mein in 2021. Dia is now married to businessman Vaibhav Rekhi and was last seen in Netflix’s Call My Agent: Bollywood.

Tanushree Dutta

Tanushree Dutta created a buzz when she entered Bollywood in 2005 and her journey since then has been quite eventful. But before her making a mark in the movie industry, Tanushree was crowned Femina Miss India in 2004 at the age of 20. She then went on to compete in the Miss Universe beauty pageant and was among the top 10 finalists. In 2005, she made her acting debut with Chocolate and Aashiq Banaya Aapne. She has now quit acting and has shifted to the United States.

Rakul Preet Singh

Rakul Preet Singh started out as a model and then went on to make her acting debut in a Kannada film, Gill. After this, Rakul competed in the Femina Miss India pageant in 2011. She won People’s Choice, Miss Indiatimes, Pantaloons Femina Miss Fresh Face, Femina Miss Talented, Femina Miss Beautiful Smile, and Femina Miss Beautiful Eyes.

Taapsee Pannu

While pursuing her studies, Taapsee Pannu entered the modelling world for extra pocket money. She became a full-time model after auditioning for Chanel V’s 2008 talent show Get Gorgeous. In the same year, Taapsee participated in Femina Miss India at the age of 20. Though she did not win the title, she then made it to the top 28 and won two titles including Miss Fresh Face and Miss Beautiful Skin. Later, she lost interest in modelling and started pursuing acting instead.

Sangeeta Bijlani

Sangeeta Bijlani entered the glamour world at the age of 16. She started her career as a model and then went on to win the Femina Miss India title in 1980. She even represented India at Miss Universe in the same year. Sangeeta then entered the Bollywood industry with the 1987 film Qatil. Sangeeta later made headlines after she started dating Salman Khan in 1986. And in 1996, she married cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin but the two called it quits in 2010.

Celina Jaitley

Before entering the Bollywood industry, Celina participated in Miss India in 2001 and won the title. She then represented India at Miss Universe in 2001 and was the fourth runner-up. Celina made her acting debut in 2003 with a thriller movie titled Janasheen. Celina has quit acting and resides in Austria with her husband Peter Haag and sons now.

Gul Panag

Gul Panag won the prestigious Miss India title in 1999. After her win, she participated in the Miss Universe pageant in 1999. In 2003, Gul started her journey in the film industry with Dhoop. Gul is also a certified pilot and runs some NGOs as well.

Esha Gupta

The world recently took note of Esha Gupta’s impeccable style at the Cannes Film Festival 2023. However, her style and glamour journey goes way back. In 2007, the stunning actress participated in Femina Miss India and won Miss Photogenic. She was declared third runner-up and competed in Miss India International. After her win, Esha made her acting debut with the movie Jannat 2.