7 Bollywood Divas Who Once Won The Beauty Pageant

By Author: Sanskriti Khanna
Total Articles: 42
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Over the years, numerous queens have gone above and beyond to become a contender in one of the world's most prominent beauty pageants, bringing the crown home and making the country proud.

These pageants are won by a select group of stunning ladies who never fail to inspire millions of young women by making their mark. After winning this prestigious title, many of these beauty pageant winners consider their future plans and opt to pursue a career in Bollywood.

With their attractiveness, several beautiful Bollywood actresses have made men fall at their feet for them.

For decades, the most simple way to make a successful career after winning a beauty pageant has been to enter the Hindi film industry and become a national celebrity.

With their beautiful looks and great talent, these pageant winners turned actors never fail to amaze and impress the audience. Some of these queens even go on to become some of India's most popular Bollywood artists.

Here's a list of Bollywood actresses who have won beauty pageants. While some have created a name for themselves in Bollywood, others are winning ...
... hearts with their beauty and making the list of the most beautiful woman in the world.

1. Zeenat Aman
She is recognized for her flamboyant appearance and was praised for her performance in the 1971 film ‘Hare Rama Hare Krishna' in the ‘Dum Maaro Dum' number. Later, in Satyam Shivam Sundaram, the actress drew eyebrows with her bold exposing sequences, and she remains one of the beauty queens of yesteryear films to this day.

2. Juhi Chawla
Juhi Chawl, was crowned Miss India Universe in 1984 and managed to win the international competition's Best National Outfit Prize. Chawla then moved into acting, and while she predominantly worked in Bollywood films, she also appeared in a number of regional films. Her comedic timing and captivating on-screen presence have been acclaimed. Juhi Chawla was crowned Miss India 1984 before making her acting debut opposite Aamir Khan in ‘Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak,' and she hasn't looked back since!

3. Aishwarya Rai
When Aishwarya Rai was named Miss World in 1994, she won everyone's heart. She is still regarded as one of the most beautiful women in the world, and she proved it when she won Miss World in 1994. Following that, Aishwarya Rai became not just a household name in Bollywood, but also one of the first actresses to break into Hollywood.

4. Sushmita Sen
Sushmita Sen, who won Miss India, went on to represent India at the Miss Universe beauty pageant with Aishwarya Rai and won the Miss Universe title, making the country proud. Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Rai were crowned Miss World and Miss Universe, respectively, in 1994. The actress is noted for being a philanthropist and the mother of two adoptive daughters.

5. Priyanka Chopra
She is the only person who possesses both beauty and intelligence. The ‘Quantico' actress began her career as Miss World 2000, and the rest is history! She has worked as a national and international actor, a model, and has even tried her hand at singing. She has won various awards, including five Filmfare Awards and a National Film Award. In 2016, the Indian government awarded her the Padma Shri, Time named her one of the world's 100 most important individuals, and Forbes named her one of the World's 100 Most Powerful Women in the following two years.

6. Lara Dutta
Miss Intercontinental 1997 and Miss Universe 2000 were both won by Lara Dutta. In her professional life. Lara is best known for her work in Bollywood films like Andaaz and Housefull. She has won a number of accolades, including a Filmfare Award. Lara has also done work for the OTT platform, with her most recent project being Hotstar Special's Hundred. She is widely considered as one of Bollywood's most stylish and socially concerned actors. Mahesh Bhupathi, an Indian tennis star, proposed to her in September 2010.

7. Neha Dhupia
Before entering the fame-filled waters of Bollywood, Neha Dhupia won the Femina Miss India competition in 2002. In 2003, she made her acting debut in Qayamat: City Under Siege. She has a number of ventures in Punjabi, Telugu, and Malayalam films in addition to her Hindi film credentials. In 2002, she was one of the top ten finalists in the Miss Universe pageant. She became famous for her part in Julie and has since appeared in films such as Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, Chup Chup Ke, and others. On the Indian music app Saavn, Dhupia established and hosted the #NoFilterNeha Bollywood podcast, in which she interviews Bollywood celebs. Since Season 14, she's also been one of the MTV Roadies' leaders. The beauty queen also serves as a mentor for the VLCC Femina Miss India 2020 competition.