The grand finale of the Miss World 2019 beauty pageant will be held in ExCeL London, UK, on December 14. Rajasthan's Suman Rao, who was crowned Miss India 2019, will be representing India at the pageant. India has won the Miss World contest six times - first in 1966, and then again, in 1994.
After a gap of three years, India won the Miss World pageant in 1997 and also in 1999, 2000 and 2017. While Reita Faria won the Miss World title in 1966, Aishwarya Rai was crowned in 1994.
Ahead of the Miss World 2019 finale, take a look at the past Miss World winners from India.
Reita Faria
Born in Mumbai in 1943, Reita Faria is the first Indian woman to win the Miss World beauty pageant in 1966. During the contest, Reita was also honoured with the titles - Best in Swimsuit and Best in Eveningwear as she dazzled in a saree. Reita, in fact, received several film offers after winning the pageant but she chose to focus on her medical studies. After receiving her MBBS Degree in Mumbai, she moved to London to complete her education from the King's College Hospital. Reita Faria lives in Dublin with her husband David Powell.
Aishwarya Rai
After a gap of 28 years, India won the contest again as Aishwarya Rai was crowned Miss World in 1994. Aishwarya began her career as a model while in college and in the meantime, also appeared in several television commercials. Thereafter, she participated in the Miss India pageant and was the first runner-up following which she represented India at the Miss World 1994 pageant, and won the title. Soon after her big achievement, Aishwarya forayed into films, and made her debut with Mani Ratnam's 1997 Tamil film Iruvar.
Diana Hayden
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Hyderabad's Diana Hayden was crowned Miss World in 1997 and appeared in several television commercials after her win. She made her debut in Bollywood with the 2003 film Tehzeeb and subsequently starred in Ab... Bas! and Othello: A South African Tale. In 2008, she participated in the reality show Bigg Boss.
Yukta Mookhey
Born in Bangalore, Yukta Mookhey won the Miss World pageant in 1999. Apart from studying Zoology, Yukta also has a diploma degree in computer sciences. This apart, Yukta has also studied Hindustani classical music for three years.
Priyanka Chopra
One year later, India won the pageant again as Priyanka Chopra was crowned Miss World in 2000. Priyanka as well, received several film offers after her win and made her debut in Bollywood with The Hero: Love Story of a Spy in 2003. Prior to that, she appeared in the Tamil film Thamizhan in 2002. You know her story ever since. An acclaimed global star, Priyanka Chopra has not only appeared in iconic Bollywood films such as Don, Barfi! and Bajirao Mastani, but she also made her debut in Hollywood with Baywatch in 2017. She was also cast in a pivotal role in the American television series Quantico.
Manushi Chhillar
Seventeen years after Priyanka Chopra, Haryana's Manushi Chhillar was crowned Miss World in 2017 after winning Miss India 2017 pageant. Manushi appeared in television commercials after her win and will soon make her debut in Bollywood with Prithviraj in 2020 opposite Akshay Kumar.