Femina Miss India

Miss India, also known as Femina Miss India, is a national beauty pageant in India that selects representatives to compete in the Miss World competition, one of the Big Four international beauty pageants. It is organized by Femina, a women's magazine published by The Times Group.

The current Femina Miss India World is Nikita Porwal from Madhya Pradesh. She was crowned by the previous titleholder, Nandini Gupta, on 16 October 2024 in Mumbai.

History

The first Miss India was Esther Abraham, from Calcutta, who won the title in 1947. The pageant was organized by the local press.

In 1952, two Miss India pageants were held. Indrani Rehman and Nutan were the winners. Nutan was crowned Miss Mussorie, while Rahman was crowned at Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai. Rahman later represented India at the first Miss Universe pageant in 1952.

In 1953, Peace Kanwal from Punjab was crowned Miss India at the Kardar-Kolynos pageant, organized by filmmaker Abdur Rashid Kardar. She later became a Bollywood actress.

In 1954, Leela Naidu from Maharashtra was crowned Miss India. That same year, she was featured in Vogue magazine's list of the world's ten most beautiful women.

There was no Miss India pageant between 1955 and 1958. In 1959, Eve's Weekly organized its first Miss India contest, with Fleur Ezekiel winning the title. She went on to represent India at Miss World 1959 in London.

The first Femina Miss India pageant was held in 1964. Meher Castelino Mistri of Maharashtra was crowned the winner and represented India at Miss Universe 1964 in the United States and Miss Nations 1964 in Spain.

Reita Faria became the first Miss India to win an international pageant, being crowned Miss World 1966 in London. She was the winner of the Eve's Weekly Miss India contest. That same year, Yasmin Daji, the Femina Miss India winner, represented India at Miss Universe 1966 and placed third runner-up.

Zeenat Aman was the first Femina Miss India winner to claim an international title when she won Miss Asia Pacific 1970 in the Philippines. She later became a well-known Bollywood actress

In 1981, Meenakshi Seshadri became the youngest Miss India at age 17. She too later became a Bollywood actress.

In 1994, Sushmita Sen became the first Indian to win Miss Universe, while Aishwarya Rai, the first runner-up, went on to win Miss World the same year.

In 2000, all three winners from the Femina Miss India pageant—Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra and Dia Mirza—won Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss Asia Pacific International, respectively.

In 2002, the third winner of the Femina Miss India contest began representing India at Miss Earth instead of Miss Asia Pacific.

In 2008, international choreographer Sandip Soparrkar joined as the official dance and grooming expert for the contestants, alongside experts like Dr. Sandesh Mayekar for smile design, Dr. Jamuna Pai for skin and hair care, and Sabira Merchant for etiquette.

In 2010, Tantra Entertainment Pvt. Ltd. (TEPL) partnered with Sushmita Sen to launch a new pageant, I Am She – Miss Universe India, acquiring the rights to send India's representatives to Miss Universe. Winners of this pageant represented India at Miss Universe from 2010 to 2012. From 2010, Femina Miss India began crowning three winners: Femina Miss India World, Femina Miss India Earth, and Femina Miss India International, with the latter representing India at Miss International.

Competition irregularities

In 1989, Kalpana Pandit, who was initially declared the winner, was disqualified after it was found that she had misrepresented her nationality by holding a U.S. passport. Dolly Minhas was then crowned the winner.

In 2004, Lakshmi Pandit, Kalpana Pandit's sister, was named the winner but later gave up the title due to her marriage. Sayali Bhagat was subsequently awarded the title.

In 2008, a controversy occurred when Gladrags President Maureen Wadia sent a legal notice to Harshita Saxena, the newly crowned Femina Miss India Earth 2008, for violating an exclusive two-year contract she had signed in 2006. The contract required Saxena to seek written permission from Gladrags before participating in other beauty contests. As a result, Saxena surrendered her title, and Tanvi Vyas was crowned Miss India Earth. Vyas went on to represent India at Miss Earth 2008. Saxena later placed fourth in the Femina Miss India 2009 competition and represented India at Miss International 2009.

India in international pageants

Miss India has been sending representatives to the Miss Universe pageant since 1952, starting with Indrani Rehman, and to the Miss World pageant since 1959, with Fleur Ezekiel.

In 1970, Zeenat Aman became the first Indian and South Asian woman to win the Miss Asia Pacific title.

In 1991, Femina Miss India gained the rights to send Indian contestants to the Miss International pageant.

In 1994, Sushmita Sen won Miss Universe, becoming the first Indian woman to hold the title. That same year, Aishwarya Rai, the runner-up at Miss India, won Miss World. Both Sen and Rai later pursued successful careers in Bollywood.

Their success led to the rise of grooming institutions that prepared young women for pageants, significantly increasing participation. Diana Hayden, Miss India World 1997, won Miss World that same year. In 1999, Yukta Mookhey, Miss India World, also won Miss World.

In 2000, all three Miss India winners: Lara Dutta (Miss Universe), Priyanka Chopra (Miss World), and Diya Mirza (Miss Asia Pacific) won their respective international titles. Australia is the only other country to have achieved this in 1972.

In 2002, the third title in Femina Miss India was renamed Femina Miss India-Earth to send representatives to the newly launched Miss Earth pageant, focused on environmental advocacy. A finalist was then sent to Miss International.

From 2007 to 2009, three equal titleholders represented India at Miss Universe, Miss World, and Miss Earth. In 2010, the rights to send contestants to Miss Universe were transferred to a new pageant, I Am She - Miss Universe India. By 2013, The Times Group reacquired the Miss Universe rights and launched the Miss Diva pageant.

In 2010, the third title at Femina Miss India was renamed Femina Miss India-International, with winners representing India at Miss International. That same year, Nicole Faria became the first Indian to win the Miss Earth title in Vietnam, leaving Miss International as the only major global pageant India has yet to win.

In 2012, Himangini Singh Yadu became the first Indian and Asian to win the Miss Asia Pacific World title, sent by the I Am She - Miss Universe India pageant. In 2013, Srishti Rana won the same title, marking a rare back-to-back victory for India and becoming the first Miss Diva winner to claim the Miss Asia Pacific World crown.

In 2014, Asha Bhat won Miss Supranational, becoming the first Indian woman to win the title and the second Asian overall. That same year, Ruhi Singh, the first Femina Miss India Universal Peace and Humanity, won the Miss Universal Peace and Humanity pageant in Lebanon.

India also achieved a rare triple victory at the Miss Asia Pacific World pageant, with Swetha Raj winning in 2014 after the previous winner was dethroned. She was sent by the Miss India Australia organization.

International winners

Reita Faria from India won Miss World in 1966, becoming the first Asian woman to achieve this honor and marking India's first major international pageant victory. In 1994, Sushmita Sen became the first Indian to win Miss Universe. That same year, Aishwarya Rai was crowned Miss World, making India the last country in the 20th century to win both Miss Universe and Miss World in the same year.

Diana Hayden won Miss World in 1997, followed by Yukta Mookhey in 1999. In 2000, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra repeated India's earlier success, with Dutta winning Miss Universe and Chopra winning Miss World. This remains the most recent time (as of 2024) that a country has won both titles in the same year and the only time it has happened in the 21st century.

In 2010, Nicole Faria from Bangalore became the first Indian woman to win Miss Earth. Manushi Chhillar won Miss World 2017, and in 2021, Harnaaz Sandhu became the third Indian woman to win Miss Universe, the latest Big Four titleholder from India as of 2024.

Here is a list of Indian winners in the Big Four international beauty pageants:

The following is the list of Indian winners in various other international pageants:

• In 1966 India won Miss World but the representative was sent by the Eve's Weekly Miss India organization.
• In 2012, India won Miss Asia Pacific World 2012 but the representative from India was sent by the organization I Am She - Miss Universe India.
• Asha Bhat (Miss Supranational 2014), Srinidhi Ramesh Shetty (Miss Supranational 2016) and Srishti Rana (Miss Asia Pacific World 2013) were the winners of Miss Diva, not Femina Miss India.

Multiple victories in the same year

The following is the list of India's multiple victories in major international pageants:

Femina Miss India Titleholders (2017–present)

Femina Miss India Editions

Miss Diva

Established in 2013, Miss Diva is a separate pageant organization from Femina Miss India, though both are owned by the Times Group. Its primary objective is to select India's representative for the Miss Universe competition through an annual national pageant.

In addition to Miss Universe, Miss Diva also sent delegates to Miss International (in 2013), Miss Supranational (since 2013), Miss Asia Pacific World (in 2013), and Miss Earth (in 2014).

However, in 2024, the Miss Diva organization withdrew its license to participate in Miss Universe. They have hinted at a possible return in the future. Currently, Miss Diva sends representatives to the Miss Supranational and, starting in 2025, to the Miss Cosmo pageant. The most recent delegate they sent competed in the 2024 edition.

Representatives to the Big Four pageants

The following women have represented India in the Big Four international beauty pageants, the four major international beauty pageants for women. These are Miss World, Miss Universe, Miss International, Miss Earth.

Color key

• : Declared as Winner
• : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
• : Ended as one of the Finlaist/Semi-finalists
• : Unplaced but given special award(s)

Current franchise

Miss World

• The Femina Miss India did not send delegates in 1959–1970, 1972, 1975. Femina got the franchise in 1976. Femina also sent delegates to Miss World in 1971 and 1974.
• ^Note 1 : For Miss World 1976, India withdrew in protest against the presence of two South African entries - one white and one black - in conformity with the apartheid policy of racial separation.
• ^Note 2 : For Miss World 1977, India withdrew in protest against Apartheid. Black women were not allowed to compete in Miss South Africa (there were two competitions one for whites, that winner was sent to the international one; and another for blacks). Thus only white contestants were sent from South Africa till Apartheid came to an end in the early 1990s.
• ^Note 3 : The candidate was disqualified from participating because she was married.
• ^Note 4 : For the year 2020, due to the impact of COVID-19 pandemic, no pageant held.
• ^Note 5 : For the year 2022, Miss World 2021 was rescheduled to 16 March 2022 due to the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak in Puerto Rico, no edition started in 2022.
• ^Note 6 : For the year 2024, Miss World 2023 was rescheduled to 9 March 2024, no edition started in 2023.

Miss Supranational

The Femina Miss India organization did not send a delegate to Miss Supranational in the years 2009–2012.

Miss Cosmo

Former franchises

Miss Universe

The Femina Miss India organization did not send a delegate to Miss Universe in the years 1953–1963, 2024 and onward.

Miss International

The Femina Miss India organization did not send a delegate to Miss International in the years 1963–1967, 1972, 1977, 1989, 1990, 2015 and onward.

Miss Earth

The Femina Miss India organization did not send a delegate to Miss Earth in the year 2015 and onward.

Miss Grand International

The Femina Miss India organization did not send a delegate to Miss Grand International in the years 2013, 2014, 2020, 2022 and onward.

Miss United Continents

The Femina Miss India organization did not send a delegate to Miss United Continents in the year 2020 and onward.

Miss Intercontinental

The Femina Miss India organization did not send a delegate to Miss Intercontinental in the years 1979–96, 2000, 2006, 2007, 2019 and onward.

Miss Asia Pacific International

The Femina Miss India organization did not send a delegate to Miss Asia Pacific International in the years 1984, 1990, 1991, 2004, 2006–2015, 2019 and onward.

Miss Asia Pacific World

In 2014, May Myat Noe of Myanmar was initially crowned but was later dethroned. The organizers held a new pageant, where Swetha Raj of India emerged victorious, securing India a rare three-peat win in an international pageant.

Mister India

Along with Femina Miss India and Miss Diva, the Times Group also organised Mister India pageant to select representative for Mister World and Mister Supranational.

Prateik Jain was the first Mister World India under The Times Group and Jitesh Thakur was the first ever Mister Supranational India.

International victories

In 2016, Rohit Khandelwal became the first Indian and thus the first Asian to win the Mister World contest title.

In 2018, Prathamesh Maulingkar became the first Indian and thus the first Asian to win the Mister Supranational contest title. This marked India, the only country to win both Miss and Mister Supranational titles.

Titleholders

Representatives to the Big Four pageants

Current franchise

Mister World

Mister Supranational

• ^α Age at the time of the international pageant

The Mister India organisation did not send a delegate to Mister Supranational in the year 2022 and did not renew the franchise in 2023 & 2024. The renewed the Mister Supranational franchise in 2025.

International titleholder gallery

Miss Universe

• Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss Universe 2021
• Lara Dutta, Miss Universe 2000 and Miss Intercontinental 1997
• Sushmita Sen, Miss Universe 1994

Miss World

• Manushi Chhillar, Miss World 2017
• Priyanka Chopra, Miss World 2000
• Yukta Mookhey, Miss World 1999
• Diana Hayden, Miss World 1997
• Aishwarya Rai, Miss World 1994
• Reita Faria, Miss World 1966

Miss Supranational

• Srinidhi Shetty, Miss Supranational 2016
• Asha Bhat, Miss Supranational 2014

Miss Earth

• Nicole Faria, Miss Earth 2010

Miss Tourism International

• Manasvi Mamgai, Miss Tourism International 2009
• Candice Pinto, Miss Tourism International 2001

Miss Tourism

• Priyanka Shah, Miss Tourism 2007
• Sonal Chauhan, Miss Tourism 2005

Miss Asia Pacific International

• Dia Mirza, Miss Asia Pacific 2000
• Zeenat Aman, Miss Asia Pacific 1970

Mister World

• Rohit Khandelwal, Mister World 2016

Mister Supernational

• Prathamesh Maulingkar, Mister Supranational 2018

Titleholder gallery

Femina Miss India Universe

• Celina Jaitley, Miss Universe 2001 - 4th Runner-up
• Sangeeta Bijlani, Femina Miss India Universe 1980
• Juhi Chawla, Femina Miss India Universe 1984
• Sonu Walia, Femina Miss India Universe 1985
• Mehr Jesia Rampal, Femina Miss India Universe 1986
• Gul Panag, Femina Miss India 1999
• Neha Dhupia, Femina Miss India Universe 2002
• Tanushree Dutta, Femina Miss India Universe 2004
• Puja Gupta, Femina Miss India Universe 2007
• Simran Kaur Mundi, Femina Miss India Universe 2008

Femina Miss India World

• Parvathy Omanakuttan, Miss World 2008 - 1st Runner-up
• Shruti Sharma, Femina Miss India World 2002
• Sayali Bhagat, Femina Miss India World 2004
• Natasha Suri, Femina Miss India World 2006
• Sarah-Jane Dias, Femina Miss India world 2007
• Manasvi Mamgai, Femina Miss India world 2010, Miss Tourism International 2008
• Navneet Kaur Dhillon, Femina Miss India World 2013
• Aditi Arya, Femina Miss India World 2015
• Anukreethy Vas, Femina Miss India World 2018

Femina Miss India Earth

• Amruta Patki, Miss Earth Air 2006
• Shamita Singha, Femina Miss India Earth 2001
• Niharika Singh, Femina Miss India Earth 2005

Femina Miss India International

• Shonali Nagrani, Miss International 2003 - 1st Runner-up
• Pooja Batra, Femina Miss India International 1993
• Gauahar Khan, Femina Miss India International 2002
• Vaishali Desai, Femina Miss India International 2005
• Esha Gupta, Femina Miss India International 2007
• Neha Hinge, Femina Miss India International 2010
• Rochelle Rao, Femina Miss India International 2012

Femina Miss Grand India

• Meenakshi Chaudhary, Miss Grand International 2018 - 1st Runner-up
• Vartika Singh, Miss Grand International 2015 - 2nd Runner-up
• Anukriti Gusain, Miss Grand India 2017

Femina Miss India Asia Pacific

• Shweta Menon, Femina Miss India Asia Pacific 1994

Mister India

• Vishnu Raj Menon, Mister India World 2017

See also

• List of Indian representatives at international male beauty pageants
• Miss Universe India
• Miss Diva
• Miss Transqueen India
• Miss India Worldwide India
• List of beauty pageants

Notes

External links