17 Facts About Indian Beauties Who Won The Miss World Pageant

The poise and the charisma of a Miss World is indubitably beyond one’s imagination. This pageant is one of the most highly renowned and oldest surviving beauty contest that has produced typical examples of beauty, character, grace, confidence and credence. Over the years, the Miss World pageant has only gained more ogles than ever, but it was an epic win for Indians when Aishwarya Rai (Bachchan) brought home the crown in 1994.

1. Miss World is the oldest surviving international beauty pageant. Launched in 1951 by Eric Morley, who by then had introduced ballroom dancing to television through the show Come Dancing, the pageant began as Festival Bikini Contest but was dubbed as Miss World by the media

 

2. With five Indian beauty queens having held the title in the pageant’s history, India ranks second only after Venezuela in the title ranking. The Miss India winners who won the crown include Reita Faria (1966), Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana Hayden (1997) Yukta Mookhey (1999) and Priyanka Chopra (2000)

 

3. Reita Faria Powell (born c. 1945) was the 1st Indian & Asian to win Miss World title in the year of 1966

 

4. The Government of India did not appreciate the fact that Faria joined the legendary American entertainer Bob Hope to South Vietnam as part of the cheering up brigade to South Vietnam and met the American soldiers at a time when New Delhi was supporting Ho Chi Minh’s Communist government in North Vietnam

 

5. Reita Faria Powell is the only beauty queen who qualified as a doctor during her reign. She’s therefore known for her brains, more than her beauty. She now resides in Dublin with her husband

 

6. In Miss India contest, Aishwarya stood second beside Sushmita Sen. Sushmita Sen has reported that many contestants dropped out the contest as Aishwarya was too beautiful

 

7. Aishwarya also won the Miss World title the same year along with Miss Photogenic award

 

8. Aishwarya is believed to be of Kurgi origins, who are probably the descendants from Shakas from Afghanistan or Central Asia or Kyrgyzstan

 

9.  In 2005, Mattel released a series of Barbie dolls based on Aishwarya

 

10. When Aishwarya won the Miss World pageant, she was asked for a date by the host of the event. But the lady refused the offer

 

11. Aishwarya had a tulip named after her in 2005

 

12. Diana Hayden, the third Miss World from India is the highest earner in her Miss World year than all previous winners, (made more money than any other Miss World)

 

13. Diana is the only Miss World to have won a hat-trick at the event (Miss Photogenic, Miss Beach-wear/swimsuit competition & Miss World 1997)

 

14. Miss World 2000 Priyanka Chopra is the only Indian in the USA to have been selected at the state level for the National Opus Honor Choir, for her extensive charity work back in India and the USA, and joined the CAF and CII in their literacy program and is their ambassador

 

15. What makes her truly global is that the actress is the first Indian movie star to cast her foot impression in Italy’s celebrated Salvatore Ferragamo museum, joining the likes of Audrey Hepburn, Marliyn Monroe and Drew Barrymore

 

16. But few know that the actress lent her voice for a Hollywood flick, Disney’s Planes where her character was called Ishani

 

17. Prinyanka Chopra goofed up during her final round of question. She was asked ” Who was the person living today she admired the most”, to which she answered as Mother Teresa.  She was asked this question in the year 2000, but Teresa died in 1997

Close to a million hearts dream to win this pageant, close to a billion eyes watch this every year and that one critical moment of ultimate decision that changes everything from then on.

Watch the mesmerizing telecast of “Miss World” on 14th December at 8 P.M. on Zee Cafe.

Storypick is the official online partner for Miss World 2014 on Zee Cafe.

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