Famous Bollywood Actresses Who Have Won Major Beauty Pageants, And Their Husbands
Image: Instagram
So here I am with your daily dose of Bollywood, but unlike our usual scoop, this time around I decided to take a detour down the route of Bollywood babes and beauty pageants. Beauty pageants and Bollywood have an indiscernible connection such that many of its prized recruits have been former beauty queens.
While it’s almost a job requirement to be beautiful in order to be considered to be a part of an A-list in Bollywood, you also have to prove your mettle in the field of acting. So though it’s true that winning a pageant might have helped in catapulting these ladies to limelight overnight, and making them appear visible on the radar of the Bollywood bigwigs, it was their own acting talent and hard work that ensured their ultimate success. As they say, success doesn’t come cheap.
But undoubtedly these ladies were blessed with a good piece of luck because they were not only blessed with the grace, charm, and poise that led them to win the beauty pageants and consequently the hearts of their audience, it also led them to their soulmates. Have I piqued your interest already? Without further ado, here they are:
1. Aishwarya Rai Bachchan
The green-eyed beauty completely enamored the world with her beauty when she won the title of Miss World in 1994. She made her foray into the world of entertainment and glamour with the Tamil movie Iruvar, in 1997, and also starred in her first Hindi movie the same year, Aur Pyar Ho Gaya. While she witnessed a great career graph, her personal life had been in shambles, with bad breakups and numerous link-ups. Finally, she found the love of her life when she tied the knot with cinema scion, Abhishek Bachchan in 2007. Today, the couple makes for a happy trio with their daughter, Aradhya Bachchan.
2. Priyanka Chopra Jonas
The desi girl made her way into our hearts with her winning smile when she became the Miss World in 2000. Soon she gravitated towards the world of glam and showbiz and debuted in the Tamil movie Thamizhan, in 2002. Followed by that she appeared in movies like Andaaz (2003), where she impressed everyone with her acting chops by playing the role of the villain. Over the course of the next decade, she established herself as an actor of merit before taking off to Hollywood where she went on to star in movies like Baywatch, Isn’t It Romantic?, etc. In 2018, Chopra wed the love of her life, Western pop star, Nick Jonas in a lavish ceremony.
3. Lara Dutta
The gorgeous beauty won the Miss Universe title in the year 2000, along with Priyanka. While Priyanka’s career graph depicted her making daring choices, Lara stuck to playing comfortable roles, starring in movies like Bhagam Bhag, Kaal, etc.
Lara was said to be in a serious relationship with model Kelly Dorjee, but that did not work out for her.
Finally, the cupid decided to grace her with good luck in 2011, when she tied the knot to her long-time friend and ace tennis star Mahesh Bhupathi. The couple also became proud parents to their daughter, Saira Bhupathi in 2012. While Lara has chosen to stay away from the big screen for a while now, one can often see her endorsing various brands on TV.
4. Dia Mirza
The year 2000 was memorable for India because it was in this year that India registered a triple victory at an international beauty pageant. With Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta scooping up the Miss World and Miss Universe titles (in that order), the triple feat was registered when Dia Mirza went on to win the title of Miss Asia Pacific.
She entered Bollywood with a lead role in the movie, Rehna Hai Tere Dil Mein, in 2001. Unlike her peers, Dia wasn’t a prolific actor, she chose to do roles that appealed to her and that resulted in a scattered filmography. The doe-eyed beauty got married to her business partner Sahil Sangha (with whom she owns her production house), in 2014. Last seen in the movie, Sanju, she has been pretty vocal about activism by associating with the cause of PETA, among many others.
5. Juhi Chawla
It might come as a surprise to our millennial readers but this vivacious actress is a beauty queen as well. Juhi won the Miss India title in 1984, and two years after that she starred in her debut movie, Sultanat. She went on to become one of the biggest actresses of Bollywood with hits such as Darr and Ishq and starred in more than 50 films. The chirpy actress is married to industrialist Jay Mehta, and co-owns Kolkata Knight Riders with him.
These beauty queens along with several others such as Neha Dhupia, Celina Jaitley, Swaroop Sampat, Zeenat Amaan, etc. proved that it takes a beauty with brains to make it big in the Tinsel Town. They are all a source of inspiration for many women out there. Do you have any other names to add to the list above? Let us know in the comment section below.
