India has produced six Miss Worlds till date, with Priyanka Chopra easily being the most recognisable one, globally. From navigating the murky waters of the pageant world at the mere age of 17-18, to establishing herself as an indomitable force in films and beyond, the Padma Shree awardee’s upwards trajectory could easily be studied as a core module in a top B school. Taylor Swift has one too, you know?
It all started with her teenage self enrolling into the national Miss India pageant upon her brother’s insistence. His reasoning was her ‘enviable’ height. She then went on participate with an equally strong batch boasting names like Lara Dutta and Dia Mirza, who then went on to bag the titles of Miss World and Miss Asia-Pacific, respectively.
Cut to Priyanka Chopra strutting the stage on the 30th of November, 2000, with a slightly feigned stroke of confidence, as her dress was well, a little droopy. The strapless ones always deject us, we get it. She proceeded to carry on with the required rounds with folded hands – for the untrained eye it was a simple namaste, but it was later revealed that the said stance was an attempt to avoid a wardrobe malfunction on stage. Phew, what a story.
Touted as a frontrunner during the preliminary rounds of the Miss World competition, certain doubts were surely harboured, as the reigning winner was also from India – Yukta Mookhey. So a back-to-back win? Seemed highly unlikely.
During the last round, Priyanka Chopra Jonas was asked, “Who do you think is the most successful woman alive today and why?” She was quick to respond, “There are many people I respect, but Mother Teresa is among the most admirable because of her kindness, compassion, and consideration for others. She has accomplished a great deal for both other nations and herself. She sacrificed everything she had in order to enhance the lives of others.”
But there’s a catch. She was asked about the most successful woman ‘alive,’ thereby making her answer brilliant, but factually incorrect. May have been her charm, or agreeableness throughout all the rounds of the competition that made the judges look past that and grant her the crown of Miss World. How very iconic.
Images via Getty
Also Read: Did You Know That Lara Dutta Had The Highest Ever Individual Score At Miss Universe 2000?
