Sushmita Sen to Harnaaz Sandhu: Indian Miss Universe pageant winners who stole our hearts with their winning answers

Victoria Kjaer won Miss Universe 2024. Here's a look at Indian women who won the Miss Universe pageant in the past, including Sushmita Sen and Harnaaz Sandhu.

21-year-old Victoria Kjaer charted history on Saturday by becoming the first contestant from Denmark to win the Miss Universe 2024 crown. It was a sad day for India, as the country's representative, Rhea Singha, was eliminated from the pageant and did not make it to the Top 12 finalists. Before Rhea, India has won the pageant only three times. However, they have been equally historic moments for India. Here's a look at the beauty queen who won the crown for India and subsequently won our hearts.

Miss Universe 2021: Harnaaz Sandhu

Harnaaz Sandhu ended the dry spell of Miss Universe wins for India as she brought home the crown after 21 years in 2021. The Miss Universe 2021 winner competed against 80 other contestants from all around the globe. For the finale round, Harnaaz and the other finalists were asked, “What advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today?”

Her answer not only helped her win the crown but also won the judges' hearts. Harnaaz said, “Well, I think the biggest pressure the youth of today is facing is to believe in themselves. To know that you are unique makes you beautiful. Stop comparing yourself with others, and let's talk about more important things happening worldwide. I think this is what you need to understand. Come out, speak for yourself, because you are the leader of your life. You are the voice of your own. I believed in myself, and that's why I'm standing here today. Thank you.”

Miss Universe 2000: Lara Dutta

Lara Dutta was crowned the Miss Universe in 2000. Her victory was a monumental achievement as she broke previous records by achieving the highest scores in the swimsuit competition and the final interview. Her score of 9.99 remains the highest ever recorded in Miss Universe history to date.

Lara Dutta won the Miss Universe title in 2000.

For the finale round, Lara was asked to convince the people protesting outside the venue against the pageant. “I think pageants like the Miss Universe pageant give us young women a platform to foray into the fields that we want to and forge ahead, be it entrepreneurship, the armed forces, or politics. It gives us a platform to voice our choices and opinions and makes us strong, independent women that we are today,” she had replied, impressing the judges with her answer.

Miss Universe 1994: Sushmita Sen

Sushmita Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994. Her win remains a historic moment for India for many reasons, including the fact that she became the first Indian woman to win the title since the beauty pageant began 43 years ago.

Sushmita Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994.

During the final Q&A, the three finalists were asked to describe their idea of the “essence of a woman”. To which she replied, “Just being a woman is a gift of God that all of us must appreciate. The origin of a child is a mother, who is a woman. She shows a man what caring, sharing and loving is all about. That’s the essence of being a woman.”