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Hindustan Times

When Miss India 2002 Shruti Sharma said ‘beauty queens shouldn't opt for something like Bollywood' and gave this reason

After winning the coveted beauty pageant title, the path a winner takes next is closely followed. These pageant titles open up new roads, often seen as a stepping stone to fame and opportunities. Especially in India, for many Miss India winners, Bollywood becomes the natural next step. Bollywood has seen many beauty pageant winners turn to acting over the past few decades, including Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta, Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra, and Manushi Chhillar. Let's take a look back at one of the standout answers at a beauty pageant that challenged this narrative. Shruti Sharma, who was crowned Miss India World 2002, shared how Bollywood should not be the first option after winning such pageants. The Instagram handle of The Great Pageant Community shared a snippet of her answer from the competition on April 8, when a judge on the panel asked Shruti whether pursuing Bollywood after winning a beauty title was 'a step forward or backwards'. A post shared by The Great Pageant Community ® (@tgpc_official) Designer Anand Jon Alexander asked Shruti, 'It seems that for a lot of Indian winners, Bollywood seems to be the final frontier. Is that moving backward or forward? I mean, you are in a very powerful position. What do you feel about this?' Shruti then said, 'I feel that after getting a prestigious title like Miss Universe or Miss World, beauties should not opt for something like Bollywood. I think they are moving backwards because they have a lot of scope to go abroad, be an international model and make us proud.' Shruti challenged the notion that acting should be the default route after winning a beauty pageant in India. According to her, it limits global opportunities, making Bollywood a 'step backwards'. When confined to the film industry, beauty pageant titleholders miss out on their international potential and the opportunity to represent India on more global platforms, according to her. The comments on the Instagram post, however, were divided, with some agreeing with her perspective and highlighting how a pageant title amplifies the potential to represent India on global platforms, and others expressing a different opinion. One Instagram user commented, 'Agreed! Pageantry is not just about beauty— it's about representing your country with purpose. It's a platform to travel, connect internationally, and create positive change. We don't have to limit our path to just ending up in cinema. We can carve our own journey—building global bonds, inspiring others, and expanding our impact beyond the spotlight." Some couldn't help but relate Shruti's answer to the current state of Bollywood, with one person noting, 'Her answer is perfect for today's bollywood condition nepo being showstopper, so it is better to explore outside.' Another Instagram user took a balanced view and wrote, 'I think it's all about perspective – whether you see it as moving 'forward' or 'backward'. Miss World like Aishwarya Rai, despite entering bollywood continued to work on her project and others like Smile train, successfully balancing both and being awarded 'Lifetime beauty with a purpose award'. In my perspective, she has only moved forward.' While another commented, 'I think it is a personal choice.' While others were not impressed, and one wrote, 'Terrible answer. Don't discount or put down Bollywood or previous winners who went on to become Bollywood actresses. It's not about moving forward or backward when stepping into Bollywood. It's about perspective, the individual's interests, where their strengths lie, and what they do with the path they choose to take. In Bollywood, you can make a difference with the types of movies and roles you select, something that can bring an important issue up for awareness (bring a good example of a movie that does this). Or, you can take a different path completely by playing to your strengths to make a difference in the world.' Another Instagram user pointed out the irony, as Shruti did star in a Bollywood movie in 2005, and added, 'And then she did a Bollywood movie Tezaab – The Acid Of Love.' ALSO READ: Miss World 2025 British contestant Milla Magee quits 'outdated' show hosted in India, says she felt 'like a prostitute'