50 years of Miss India

Bollywood owes a lot of its talent to Miss India. The platform opened the doors of Bollywood to contestants who wanted to try their hand at acting. Many beauty queens are popular actresses today who went on to win many awards for their films.

Aishwarya Rai won the Miss World pageant in the year 1994. She is often hailed as the world's most beautiful woman by the media. Today, she has established herself as a veteran actress and is the ambassador for international brands, like L'oreal. She is a favorite on the red carpet at the Cannes Film Festival.

Sushmita Sen was the first Indian woman to win the Miss Universe contest. Sen made history across the globe being the first Indian woman to win the title. Sen also paved the way for single women in India who wanted to adopt children. Today, Sen lives with her two adopted daughters in Mumbai.

Priyanka Chopra was crowned Miss World 2000. She was the 5th Indian contestant to win the Miss World title and the 4th in a span of 7 years. She was crowned by Miss World 1999, Yukhta Mookhey also of Indian origin. It was as if the Indian women were on a roll and were passing on the crown amongst their own successors. Last year, Chopra released her first studio album which became a huge success.

Zeenat Aman, a former Miss India was the first woman who changed the face of Bollywood with her sex appeal. She took on bold roles and was often criticized for 'exposing too much skin'. She blazed the trail for Indian women to don western clothes and become more independent.

Lara Dutta, a former Miss Universe married to tennis ace Mahesh Bhupathi, is best known for her charity work. Here, she dons a dress made of lettuce leaves to promote vegetarianism for the group, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA).

Dia Mirza completed the hat-trick for India, winning international pageants in the year 2000; Lara Dutta won the Miss Universe title and Priyanka Chopra won the Miss World title the same year.

Celina Jaitley, a runner-up at the 2001 Miss Universe contest, launched India's first gay magazine Bombay Dost in 2009. She has lent her support to the abolition of Article 377 of the Indian Penal Code, which criminalizes homosexuality.

Vanya Mishra, Miss India 2012, is currently pursuing a degree in electrical engineering. At the Miss World contest she said that, given the chance, she would feed a thousand children every day.

Nicole Estelle Faria was the first Indian woman to win the title of Miss Earth in 2010. She started working as a model at the age of 15. She is the global brand ambassador for Frédérique Constant Geneve. A percentage of the proceeds go to the International Children Heart's Foundation.