10 Bollywood Actresses Who Were Crowned As Beauty Queens

From Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, Juhi Chawla to Dia Mirza, many Bollywood actresses have rocked the beauty pageants even before making it big in the world of cinema. Let's take a look at the list of 10 Bollywood stars that you might not know they used to be beauty queens.

JUHI CHAWLA

Juhi Chawla was crowned Miss India Universe in 1984. She bagged her first acting gigs two years later with Sultanat and rose to fame with noteworthy performance in the 1988 film Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak opposite Aamir Khan.

MEHR JESSIA

Mehr Jessia won the coveted title of Femina Miss India in 1986. She tied the knot with Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal in 1988. Sadly, the couple parted ways after 20 years of marriage.

SUSHMITA SEN

Sushmita Sen made history by bringing the Miss Universe crown to India for the first time on 21st May 1994 in Philippine when she was just 18 years old. She marked her Bollywood debut in the 1996 film Dastak and went on to act in numerous films such as Biwi No 1, Main Hoon Na, Do Knot Disturb, and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya.

AISHWARYA RAI BACHCHAN

Blessed with flawless beauty and beautiful green eyes, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan made the whole country proud by winning the Miss World title in 1994. She marked her silver screen debut with Mani Ratnam's Iruvar in 1997. Throughout her acting career, she has received numerous awards, including two Best Actress Awards at Filmfare Awards for her noteworthy performance in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999) and Devdas (2002).

PRIYANKA CHOPRA

Priyanka Chopra took the world by storm as she won the title of Miss World in 2000 at the age of 17. After garnering massive success in Bollywood, PeeCee tried her luck in American film and television with thriller series Quantico for which she became the first South Asian actress to lead an American series. She then made her Hollywood debut as an antagonist opposite Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson in Baywatch and followed it up with movies such as A Kid Like Jake and Isn't It Romantic?. The 37-year-old diva is now enjoying marital bliss with her singer husband Nick Jonas.

DIA MIRZA

Dia Mirza was honored to crown the Miss Asia Pacific 2000, making her the first Indian contestant to win this coveted title in 29 years. She started her acting career with Rehnaa Hai Terre Dil Mein alongside R. Madhavan. Her popular films include Love Breakups Zindagi, Deewaanapan and Hum Tum Aur Ghost.

NEHA DHUPIA

With her intelligence and charm, Neha Dhupia defeated many contestants all over the country to win the Femina Miss India Universe 2002. She marked her acting debut in a play called Graffiti and later featured in a music video for Indipop band Euphoria. Neha debuted in Bollywood with the 2003 film Qayamat: City Under Threat and rose to prominence with Julie.

LARA DUTTA

Lara Dutta brought the Miss Universe crown to India in 2000. She then marked her Bollywood debut with the 2003 romantic drama movie Andaaz as the second female lead alongside Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra. Ever since she has appeared in over 30 films and was last seen in TV series Beecham House.

GUL PANAG

Gul Panaf bagged the Miss India Universe title in the year 1999 and started her acting career with the 2003 film Dhoop. She tied the knot with her long-time boyfriend Rishi Attari in 2011 and has a son named Nihal.

TANUSHREE DUTTA

The Bengali beauty was the winner of the Femina Miss India 2004. She has starred in both Bollywood and Kollywood films such as Theeratha Vilayattu Pillai, Chocolate and Aashiq Banaya Aapne.