6 Stunning Indian Pageant Queens Who Championed Empowerment & Social Change

By: WE Staff

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan (1994)

Aishwarya Rai Bachchan became the second Indian woman to win the Miss World title in 1994. After securing the coveted title, she made her acting debut in 1997 with the Mani Ratnam film Iruvar. She is a celebrated actor with an illustrious career in the entertainment industry.

She established herself as a global icon of beauty and brains by winning the hearts of judges and audiences with her answer to the final question "What qualities should Miss World 1994 embody?" She mentioned "The Miss Worlds that we have had till date have been proof enough that they have had compassion, compassion for the underprivileged, not only for the people who have status and stature. We have to look beyond the barriers that man has set up for ourselves of nationality, and colour. We have to look beyond that, and that will make a true Miss World, a true person, a real person."