Hyderabad has been the venue for the crowning of the Miss World 2025. The 72nd Miss World pageant has been going on in the city with great enthusiasm for the past few weeks and is now entering its final phase. The beauty pageant, which began on May 7, will conclude with a grand finale on May 31 at the Hitex Convention Centre.
History of Miss World Contest
The Miss World crown is the dream of many beauty queens. Every year, almost 160 countries compete for this title. A British started it first in 1951. Eric Douglas Morley, a television host from London, organized a swimsuit contest as part of the Festival of Britain celebrations in 1951. It became very popular in the media under the name 'Miss World'. With that, the name was registered and all the competitions started to be held under this name. Despite many controversies surrounding it in the beginning, the competitions are still on-going.
The prestigious pageant, which began in 1951 with the motto ‘Beauty with a Purpose’, has become a symbol of beauty, intelligence and social consciousness across the world.
Every year, more than a million girls apply at the national level with the ambition of becoming Miss World. More than 160 countries around the world participate in these competitions every year.
The Miss World program was first broadcast on the BBC in 1959. It was the most watched program on British television in the 1960s and 70s.
The ‘Beauty with a Purpose’ program was started by Julia Morley in 1972. Thousands of crores of rupees have been collected with this slogan. These are used for various programs such as children, women's education, health, and empowerment.
Jamaica's Toni-Ann Singh has been the longest-serving Miss World so far. She won the title in 2019 and continued until 2021. She got this opportunity after the 2020 Miss World was cancelled due to Corona. Gabriella Bram from West Germany continued for the shortest time. The 18-year-old resigned just 18 hours after winning the Miss World title.
Since 1980, personality and intelligence have also been taken into account in the Miss World pageant, along with beauty.
India has won six Miss World titles so far. Rita Faria Powell, Aishwarya Rai, Diana Hayden, Yuktamukhi, Priyanka Chopra and Manushi Chillar have brought this prestigious victory to the country.
Aishwarya Rai is the second Miss World from our country. She won the crown in 1994. The same year, Sushmita Sen also became Miss Universe.
In 2000, India became the first country to win three international beauty pageant titles in a single year, with Lara Dutta winning the Miss Universe title, Priyanka Chopra winning the Miss World title, and Dia Mirza winning the Miss Asia Pacific title.
Diana Hayden is the only woman to have won three other titles in a single pageant, including Miss World - Asia, Miss Oceania, and Miss Photogenic and Spectacular Swimwear.
The countries that have won the most Miss World titles are India and Venezuela, both of which have won the title six times each.
In Miss World 2025 again India and Venezuela beauties are in top four contestants.
Story of the Hyderabad Pageant
Telangana Capital Hyderabad is hosting 72nd Miss World pageant. Representatives from 109 countries are participating in the pageant, with Nandini Gupta representing India. After a series of rigorous preliminary and fast-track competitions, four top talents qualified for the finals through a continent-wise selection process. Some have won fast-track events such as the recent 'Top Model', and have gone straight to the quarterfinals and thus to the finals.
Contests & Selection Process
After the preliminary competition, ten beauties from each continent (10 from America and Caribbean, 10 from Africa, 10 from Europe, and 10 from Asia and Oceania) are selected for the quarterfinals, which are held in three stages.
The first stage of the quarterfinals concluded last Sunday. 40 beauties were selected, 10 from each continent. From those 40 contestants, 5 candidates (top 5) were selected in the second stage.
In this way, two candidates (top 2) were selected in the third stage of the 5 candidates selected from each continent. That is, 8 beauties were in the competition at that time. Out of these 8, one of the two selected from each continent as part of the semi-finals was selected as the topper.
Thus, the final competition will be held between the remaining two from each continent.
Nandini Gupta among Current finalists
Asia & Oceania: Nandini Gupta (India) - She is the 'Top Model' Asia & Oceania' winner and has secured a place in the finals.
Europe: Jasmine Garhat (Ireland) - She is also the 'Top Model' Europe' winner.
Africa: Selma Kamania (Namibia) - 'Top Model' Africa' winner.
America & Caribbean: Aurelie Joachim (Martinique) - 'Top Model' America & Caribbean' winner.
These four young women will compete for the 'Miss World 2025' crown in the Grand Finale on May 31 at HITEX. The remaining three will be announced as runners-up based on their talent. The final event will begin at 5:30 PM with a red carpet event, followed by the crowning ceremony.
India - Miss World Link
India has made its mark in the history of Miss World. So far, six Indian women have won the crown, tied with Venezuela. Rita Faria (1966) was the first to achieve this feat, followed by Aishwarya Rai (1994), Diana Hayden (1997), Yuktamukhi (1999), Priyanka Chopra (2000) and Manushi Chillar (2017).
India Hosting Third Time
This is the third time that the Miss World pageant is being held in India. After Bengaluru in 1996 and Mumbai-Delhi (71st edition) in March 2024, Hyderabad has now won the honour as host.
'Telangana, Zaroor Aana'
This time, the Telangana government has taken on the responsibility of co-hosting the pageant under the slogan 'Telangana, Zaroor Aana', playing a key role in organizing the pageant. It seems that the government's aim is to showcase the state's tourism, local arts and products on the world stage, thereby bringing international recognition to Telangana. The contestants visited places like historical Charminar (Hyderabad), Ramappa Temple (Warangal), Pochampally (Nalgonda district) and learnt about the culture and traditions of Telangana.
Criticism over Budget
While the ruling Congress government officially announced that it was spending around Rs. 27 crores on the event, BRS leader KT Rama Rao alleged that government was spending more than Rs. 200 crores. However, officials said that the actual cost was Rs. 27 crores and the remaining funds were raised through sponsorships.
Controversies and Challenges
Some controversies and protests also took place in the organization of these prestigious pageants.
Miss England Exit: Miss England Milla Maggi withdrew from the pageant midway and made serious allegations against the organizers and the manner of the pageant. She had said in an interview with the tabloid 'The Sun' that she felt uncomfortable with the sponsors and felt exploited. These comments became a topic of discussion internationally. However, the Special Chief Secretary of the Telangana government, Jayesh Ranjan, denied these allegations. He said that an internal inquiry had found Milla Maggi's allegations baseless and that it was part of a conspiracy to tarnish India's image. He said that when other contestants were questioned, none of them had said that they had felt uncomfortable.
Protests by women's groups: Just like in Bengaluru in 1996, some women's groups in Hyderabad also opposed these competitions. They protested, alleging that they spread Western culture and presented women as commodities.
Ramappa controversy: There was also criticism over the contestants washing their feet with local women during a visit to the Ramappa temple.
Security challenges: In the backdrop of tensions between India and Pakistan, providing security for such a big international event has also become a challenge for the organizers. However, the government said that all kinds of security arrangements have been made.
Amidst all these interesting developments and controversies, the 72nd Miss World competition has reached its final stage. The city of Hyderabad has once again consolidated its place on the world map. There is excitement everywhere about who will win the crown in the Grand Finale.
