Why Tamilnadu stepped out of Miss Universe India?
- FC Team
- May 23
- 3 min read
Updated: Sep 5
India has witnessed two great Queens, Aishwarya Rai and Sushmitha Sen flourish for decades. Following them, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta created a storm in the entertainment industry.
There has been a lull since 2000 as the crown lost it's shine over time.
Nikhil Anand, CEO of Glamanand Companies, grabbed the rights for Miss Universe India and opened up the race for State franchises. Miss Universe Tamilnadu was bagged by Ms Hemamalini, Founder of Doctor Aesthetix, Chennai.
A well-renowned Cosmetologist and a Pageant Legend herself, Ms Hemamalini built Miss Universe Tamilnadu ground up by bringing together a team of esteemed stylists, fitness and ramp walk coaches to mentor her girls.
Miss Universe Tamilnadu saw contestants belonging to different cities from Tamilnadu, across all age groups.
Though the 19-year old Winner, Ms Kaamaakshee Aathreya is well below the average height of pageantry standards, her speech resounded with power and purpose. She won the maximum number of Sub-titles including Miss Best Speech and Miss Perfect 10, giving away the hint of a future queen.
The Final Question that decided the Winner, "Is swatting a mosquito an act that goes against the philosophy of non-violence?" led to the Top 6 giving straightforward answers, except one. Ms Kaamaakshee Aathreya gave an answer that resonated with our country's powerful answer to terrorism - Operation Sindhoor.
If there is an attack, a retaliation is justified. This answer won her the Crown.
This jury's decision was been met with criticism as the fans accuse Nikhil Anand, the National Director, for intentionally selecting a Winner who does not fit within the mould of a Miss Universe Contestant.
In a shocking turn of events, Kaamaakshee Athreya became the Last Queen Standing as the two Wildcard Contestants from Tamilnadu withdrew their participation from MUI - Doctor Varshini Murugan and Ms Shivin Ganesan. Though Shivin has published her official statement, many insiders claim that the women bowed out of the competition due to the pressures of competing with India's best contenders for the Crown.
Though Ms Kaamaakshee was widely criticised as 'unfit for pageantry", she worked her way up to place in Top 20 owing to her her neat fashion choices, social media game, solid walk, advocacy as a Law Student and her bewitching National Costume Round performance.
In a shocking turn of events, Miss Hemamalini steps down as Tamilnadu's franchise head along with her Queens . In her statement, she mentions the values pageantries are promised to withhold, indirectly condemning Nikhil Anand for exploiting the National Finalists as marketing mules in Miss Universe 2025.
Know more,
Pageantries fell in the eyes of the public who perceived these contests as mere entertainment avenues over time. The winners failed to bring about any real change in a world where women embraced body-positivity, inner beauty and leadership pursuits. As the spotlight fell on hustlers and changemakers from Business, Arts and Entertainment industry, beauty took a backseat.
Miss Universe made groundbreaking changes of removing the age and height and including married and transwomen since 2024. However, since the core value of such shows continue to revolve around external beauty, they fail to impress the women of today. It is going to be a waiting game before Miss Universe regains its lost fandom.
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