PAGEANT Circle

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu is back in India for the coronation of Miss Diva 2022 which is scheduled to be held this Sunday, August 28 in Mumbai. Crowning her successor as Miss Diva Universe (Miss Universe India) on the national stage where it all began will be a full circle moment for the 22-year-old beauty queen from Chandigarh. How did they know?  —  that she was ready to take on the world. From the moment she won her national title, to winning her country's third Miss Universe title after 21 years, and becoming one of the most impactful and aspirational Miss Universe queens of all time - what an incredible journey it has been! This year's upcoming event, powered by LIVA, will also be the 10th year anniversary celebration for the national pageant. Having Harnaaz back on the stage as reigning Miss Universe makes it even more special. During the show, Miss Diva Supranational Ritika Khatnani, who placed in the Top 12 at Miss Supranational 2022, will also crown her s...

Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu guested in an episode of "The Daily Show with Trevor Noah" that aired on Thursday, August 18 on Comedy Central. The Indian beauty was wearing a red dress by Wight Elephant Boutique and completed the ensemble with jewelry from Designer Dream Collection (DDC) and shoes from GUESS. During the interview with the award-winning South African comedian, Harnaaz shared how her mother inspired her advocacy for menstrual equity and taught Trevor some Bollywood dance moves. The topic of bullying was also brought up and Harnaaz confessed to being disheartened by the bashings on her weight gain but she never allow them to define who she is. For the 22-year-old, being timid and weak isn't the right way to be impactful and inspirational to the youngsters who look up to her. "I want to tell them that inspiration starts within you. If you inspire yourself, that's how you can inspire a lot of people outside too," she said. Here's the f...

Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu has finally arrived in the Philippines for her first official visit as an invited special guest for the upcoming Miss Universe Philippines 2022 pageant. The Indian beauty flew on a private plane from Delhi, India to Manila on Sunday, April 24. She wore a colorful dress by Ranna Gill on her arrival. "Mabuhay Universe, it's day one in the Philippines and I am excited to meet the young girls," she said in an Instagram story shared on the Miss Universe official page. Harnaaz was also given the opportunity to talk about her advocacy for menstrual equity, the initiative she launched during her homecoming celebration in India last month. The 22-year-old met with youth leaders from Plan International Philippines on Monday, April 25 to share her journey towards ending period poverty and where she also learned about their experience as change-makers in society. Following her visit to the Philippines, the beauty queen is also expected to travel ...

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu of India has returned home for her official homecoming celebrations across her country. Prior to her arrival, the reigning queen shared a series of videos talking about her culture, fashion, humanitarian issues, and more, and where the Miss Universe Organization has defended her from the negative comments on social media about her weight. The Miss Universe pageant and the people behind the prestigious competition continue to stand as an inclusive organization that celebrates all women from different cultures and backgrounds. In a comment on its official page, MUO wrote: "The Miss Universe Organization does not tolerate bullying of any kind. We are a community built to champion, encourage and uplift one another. There is no room for hate here. #StopBullying" Harnaaz has been busy all week traveling to various destinations in India for her nationwide homecoming celebrations. One of the highlights of her trip was the launching of an initiative t...

Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu was spotted attending the special screening of the film "Cyrano" at SVA Theater on Wednesday, February 23 in New York City. The Indian beauty shared a few behind-the-scenes on social media and wrote in the caption: "Such an incredible movie! Totally loved every bit of it! Thank you so much for having me. Congratulations to the whole team of [Cyrano Movie, Peter Dinklage, Kelvin Harrison Jr., Haley Bennett]." Wearing an outfit by Ramy Brook, Harnaaz also appeared in an Instagram story posing with the USA's first-ever Miss Earth Lindsey Marie Coffey who was also present at the screening. "Cyrano" is scheduled for a wide theatrical release in the United States and the United Kingdom this Friday, February 25. The romantic musical film directed by Joe Wright was based on Erica Schmidt's stage adaptation of Edmond Rostand's play "Cyrano de Bergerac" in 1987. Game Of Thrones star Peter Dinklage plays the tit...

Reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu was spotted taking the New York streets by storm while wearing a stylish ensemble at New York Fashion Week. The 22-year-old beauty from India donned an orange satin mini dress from the Fall 2021 collection of a New York-based Indian fashion and costume designer Bibhu Mohapatra. Harnaaz also paired the dress with an Alexandra coat in chocolat from Maison Atia AW22 collection. The coat with a sleek shape and statement shoulders is a mix of faux broadtail and faux fox using sustainably sourced materials, all hand-sewn in NYC. The ensemble styled by Emma Pritchard was accessorized with earrings by Ben-Amun and completed with sunglasses by Banbé Eyewear, and shoes by Steve Madden. In an Instagram post, the queen shared her photos with a caption: "Don’t let others tell you what you can’t do. Don't let the limitations of others limit your vision. If you can remove your self-doubt and believe in yourself, you can achieve what you never thought po...

Miss Universe shared a photo of the reigning queen Harnaaz Sandhu with the caption "Happy Republic Day" for her country's celebration of its 73rd Republic Day, the day India became a sovereign republic. In the photo, the 21-year-old beauty queen raises her country's flag while wearing an orange knit ensemble by clothing brand Andreeva. Republic Day is a national holiday in India when the country marks and celebrates the date on which the Constitution of India came into effect on 26 January 1950, replacing the Government of India Act (1935) as the governing document of India and thus, turning the nation into a newly formed republic. The day also marks the transition of India from an autonomous Commonwealth realm with British Monarch as nominal head of the Indian Dominion, to a fully sovereign republic in the Commonwealth of Nations with the President of India as the nominal head of the Indian Union. To all our Indian friends, supporters, and followers across the world,...

Fadil Berisha, an Albanian-American photographer based in New York, shared a sneak peek of his photo session with the reigning Miss Universe Harnaaz Sandhu. In a video he shared on social media, the beauty queen can be seen wearing a traditional Indian garment "sari" and the Mouawad "Power of Unity" crown. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Fadil Berisha Photography (@fadilberishaphotography)

India's very own Miss Universe 2021 Harnaaz Sandhu has visited the Empire State Building in New York City on Wednesday, January 12. It has been a tradition for a reigning Miss Universe to visit the 102-story Art Deco skyscraper designed by Shreve, Lamb & Harmon in Midtown Manhattan. Harnaaz, who won the 70th Miss Universe pageant in December of last year, also kicked off her media tour this week since arriving in her NYC apartment early this month. Photos: Dimitrios Kambouris / Getty Images North America

Three weeks after her coronation at the 70th Miss Universe competition in Israel, India's Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu has finally arrived at her apartment in New York. The 21-year-old beauty went back to her home country and stayed there for three weeks following her victory. She will now be based in the "Big Apple" during her reign as Miss Universe 2021. Here's a short arrival video at her "newly designed" apartment in NYC courtesy of the Miss Universe Organization: Photo: Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu / Instagram

India's third Miss Universe titleholder Harnaaz Sandhu has arrived back in her home country after winning the prestigious 70th Miss Universe pageant in Israel on Sunday. The 21-year-old wore a red shimmery silhouette dress by Bhawna Rao during her arrival in Mumbai. Excited fans and members of the media flocked to the airport to see their newly crowned queen. A grand welcome celebration is being planned by the Miss Diva organization for the new Miss Universe after she completes her 7-day quarantine period. After her visit to India, Harnaaz is expected to fly to the United States where she will be based in New York during her reign as Miss Universe 2021. India waited 21 years since Lara Duta won Miss Universe 2000 to bring the coveted crown back again to the country. Photos: Miss Diva

The 70th Miss Universe winner Harnaaz Sandhu of India wore a custom EyeCandy by Pinky & Sheshankon hot-pink blazer dress on the first day of her reign. Harnaaz shared a photo of herself with a short caption "first interview day as Miss Universe 2021" on her official social media account that gained over a million followers overnight. The 21-year-old beauty achieved India's third Miss Universe victory on Sunday in Israel, 21 years after Lara Dutta won Miss Universe 2000 in Cyprus. View this post on Instagram A post shared by Miss Universe (@missuniverse) Source: Harnaaz Sandhu, Miss Universe / Instagram

India's Harnaaz Sandhu won her country's third Miss Universe crown during the final competition of the 70th Miss Universe pageant held on Sunday, December 12 in Eilat, Israel. The 21-year-old Bollywood actress succeeds Andrea Meza of Mexico and will now move to New York City where she will live during her reign and become a spokesperson for various causes alongside the Miss Universe Organization. Former Miss Universe winners from India are Sushmita Sen (Miss Universe 1994) and Lara Dutta (Miss Universe 2000). Photos: Benjamin Askinas / Miss Universe Organization

India's Harnaaz Sandhu topped a field of some 80 contestants to be crowned the 70th Miss Universe on Sunday, December 12 at the Universe Dome in Eilat, Israel. The 21-year-old model and actress became the third Indian representative to win the coveted Miss Universe title. She succeeds Miss Universe 2020 Andrea Meza of Mexico. Nadia Ferreira of Paraguay and Lalela Mswane of South Africa were the first and second runners-up, respectively, while Valeria Ayos of Colombia and Beatrice Gomez of the Philippines completed the Top 5 finalists. Completing the Top 10 were the contestants from Aruba, Thessaly Zimmerman, France, Clémence Botino, Puerto Rico, Michelle Colón, The Bahamas, Chantel O'Brian, and the USA, Elle Smith. The contestants from Great Britain, Emma Collingridge, Japan, Juri Watanabe, Panama, Brenda Smith, Singapore, Nandita Banna, Venezuela, Luiseth Materán, and Vietnam, Nguyen Huynh Kim Duyen were the rest of the Top 16 semi-finalists. The new Miss Universe i...

Five contestants were chosen by the 70th Miss Universe makeup sponsor, MUBA Cosmetics, for a special photoshoot on Thursday, December 2. They are Belgium's Kedist Deltour, India's Harnaaz Sandhu, Philippines' Beatrice Lugigi Gomez, Spain's Sarah Loinaz, and Vietnam's Nguyen Huynh Kim Duyen. "MUBA photoshoot reflects on environmental sustainability and our impact on the world. The photo series spotlighting animal abstraction in danger of extinction, with cosmetic artistry inspired by the Pangolin, Red Panda, Angonoka Turtle, Military Macaw and Polar Bear," the makeup brand shared on its social media. "The MUBA cosmetics line is cruelty free and composed of all organic and natural materials. The models are styled in metallic vegan leather which compliments the MUBA eyeshadow pallet, Lucely." The 70th Miss Universe competition will air live from Eilat, Israel on Sunday, December 12 on FOX and Telemundo. Photo: Andres Felipe / MUBA Cosmetics | Wardro...

Chandigarh's Harnaaz Sandhu was crowned Miss Diva Universe 2021 in a glittering event held at Famous Studio in Mumbai on Thursday, September 30. The 21-year-old beauty succeeds last year's winner and Miss Universe 2020 third runner-up, Adline Castelino. Pune’s Ritika Khatnani clinched the Miss Diva Supranational 2021 title and Jaipur’s Sonal Kukreja was named Miss Diva first runner-up. Harnaaz will represent India at the 70th Miss Universe competition to be held in Eilat, Israel this December while Ritika will be sent to the next Miss Supranational pageant. Catch the grand finale episode of LIVA Miss Diva 2021 Co-powered by MX TakaTak & Kailon on Saturday, October 16 at 7 p.m. (India time) on MTV. Photos: Rohan Tulpule / Miss Diva

India's representative in the upcoming 69th Miss Universe pageant this May, Adline Castelino, has been tested positive for COVID-19. In a post on social media, she revealed having recently developed mild symptoms and her test results came back positive for the infection. "I have quarantined myself and am taking the necessary precautions to get better. If you have come in contact with me in the past week, I urge you all to please get yourself tested," she said. The 22-year-old is determined to fight through this and asked everyone to wear masks and follow government protocols. "We need to be a symbol of strength in challenging times." Photo: Shreyans Dungarwal