Manushi Chhillar

Manushi Chhillar (born 14 May 1997) is an Indian actress, model and the winner of Miss World 2017 pageant.

Chhillar was born on 14 May 1997 in Rohtak into a Haryanvi family, although her ancestral home is in Bamnoli village of Jhajjar district.

Her father, Dr. Mitra Basu Chhillar, is a physician and scientist at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO), while her mother, Dr. Neelam Chhillar, is also a medical doctor and departmental head of neurochemistry at the Institute of Human Behaviour and Allied Sciences.

Chhillar studied at St. Thomas' School, New Delhi and was the all India CBSE topper in English subject in class 12, and scored 96 percent in her boards.

She cleared the All India Pre Medical Test (now, NEET) in her first attempt.

She was pursuing a medical degree (MBBS) at the Bhagat Phool Singh Medical College in Sonipat.

Chhillar is fluent in Hindi and English, apart from her mother tongue, Haryanvi.

She is a trained Kuchipudi dancer, and had acquired her training under Raja and Radha Reddy.

She became the sixth Indian woman to win the crown, and the first since Priyanka Chopra, Miss World 2000.

Chhillar ventured into pageantry with Fashion Big Bazaar sponsored Campus Princess 2016, where she was crowned as one of the finalists from All India Institute of Medical Sciences in December 2016.

It was conducted by the Miss India Organization.

She represented her state of Haryana at the Femina Miss India 2017 pageant and won the title of Femina Miss India World 2017 and then went on to become the sixth representative from India to be crowned Miss World after 17 years.

Chhillar made her acting debut with the role of Sanyogita in the historical drama Samrat Prithviraj (2022), and has since appeared in The Great Indian Family (2023) and Operation Valentine (2024).

Thereafter, she went on to win the title of Femina Miss India Haryana in April 2017.

Chhillar represented the state of Haryana in the annual Femina Miss India contest.

During the competition, Chhillar was crowned Miss Photogenic.

Chhillar, as a top 15 semi-finalist was asked by Karan Johar: "The government is considering to ban surrogacy in India. What is your opinion regarding this?"

I feel everyone in the world should have a right to be a parent.

So, instead of banning surrogacy in India, the government should focus on preventing its exploitation.

During the final question and answer round of Femina Miss India 2017, the top 5 delegates were asked the same question - "You have spent 30 days with 30 fellow contestants at Femina Miss India. What lesson will you take back with you?", to which Chhillar responded:

These days that I have spent with my fellow contestants has been the most dynamic period of my life.

The only thing that was certain during the whole experience was uncertainty.

The one belief that I would take back with me is that, yes...I can change the world.

When I entered Miss India, there was only passion.

However, through this journey, I acquired a vision in life.

That vision and the belief that I can change the world, is something I'm going to take back with me.

She later went on to win the contest's main title Femina Miss India World 2017, in the finale event hosted at the Yash Raj Film Studio, on 25 June 2017.

By winning, she earned the right to represent India at Miss World 2017.

Chhillar represented India at Miss World 2017, where she became a finalist in the Top Model, People's Choice, and Multimedia competitions, and was the winner of the Head-to-Head Challenge from Group Nine and co-winner of the Beauty with a Purpose competition.

She is India's fourth Beauty with a Purpose winner at Miss World and the first woman to win Miss World and Beauty with a Purpose jointly.

Chhillar's Beauty with a Purpose project was titled Project Shakti.

The campaign's goal is to spread awareness about menstrual hygiene.

She visited about 20 villages for the project and treated over 5,000 women.

During the final question and answer round, Chhillar was asked - "Which profession should receive the highest salary in the world?"

Responding to the same, she answered:

"Since I am very close to my mother, I think that a mother deserves the highest respect. When you talk about salary, I don't think it's just about cash, but the love and respect that you give to someone. My mother has been the biggest inspiration in my life. All mothers, they just sacrifice so much for their kids. So, I believe the profession which deserves the highest salary, respect and love should be of a mother."

On 18 November 2017, Chhillar was crowned Miss World 2017 by outgoing titleholder Miss World 2016, Stephanie Del Valle from Puerto Rico in the finals in Sanya, China.

As Miss World 2017, Chhillar returned to India on 26 November, where she was greeted by a large crowd.

She was one of the celebrity speakers at the 2017 Global Entrepreneurship Summit in Hyderabad.

Chhillar was announced as the brand ambassador for Anaemia Free Haryana.