#MasalaExclusive: Manushi Chhillar says, “The real show starts after the crowning night”

Manushi Chhillar discusses life in service after being crowned Miss World at the youthful age of 20

It’s clocking 4 PM in Dubai and I find myself in the middle of extreme anxiousness and excitement in what would ideally be the slower part of a working day. Why, you may ask. Oh, nothing much, just Manushi Chhillar — former Miss World 2017 waiting on a zoom call with a wide inviting smile and fabulously ironed waves. In our industry, it is not very often that you get to have a non-timed zoom call with an actor in the industry right after their film has witnessed roaring success at the box office. Ladies and gentlemen, here I present to you Miss Congenitally, as (I would call her in my head) Manushi Chhillar. Oh, you heard right — she is sugar, spice, and everything nice.

Masala: You started off by studying medicine in a college in Haryana, India, your father is Dr. Mitra Basu Chhillar, a Physician and a Scientist at Defence Research and Development Organisation (DRDO) and you’re now probably being trained by the most talented lot in the industry. How important do you think having the right set of people/ mentors is?

Manushi Chhillar: “I have a wonderful father and a wonderful, wonderful mother and a very supportive family. I’ve been fortunate enough to get that support system in life. To be honest, not just my family, but also the people that I grew up with, and my teachers have been my idols. Having the right people in your life is very important because that’s a stepping stone to visualizing the woman you want to be.”

Masala: Please tell us in a bit more in detail about your days after winning the pageant —the time you were serving humanity. Walk us through it as, since Miss World is televised, the world knows what happens in the beauty pageant. But because your days in service aren’t highlighted, the public isn’t aware of it. Can you take us through what your schedule on tour looked like?

Manushi Chhillar: “What people see and know of the Miss World pageant, is only that one night where you get crowned. That is when all the contestants are performing their best and looking their best…people think it’s done there — but the real work is only after that evening. It is for the nights after the crowning night that our title Miss World is actually accredited for.

It was an amazing year packed with a lot of learning for me. Many of the former pageant winners said that ‘you will be amazed at how much you will grow and attain by the end of the year. They said that the person who gets crowned and the same person while crowning the next winner, are going to be two different people. It is after this experience that you will never be the same’. And they mean for the good! From meeting the leader of the country to meeting the most underprivileged people in society, pageant holders interact with everyone. We also spend one year after winning the title serving for causes that need global attention. While this might mean allocating a budget, giving a particular crisis some media attention, this can also mean getting your hands dirty, quite literally, to help clean up.”

Masala: What were 2 incidences during your service that will stay with you forever?

Manushi Chhillar: “The first was a trip to Brazil to create awareness of leprosy, which they now call Hansen’s Disease. Brazil has the second highest rate of this condition in the world. We visited a place called ‘leper colony’ where people suffering from leprosy are kept isolated. There was a lot of awareness that had to be brought to this topic. It was a very emotional journey for me when I realized due to the lack of education on this particular issue, it was considered a ‘poor man’s’ disease. I met a woman who was 17 when she was detected with leprosy. She is now 96 years old and still lives in that town purely because her family refuses to believe that her disease is cured.

My second favorite memory was a project on menstrual hygiene. I met several girls in their pre-pubescent and pubescent age from schools in Delhi. I loved the way they listened with concentration. It was so heartfelt!”

Masala: What was your parents’ overall reaction to when you won Miss World? Were they surprised or did they see it coming?

Manushi Chhillar: “They were ecstatic! Super supportive. My siblings were taking a personal interest and that made me feel so special.”

Masala: What are 5 qualities that you picked up while training yourself for Miss World?

Manushi Chhillar: “Discipline is the first thing to achieve anything remarkable in life. Lucky for me, I picked this at a younger stage in my life because I was a medical student. The second quality has to be, focus. Third I believe is — being congenial and warm. Congeniality helps in influencing people’s thought processes. The fourth quality is curiosity, because the more curious you are the more you want to learn, the more you learn, the better you grow. And the fifth is passion! I think you really have to be passionate to lead the game.”

Masala: Bollywood and fashion in India are so intertwined, how important do you think the style was in your journey?

Manushi Chhillar: “See, I think style is a part of everyone’s life. It’s your own interpretation of how you view yourself. Fashion, of course, played a big role when I went for the pageant because you are trying to be the best version of yourself while competing with the best from each country. So you do everything to stand out — whether it is while speaking, or while presenting yourself, the clothes you choose to wear, you know, it’s everything. And hence, the contestants are always so dressed up — because they’re always at their best. So fashion, of course, played a very, very big role.

And frankly, now I think I enjoy it. I like reading about what’s relevant in the fashion industry, and who is relevant in the fashion industry. I enjoy keeping up with it.”

Masala: If not becoming a doctor and if not becoming an actress —what is a career you’d be doing right now?

Manushi Chhillar: “A profession that is on the artistic side for sure. I was inclined to become an Interior Designer at some point in life.”

Masala: If I was to write a byline for you, I’d say you’re ‘sugar spice and everything nice’. How much would you rate this in terms of accuracy?

Manushi Chhillar: “…hahahah! This almost feels like I’m trying to praise myself! But…isn’t this true for like, everyone? Okay, if you ask me personally, I am a reserved person who finds joy in expressing herself through art and performance. I’m also someone who is super curious and constantly learns and gets better.”

Masala: In your opinion, do you think having a similar on-screen personality and real-life personality helps? How far do you think it helps to get into your role?

Manushi Chhillar: “Not really! The more roles I play, the more I realize that everyone is the same. You find a nook to resonate with the character, which is often called ‘getting into the skin of the character’. The superficialities of various roles might be different, but internally when it comes down to understanding the character, they are all the same.”

Masala: Is acting a profession you’d like to continue for the rest of your life? As a person, do you see yourself acting in Hollywood movies someday?

Manushi Chhillar: “In my head, I’ll be acting for the rest of my life. But then I also know from my own experiences that life is very unpredictable — and there’s a lot of beauty in that too. As for Hollywood — I see myself acting in movies. There’s no cap on which region they belong to.”