Rajasthan’s Nandini Gupta wins Femina Miss India 2023, Manipur bags 2nd runner-up

Rajasthan's Nandini Gupta has been crowned Femina Miss India 2023. Along with her, Delhi's Shreya Poonja became the first runner-up, while Manipur's Thounaojam Strela Luwang was crowned the 2nd runner-up.

19-year-old Nandini hails from Kota, one of biggest coaching hubs in the country for engineering and medical aspirants. The beauty with brains hold a degree in Business Management, Nandini is dedicated towards taking up challenges and succeeding.

The 59th edition of India’s foremost prestigious pageant successfully orchestrated yet another season’s grand finale in a historic ceremony at the Indoor Stadium, Khuman Lampak, Imphal, Manipur, who played the perfect host to the mesmerizing event.

With nearly a six-decade-long famed legacy of transforming the lives of young talented women and changing the landscape of glamour and the fashion industry of India, VLCC & Trends co-present Femina Miss India 2023 hosted by Manipur Tourism, co-powered by ORRA Fine Jewellery, makeup partner Colorbar Made for Magic & co-powered by Rajnigandha Pearls, vows to continue its tradition of creating influential beauty ambassadors, and supporting young women in their quest to explore their potential and empowering them to become a positive force for change.

The 30 state winners arrived in Imphal on the 7th of April to a warm reception and felicaition. In an attempt to prompt and experience the state's rich culture, the state winners visited various tourist attractions of key significance and showcased its unique heritage and history during their stay in the capital city, Imphal. 

The grand finale ceremony held on April 15 was a star-studded affair and celebrated the ethos of beauty in diversity. The evening kickstarted with a breathtaking performance by the former  winners of the pageant, Sini Shetty, Rubal Shekhawat, Shinata Chauhan, Manasa Varanasi, Manika Sheokand, Manya Singh, Suman Rao and Shivani Jadhav - dressed in exquisite and finely crafted lehengas from Mohey. Moving onto the show, the audience were entertained by the highly anticipated performances by Bollywood's heartthrob Kartik Aaryan followed by the gorgeous Ananya Pandey. The evening's proceedings were led by the dynamic duo Manish Paul and Bhumi Pednaker who kept the audience engaged with their wits and improvisations. 

The gala event witnessed multiple rounds of captivating fashion sequences featuring the beautiful 30-state winners in a stunning collection by Namrata Joshipura for Trends, Rocky Star and Robert Naorem showcasing traditional costumes. The state winners were judged by an elite panel consisting of Femina Miss India Universe 2002 & Mentor Neha Dhupia, boxing icon Laishram Sarita Devi, ace choreographer Terence Lewis, film director & writer Harshavardhan Kulkarni and distinguished designers Rocky Star and Namrata Joshipura. The state winners interacted with the jury panel and took to their questions with great confidence.

Femina Miss India is the country's most sought-after glamorous beauty pageant that turns dreams into reality. The talent hunt involves a careful search for the most promising candidate, poised with beauty, confidence, elegance, and intelligence, to represent India at Miss World. Since its inception, the household name of Femina Miss India has been a launchpad to million dreams, having scripted iconic success stories and hall of fame, such as Zeenat Aman, Juhi Chawla, Aishwarya Rai, Priyanka Chopra, Dia Mirza, Manushi Chhillar & Neha Dhupia, to name a few.  In addition, India is among the few countries to have won 6 Miss World Titles.