Actor Shwetha Menon, who was recently appointed as the first woman president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), took a nostalgic trip back to 1994—the year India saw Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai bring home the Miss Universe and Miss World crowns. Speaking at an event, Shwetha revealed that she too was a contestant in the same Miss India pageant and shared a room with Aishwarya during the competition.“I was a roommate of Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen won it,” Shwetha told India Today, recalling the energy and excitement of that time. Francesca Hart was the third runner-up, while Shwetha herself went on to represent India at Miss India Asia Pacific, where she finished as third runner-up.
‘I managed it without any backing’
Looking back at her pageant journey, Shwetha said her achievement was hard-earned, especially in a time when opportunities and visibility were limited. “I went to Miss India Asia Pacific, but managed to get third runner-up without any backing. The excitement that we had, I can see it in everyone now and in my daughter too. Today, I think everyone is a model,” she shared.
Interestingly, Shwetha had earlier recalled being crowned first runner-up at Miss India but was disqualified from entering the final round because she was under 18.
From pageants to films
Shwetha soon transitioned to films, making her Malayalam debut with Mammootty’s Anaswaram (1991) and entering Bollywood with Prithvi (1997), co-starring Suniel Shetty and Shilpa Shetty. She went on to feature in Hindi films like Asoka, 88 Antop Hill, Hungama, and Corporate. A two-time Kerala State Film Award winner for Best Actress, Shwetha has now carved out a respected space in Malayalam cinema and is also scripting history as AMMA’s first female president.
