Harnaaz Sandhu
Harnaaz Kaur Sandhu (born 3 March 2000) is an Indian model, actress, and beauty pageant titleholder who was crowned Miss Universe 2021. She had been previously crowned Miss Universe India 2021, and is the third entrant from India to win Miss Universe after a long gap of 21 years. Sandhu was previously crowned Femina Miss India Punjab in 2019, and placed as a semifinalist at Femina Miss India 2019 pageant. Early life and education
Sandhu was born in the village of Kohali in Gurdaspur district, Punjab, to parents Pritampal Singh Sandhu and Rabinder Kaur Sandhu. Her father is a realtor and her mother is a gynecologist. She also has one sibling. Sandhu was raised in a Punjabi Jat Sikh family. In 2006, she moved to England, before returning to India two years later and settling in Chandigarh. She attended Shivalik Public School and the Post Graduate Government College for Girls, both in Chandigarh. Prior to becoming Miss Universe, Sandhu was pursuing a master's degree in public administration. In addition to her native language Punjabi, Sandhu is also fluent in Hindi and English. Pageantry
Sandhu began competing in pageantry as a teenager, winning Miss Chandigarh 2017 and Miss Max Emerging Star India 2018. She participated in Miss Diva 2018 and a finalist. After winning Femina Miss India Punjab 2019, Sandhu competed in Femina Miss India 2019, where she was placed in the top 12. Miss Diva 2021

During the preliminary competition held on 22 September, Sandhu won the Miss Beautiful Skin award and became a finalist for Miss Beach Body, Miss Beautiful Smile, Miss Photogenic, and Miss Talented. She was one of the top 10 semifinalists at the main contest. During the opening statement round, she said:

 
During the final question and answer round, as one of the top 5 contestants, she had selected "Global Warming and Climate Change", to which she said:

At the end of the event, Sandhu was crowned as the winner by the outgoing titleholder Adline Castelino, and went on to represent India at the Miss Universe 2021. Miss Universe 2021

Sandhu represented India at Miss Universe 2021 on 13 December 2021 in Eilat, Israel. In the national costume round, Sandhu wore a pink royal lehenga with matching pink umbrella adorned with mirrors. During the top 5 question and answer round, Sandhu picked Rena Sofer, who asked her "many people think climate change is a hoax, what would you do to convince them to take it seriously?" She answered:

Advancing to the top 3, in the final question and answer portion, host Steve Harvey asked: "What advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today?" Sandhu replied:

Sandhu was announced Miss Universe 2021 by host Steve Harvey and crowned by the outgoing titleholder Andrea Meza of Mexico. As Miss Universe, Sandhu traveled to Israel, various cities within the United States, the Philippines, Indonesia, Vietnam, South Africa, Colombia, Thailand, and her home country of India. On January 14, 2023, Sandhu crowned R'Bonney Gabriel of the United States as her successor at Miss Universe 2022 at the New Orleans Morial Convention Center, New Orleans, Louisiana, United States. Filmography

Films

Television

Music videos

Awards

References

External links

2000 births
Female models from Chandigarh
Indian beauty pageant winners
Indian female models
Living people
Miss Universe 2021 contestants
Miss Universe winners
People from Gurdaspur district
Indian Sikhs