"For a complete outsider, I've had my fair share of success," says Lara Dutta

Over the past many years, Miss Diva has played an instrumental role in shaping the lives of numerous young talents to succeed in various spectrums of the entertainment industry. It believes in the power of beauty to transform attitudes, lives and present powerful opportunities for Indian women of all cultures and backgrounds.

Let’s take a look at the wondrous Bollywood journey of the stunning Lara Dutta, who strutted the runway with an aim to conquer the Universe!

Lara Dutta bursted into the pageantry space with her participation at Miss India and went on to win the title of Miss India Universe 2000. She earned the opportunity to represent India at the 49th edition of Miss Universe. She holds the distinction of being the second Indian to be crowned Miss Universe.

Post her stint in pageantry, the beautiful queen signed up for the Tamil film 'Arasatchi' in 2002; but, it wasn't released until mid-2004. And so she made her debut with 'Andaaz' starring Akshay Kumar and Priyanka Chopra in 2003. However, back then, Dutta's voice was dubbed by Mona Shetty. During an interview, Lara revealed that the makers wanted two distinct characters for the female leads, and they needed Kajal (Lara's character) to have a high-pitched voice.

Lara, who once made national news with her glorious win at Miss Universe, soon took to the headlines following the release of her debut flick. Following her remarkable performance in the romantic musical film 'Andaaz,' she won the Filmfare Award for Best Female Debut and Star Screen Award Most Promising Newcomer - Female and Exciting New Face Awards.

Even before making her debut in cinemas, Lara appeared in Abhijeet Bhattacharya's music video titled 'Tu Chalu Hai Re.' Her cameo with the song 'Aisa Jadoo' in Khakee became a chartbuster upon release.