How a small-town Kannadiga secured India’s first Miss Universe Petite crown

PTC News Desk: Can you picture working a 36-hour shift at a hospital and then voluntarily coming in the following day to work on your flaws and become a beauty queen? Since 2018, Hubli, Karnataka-born Shruti Hegde, a doctor and beauty queen, has been doing just that.

But this Kannadiga’s perseverance has paid off. Shruti Hegde made history as India’s first Miss Universal Petite a little over a month ago on June 10. The contest was founded in 2009 to provide chance to shorter women who frequently felt overshadowed by the amazonian norms of height.

Every year, Tampa, Florida, in the United States of America, hosts the spectacle.

“It was undoubtedly difficult. I discovered that being a doctor requires far more labour than I had previously imagined. Yes, sometimes it gets to be too much. However, I doubt I’ll pick one over the other. Hegde told PTI, “Instead, I want to find a balance between both.”

Hegde claimed that she never really thought about winning when she decided to compete in pageants.

“I think being a beauty queen is the dream of almost every small-town girl, and I am constantly eager to try new things.” I decided to just give it a shot. Hegde stated, “Having a mother who is more determined than I am to pursue my goals helped.”

That’s how Hedge ended herself entering the 2018 Miss Dharwad pageant. However, after she won the competition, things became really serious.

“I became aware throughout the competition that I was also picking up a lot of life lessons, the type that will make me a better person and better able to handle any circumstance. Hegde, who is presently pursuing an MD in dermatology and working as an intern at a hospital in Tumakuru, a city approximately 70 km away from Bengaluru, said, “I decided to give it my all and see where it took me.”

But then she encountered the next obstacle. In addition to having the resources to make all the preparations needed to become a beauty queen, Hubballi was a little town that also had to take a break and handle a medical issue.

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I had to have major surgery after learning that I had benign ovarian and uterine tumors in 2019. My life was consumed by this for two years, 2019 and 2020, as I recovered. For a long, I believed that to be the end of my pageantry career. Once more, my mom wouldn’t forgive me so lightly. Hegde remarked, “She stood behind me like a rock.

Hegde claimed that after that, she recovered, traveled throughout India, and enrolled in classes to give herself the composed appearance of a beauty queen.

There’s a lot involved, including walking, clothes, and diction. You would need to pay lakhs upon lakhs at first for all of that. However, at this point, nothing could stop me from continuing, Hedge remarked.

Financial hardship significantly decreased after she won a significant title, Miss Asia International India 2023’s second runner-up, according to Hegde.

“I began receiving sponsors for my clothing and other belongings. which was a relief because, up until then, I was only required to wear a few dresses to several pageants, Hegde said.

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Naturally, pageantry led to other opportunities in the entertainment sector. Hegde claimed that she has been getting offers to appear in movies and television shows since 2023.

Once more, I approached it with caution. began by using serials initially. However, the movie “Sharanara Shakti,” for which I recently wrapped production, helped me realize that a career in film might not be all that horrible,” Hegde continued.

Hegde revealed that she recently portrayed a dancer in the historical drama that follows the life of Basavanna, a poet, philosopher, and social reformer from the twelfth century.

“I realised that movies like ‘Sharanara Shakti’ are made possible by the Kannada film industry, which is once again opening up.” Here, perhaps, is the ideal moment to be an actress. Hegde stated, “I’ve made the decision to go ahead and see where it leads.

Hegde went on to say that she is currently filming “Janumadata,” another strange movie that delves into the background of a difficult father-son relationship.

“This time, I take the lead as the girlfriend who pushes the guy to confront his issues head-on despite his difficulties accepting his father for who he is,” Hegde added.

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