In 1994, Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai made India proud on the global stage as they were crowned Miss Universe and Miss World, respectively. Few people know that Shwetha Menon, the newly appointed first woman president of the Association of Malayalam Movie Artistes (AMMA), was also a participant in the same competition. In fact, Shwetha shared a room with Aishwarya during the contest.
What's Happening
At the India Today Conclave South 2025, Shwetha walked down memory lane and said, "I was a roommate of Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen won it." Francesca Hart was the third runner-up.
Shwetha shared that she participated in Miss India Asia Pacific and became the third runner-up. "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 said.
In an earlier interview with Matrubhumi, Shwetha Menon said she was the first runner-up in the Miss India competition. She shared, "One day when I came back from school, my father informed me that there was a letter from Coimbatore to participate in the Miss India contest. Though he was not very happy about the fact that I sent the application without consulting him, he gave me permission to participate in the contest and accompanied me to Coimbatore. I came first runner-up in the competition and my photos appeared in newspapers in Kerala. As the first runner-up, though I was qualified to participate in the final, I wasn't allowed since my age was below 18."
Shwetha's Career
Shwetha stepped into the industry with the 1991 film Anaswaram, starring Mammootty. She made her Bollywood debut with the 1997 film Prithvi, also starring Suniel Shetty and Shilpa Shetty. She appeared in many Hindi films in the early 2000s, including Asoka, 88 Antop Hill, Hungama, and Corporate, among others.