- Lara Dutta answered questions about skydiving, women politicians, and Bharatnatyam dance form
- Lara explained Bharatnatyam's dance technique involving a low center of gravity and hand gestures
- She defended the Miss Universe pageant against protests, highlighting its platform for women
In 2000, Lara Dutta brought home the Miss Universe crown, but she also created history by becoming the highest scorer. During the final interview round, she answered several questions with utmost grace and earned a near-perfect score of 9.9 out of 10. It remains one of the highest scores in the history of the prestigious pageant.
Lara Dutta's Miss Universe Interview That Earned A Record 9.9 Score
"You're from a family of pilots, but you say your goal is to, you know, you want to jump from a plane. Are the pilots in your family that bad?" the interviewer asked Lara Dutta.
"Well, not really. My father and my sister are both pilots, but I've clocked so many miles sitting behind the controls as a passenger that I guess it's time I jump. That's something I've always wanted to do, skydive," she replied with a smile on her face.
The second question was, "India has had some very prominent female leaders. What makes women politicians different from men?" Answering the question, the actor said that "a certain amount of sensitivity" distinguished female politicians from male politicians.
"I think women are very strong in India. They're very well educated...and they're standing shoulder-to-shoulder with their men and making a mark in their own field," she added, drawing cheers from the audience.
Next, the host asked her to help him pronounce the classical dance form that Lara Dutta had mastered, and he also asked her to perform it.
"It's called Bharatnatyam. I can't do it in this gown because I need to squat to dance," she replied calmly and gracefully.
Explaining the dance form, she said, "It's about fitting into a universe which is square and your centre of gravity. Therefore, you squat. So, your centre of gravity is lower and a few steps. Well, it goes with your hands. This is Pataka, Tripataka, and that is Padma."
Lara Dutta's Winning Answer At Miss Universe 2000
Lara Dutta was the second Indian woman to win Miss Universe. She was told to defend the pageant against protesters. The interviewer said, "Right now, there is a protest going on right outside here calling the Miss Universe Pageant disrespectful of women. Convince them they are wrong."
With a composed voice, she replied, "I think pageants like the Miss Universe pageant give us young women a platform to foray in the fields that we want to and forge ahead, be it entrepreneurship, be it the armed forces, be it politics. It gives us a platform to voice our choices and opinions and makes us the strong, independent that we are today."
Before Lara Dutta, Sushmita Sen was crowned Miss Universe in 1994.
Also Read | Miss Universe India 2026 Finalist Fractured Her Foot Before Pagaent. Here's What Happened Next
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