Miss World 2026 is underway, celebrating its 75th Anniversary in Vietnam this time, between August 9 and September 5. From India, Nikita Porwal is working hard to bring home the crown after 9 long years, ever since Manushi Chhillar won the 67th Miss World 2017 crown in China.

Last night, during the Dances of the World round, Porwal graced the stage in a custom Torani ensemble, channelling the “colour, craft and the spirit of the Devi”, inspired by Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai.

Decoding her look

Completing her custom Torani ensemble, Porwal slipped into a sculpted gold bustier by Amama Jewels, along with earrings, a head ornament, and body jewellery that added luminous strength and regality to the outfit.

Taking to Instagram, she shared the vision behind her look:

Porwal in custom Torani. (Source: Instagram/ @nikitaporwal_)

“A celebration of India, told through colour, craft and the spirit of the Devi. For Dances of the World, I wore this extraordinary bespoke creation by @toraniofficial, inspired by Meenakshi, the Goddess in Colour. The look brings together rich, kaleidoscopic hues, intricate embroidery, hand tapka detailing and a fluid dhoti style silhouette that beautifully bridges heritage and modernity,” she mentioned in the caption of her post.

Porwal further added that what made this look special to her was the way “every element carried a sense of movement and mythology”, to an extent that it “felt rooted, expressive and alive”.

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According to her, it was a modern interpretation of tradition, and her way of carrying the eternal spirit of the Devi onto the world stage — where she performed a choreography curated by Sandip Soparrkar and Prashasti Maneshwar.

Who is Nikita Porwal?

Porwal was crowned Femina Miss India World 2024 two years ago in Mumbai. Hailing from the city of Ujjain in Madhya Pradesh, she started her career as a TV anchor and later moved onto acting and theater. Over the years, Porwal has performed in more than 60 plays and even wrote a 250-page play titled Krishna Leela. She is also part of a feature film that has been showcased at international festivals and will soon be released in India.

 

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She is currently representing India at the Miss World pageant, joining the ranks of iconic Miss World winners like Aishwarya Rai and Priyanka Chopra. In her introduction video shared on social media, she revealed her life motto: “Be a life that matters, a loss that’s felt” and added that she harbours dreams of working with filmmaker Sanjay Leela Bhansali some day.

The actor also credited her journey and growth for inspiring her to be the best version of herself. “When I look back and see how far I’ve come, I realise I have the power to shape my future,” she added, which further motivates her to keep pushing forward.

Ever since snippets from the pageant circulated online, netizens have continued to cheer on Porwal in the comments underneath her social media posts. From calling her “Queen” and “Goddess” to requesting her to “Please bring back the crown after 9 years”, fans are looking forward to seeing the next Miss World raise the Indian flag on the final stage.

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