After winning such a sought after title, she will now be considered the pride of India and an inspiration to many other young women in the country.  As part of the Top 3 round, the contestants were asked, ‘What advice would you give to young women watching on how to deal with the pressures they face today?’ Harnaaz’s answer demonstrates her status as a role model, ‘Well, I think the biggest pressure the youth of today is facing is to believe in themselves. To know that you are unique and that’s what makes you beautiful, stop comparing yourselves with others, and let’s talk about more important things that’s happening worldwide. I think this is what you need to understand. Come out, speak for yourself, because you are the leader of your life. You are the voice of your own [life]. I believe in myself and that’s why I’m standing here today. Thank you’.

However, the question on everyone’s lips is whether the latest reigning beauty queen will follow her Indian predecessors by pursuing a career in Bollywood. It appears that the Punjabi stunner will indeed try her hand in the acting world very soon. This is hardly surprising, as it seems that beauty pageants provide a direct route to a Bollywood career and most have been successful, when you consider the likes of Sushmita Sen, Lara Dutta, Priyanka Chopra Jonas and Aishwarya Rai. Beauty contest winners have made it to B-town as far back as the 70’s, when disco diva Zeenat Aman was crowned Miss Asia Pacific and then went on to become an iconic actress in the industry. We look forward to seeing Harnaaz on the big screen – watch this space!

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