Sushmita Sen has come under fire after a video from the 2026 Miss Universe India pageant, held on August 23 in Jaipur, showed her favouring Vaishnavi Gannesh, the 1st runner-up and Miss International India 2026.
Sushmita Sen ignored Miss Universe India 2026?
The internet accused Sushmita Sen of ignoring the newly crowned Miss Universe India, Kaziah Liz Mejo from Kerala. On August 24, Majestic Moments, an Instagram page, shared a video in which it appears that Sushmita walks straight towards Vaishnavi, though she congratulates the freshly crowned Kaziah, but the interaction lasts only a few seconds.
Then, Sushmita is seen consoling Vaishnavi, taking the Miss International India 2026 crown off her head, placing it back on her head, and fixing it for her, while others, including Celina Jaitly and Urvashi Rautela, cheer. The video also shows Sushmita walking past Kaziah once again.
Internet disappointed with Sushmita’s reaction
After the video was shared online, many expressed their disappointment with Sushmita’s reaction, as they thought she preferred Vaishnavi as the better contender for the Miss Universe India title. Meanwhile, some guessed that her reaction was due to Kaziah winning the pageant unfairly.
An Instagram user pointed out, “Sushmita going to the other girl first, it definitely felt a bit off. Shouldn’t you always congratulate the actual winner first before moving to anyone else?” Someone else wrote, “Is this really how a former Miss Universe should behave? I’m disappointed by Sushmita’s attitude. Kaziah truly deserved the crown; she worked hard and earned her place.”
One Instagram user wrote, “I honestly don’t get the hate. Look at Kaziah the way she carries herself, speaks, and answers every single question with such unmatched confidence! Her answers were on another level compared to the others.”
Another user commented, “It’s extremely immature and unprofessional to act that way towards someone who worked hard to win. If you’re going to act that way, then maybe you shouldn’t be a judge.” “I didn’t expect this from Sushmita Sen,” someone else wrote.
“A Miss Universe is Miss Universe. Thank you, Sushmita mam, for letting us know how they cooked the entire thing. We all know what happened,” someone else commented, supporting Sushmita’s actions. Another commented, “Sushmita is letting the world know who the real Miss Universe is.”
Who is Kaziah Liz Mejo?
Kaziah Liz Mejo is from Kerala, and this weekend, she won the Miss Universe title. She is 19 years old, a law student and a model from Mavelikkara. She also represented India at Miss Teen International in 2025 and finished as the first runner-up. She also won the Miss Universe Kerala crown this year, and will now represent India at the Miss Universe 2026 pageant.
