Bollywood actress Dia Mirza on Thursday penned a note on the 25th anniversary of her participation in the Miss India 2000 contest that launched her into the limelight.

Held on January 15, 2000, the competition featured contestants from across India and was a major milestone in Dia’s career. Dia was the second runner-up, while Priyanka Chopra emerged as the first runner-up in the contest. Lara Dutta went on to bag the Miss India crown that year.

Later that year, Dia, Lara and Priyanka won the Miss Asia Pacific International, Miss Universe and Miss World titles, respectively.

“The Femina Miss India Contest was a truly grand spectacle! We had the most amazing women participating from across the country. Each of them has gone on to create their own unique story,” Dia wrote in her post.

Dia recalled a special moment backstage with judge Shah Rukh Khan, whom she described as someone she deeply admired growing up. “The photoshoot with Shah Rukh Khan right after our win happened backstage. The cover shot is evidence,” she shared.

The pivotal moment in the contest came during the final question round, where Dia was asked, “If you were the policeman in the Garden of Eden, who would you punish for the first sin: Adam, Eve, or the serpent?” Her answer was, “I would not punish any of them. For if they had not sinned, we would not be on this Earth today.”

The Miss India 2000 pageant brought together an esteemed panel of judges, including Shah Rukh Khan, Juhi Chawla, artist Anjolie Ela Menon, designer Carolina Herrera, businessman Marcus Swarovski, journalist Pritish Nandy, cricketer Mohammed Azharuddin, and veteran actress Waheeda Rehman.

Malaika Arora and Rahul Khanna hosted the event, while the production featured contributions from Hemant Trivedi, Nayanika Chatterjee, and Omung Kumar.

Reflecting on the past two and a half decades, Dia expressed gratitude for the experience and also praised her fellow winners, Lara Dutta and Priyanka Chopra. “I love and admire you both. We went on to make history that year,” she wrote.

“Time flies. Each of us has evolved and found our own way of making sense of our time on Earth. It’s been 25 years since this paradigm shift. And I am grateful for it,” Dia signed off.