Yukta Mookhey

Yukta Mookhey
Mookhey at a launch event forMarc Cainstore in 2013
Born	Yukta Inderlal Mookhey (1977-10-07)7 October 1977or (1979-10-07)7 October 1979 (47 or45) Bangalore,Karnataka,India
Alma mater	Vaze College of Arts, Science and Commerce
Occupations	Actress civic activist model
Height	5 ft 11 in (180 cm)
Spouse	Prince Tuli ​ ​ (m.2008;div.2014)​
Children	1
Beauty pageanttitleholder
Years active	1999–2019
Hair colour	Black
Eye colour	Brown

Yukta Inderlal Mookheyis an Indian civic activist and the winner ofMiss World 1999pageant. She is the fourth Indian woman to winMiss Worldand was previously crowned asFemina Miss India Worldin 1999. She is a former model and actress, and has worked inHindifilms.

Early life

Mookhey was born inBangalorein aSindhifamilyand was raised inDubaiuntil Mookhey was seven years of age.Her family moved back toMumbaiin June 1986. Her mother Aroona used to run agroomingsaloon inSanta Cruz,Mumbai and her father, Inderlal Mookhey was a former Managing Director of a clothing company.After school, she studiedzoologyat theV. G. Vaze Collegein Mumbai. She has a diploma incomputer sciencesfromAptechand has studiedHindustani classical musicfor three years.

Pageantry

Femina Miss India

In 1999, Mookhey entered herself into theFemina Miss Indiacontest, where she was shortlisted as a contestant. In the semifinal round during the grand finale, she was asked a question by judgeViv Richards- "How do you define a true sports person?", to which she answered:

"I would define a true sports person as the one who welcomes defeat as well as success with a healthy attitude and with a smile."

Mookhey proceeded to the succeeding round, where all her fellow Top 5 delegates were asked the same question - “In the context of the recent controversy, if you wereChelsea Clinton,what is the single most important advice, you as a daughter would you give to your parentsBill ClintonandHillary Clinton,and why?”, to which she answered:

"If I was Chelsea Clinton, I would tell my parents that in the values that you have taught me, I still stand by you no matter what. And I hope we can set an example for the rest of the world to see what family values and ethics are all about. Thank you."

At the end of the event, she was crowned as Miss India World 1999 by the outgoing titleholderAnnie Thomas,giving her the right to represent India at theMiss World 1999contest.

Miss World

The 49th edition of the Miss World pageant was held on 4 December 1999 atOlympia, Londonand 93 delegates from around the world competed for the title. During the pageant's question and answer round, she was asked if she could be anyone in the world who would she want to be. Mookhey replied - “It would have to beAudrey Hepburn.It was her inner beauty, compassion and her aura. The calm that she had inside her reflected.”

At the end of the event, Mookhey was crowned asMiss World 1999by her predecessorLinor Abargilfrom Israel.The first runner-up title was won byMartina ThorogoodfromVenezuela,followed by the second runner-up,Sonia RacitiofSouth Africa.Mookhey also won the Asia & Oceania's Queen of Beauty Award during the Miss World contest.Mookhey became the fourth woman from India to win Miss World afterReita Fariain 1966,Aishwarya Raiin 1994 andDiana Haydenin 1997.

Social works

After Mookhey's tenure as Miss World, she involved herself in varioussocialand charitable causes.She has worked for the people affected byHIV/AIDS,breast cancerandthalassemia.Mookhey has pledged to donate her organs. In connection with this, she stated, “This step will benefit someone, once I leave this world”.She also works as an educationist and provides motivational counseling in various platforms.She partnered with an NGO to guide young girls from theslums,nudging them towards self-contemplation, understanding their needs and help them to become aware of their bodies, throughcounseling.

She has voiced against illegalchild labourcarried out in India'sfirecrackerindustries, which is an offence under the Indian law.She has also aided the people withhearing impairment,from marginalised and low-income segment of the society. She expressed - “I have spent my time learning the Indiansign languagebecause I feel that hearing impaired people have so much latent creativity and are hampered only by their inability to communicate. I would like to help them by drawing attention to this issue.”

Mookhey at the 2013Global Peaceconcert, in Mumbai'sAndheri Sports Complex,onMartyrs' Day(30 January)

Mookhey is anenvironmental activist,and has participated in various clean drives and social movements to preventdeforestation.In 2018, she joined a campaign to prevent illegal tree cutting taking place at theSalim Ali Bird Sanctuary,to pave way for road and metro constructions.During the movement, she stated - “I don't see any reason behind constructing road and metro from the sanctuary. The metro can be constructed underground and the road can be made elsewhere. Humans are not capable of making of what ‘Mother Earth’ can do. So we are just asking to stop the works and also stop cutting the trees.”She also consigned a letter to thePune Municipal Corporation's Heritage Cell, to include the bird sanctuary in the list of national heritage sites.

She supports the Swachh Kalyani Nagar initiative inPune,and had campaigned the households to process their waste effectively through segregation andrecycling,ensuring minimum to zero garbage generation from individual societies.

Personal life

On 7 September 2008, Mookhey got engaged to Prince Tuli, a New York-based businessman and financial consultant at a ceremony held at the Grand Maratha inMumbai.The marriage was held on 2 November 2008 in a traditionalSikhceremony at a Nagpur Gurudwara followed by a reception.They have one son together.

Her brother Kanwal Mookhey is a businessman and is married to Indian television actressKarishma Randhawa.

In July 2013, Mookhey accused her husband and in-laws of subjecting her to domestic violence and harassment,and aFIRwas registered under Section 498A (cruelty and harassment) and Section 377 (unnatural sex) of theIndian Penal Code.In June 2014, the couple obtained a consensual divorce.

Career

Mookhey entered the film industry in 2001 through theTamilmoviePoovellam Un Vasam,where she appeared in a song titled "Yukta Mookhey". She made herHindi filmdebut withPyaasain 2002 starring withAftab Shivdasani.The film proved to be a flop at the box office. Mookhey was cast inMarketbut had to drop out due to an injury. In 2003, she signedKab Kyon KahanandHum Teeno,but both films where later shelved. She was later signed up for the 2004 releaseInsaaf: The Justice,but had to drop the project.In 2005, she acted in two films,MemsahabandLove in Japan.In 2006, she appeared in the music video for "Kathputali".In 2010, she acted inOdia filmSwayamsiddha,where she played aMaoistnamed Swayamsiddha.

Filmography

Films

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
2001	Poovellam Un Vasam	Guest appearance	Tamilfilm
2002	Ishq Na Karna Aya	Self	Short film
	Pyaasa	Sheetal	Hindi film
2005	Dil Main Jaanam	Self	Short film
2006	Katputtli	Anju
	Love in Japan	Guest appearance
2007	Kab Kahaba Tu I Love You		Bhojpuri film
2008	Memsahab - Lost In A Mirage	Anjali
2010	Swayamsiddha	Shreya / Swayamsidha	Odia Film
2019	Good Newwz	IVF Center Patient	Hindi film

Television

Year	Title	Role	Notes	Ref.
1999	Femina Miss India 1999	Herself / contestant
	Miss World 1999	Herself / contestant / winner	International pageant
2000	International Indian Film Awards 2000	Host	Award ceremony
	Miss World 2000	Herself/ Reigning Miss World	International pageant
2006	Jodi Kamaal Ki	Herself	Game show(participated with her father, Inderlal Mookhey)

External links

• Yukta MookheyatIMDb