MUMBAI: LIVA Miss Diva 2021 runner-up Sonal Kukreja says she wants to use the pageant as a platform to enable financial independence in women across the country and not as a springboard to launch her Bollywood career.
Kukreja, who hails from Jaipur, was adjudged the first runner-up in the pageant earlier this month. The 23-year-old said though she would give acting a shot if an opportunity comes her way, it is not going to be her only priority as of now.
"Pageants give you a platform but I don't necessarily see that as a gateway into Bollywood. Acting requires a whole different skill set than what you need in pageantry. "I'm someone who never wants to leave any rocks unturned so if an opportunity comes my way, I would love to explore it while continuing to work on my mission of providing financial independence and empowering women to create the life of their dreams," Kukreja told PTI.
Kukreja was born in Delhi and moved to Jaipur at the age of 10. She later shifted to the USA, aged 17, where she completed her bachelor's degree in marketing and digital media trends and analytics and worked in the field of marketing communications.
She is also the co-founder of a crypto financial institution and is currently working as the vice president of marketing and partnerships division at the start-up. To participate in the pageant, Kukreja said she had to balance her work and immerse herself in multitasking.
She recalled finishing emails and assigning tasks while getting her hair and makeup done early in the morning for the contest. "Being an entrepreneur in the FinTech industry, I never thought pageantry was for me. When the Miss Diva team reached out to me, I was surprised because, in my mind, I wasn't the perfect-looking girl," he said.
Neither did I have a background in modelling, nor did I want to be an actor. "Little did I know that pageantry is not just about beauty that catches the eye but it's about empowering women to become the best version of themselves and inspire other women to embrace femininity, sisterhood, and individuality," he said.
Her lack of modelling experience did make things challenging for Kukreja, who would constantly battle thoughts such as "I don't know how to walk a ramp" or "Everyone else has so much experience". "I was in a vulnerable state throughout the journey. I was modelling for the first time. It was hard for me to put all my inhibitions aside. It was midway through the journey when I realised it was never about anyone else but about making myself better. All I had to learn was to make uncomfortable situations my comfort zone," she added.
After being crowned as the first runner-up, Kukreja said she is ecstatic that she was able to represent herself at the pageant, which contrary to perceptions, does not reward "perfection". "I'm overjoyed with all the happiness, love and support I've received from every single person so far. Now I want to use this esteemed platform to amplify my mission of creating a financially independent India. I also want to take on this opportunity to demonstrate that you don't need to be perfect to be at a pageant, beauty is more than what catches the eye," she added.