India, May 21 -- From an actor to a producer to an environmental changemaker, Dia Mirza juggles her myriad roles with ease. But for a then 18-year-old Dia, the Hindi film industry was a world far removed from hers. The journey actually began with the Miss India pageant. "It feels almost surreal to look back 20 years. I was so young when it all happened," she says as she reminisces on an experience that made the innocent, young Hyderabad girl a household name, popular for her endearing smile and positivity. "The year 2000 marked a new millennium, bringing with it a sense of hope, promise and excitement", she adds.

Interestingly, Dia was never one who dreamt of winning a beauty pageant, but instead came from a very different world. "I happ...