Young and vivacious, Aayushi Dholakia, the second runner-up of Femina Miss India 2024 in a freewheeling chat with Times Now talks about her childhood days, what influenced her to participate in beauty pageants and how the feat she has achieved has made her feel more empowered. Aayushi shares that her mom always harboured a dream to see her daughter’s face on billboards one day. “She has served as a great catalyst in my life. Both my parents always encouraged me to participate in local pageants from a young age. From the age of 7, I was put on a stage to perform and be myself. So, over the course of so many years, I have only grown more and more confident in front of the camera,” shares Aayushi.
Recalling one of the funny memories, Aayushi says that her mother always veered more towards gothic fashion style. "I had little fashion sense back then. However, I managed to pull off every look by just wearing my beautiful smile and feeling confident in my skin. So, I learnt early on that confidence and a pleasant facial countenance can make a huge difference,” shares Aayushi.
When we hear the word beauty pageants, most of us conjure up this image of really tall, slim girls walking down the ramp. However, Aayushi has always viewed beauty pageants as a platform where one can showcase one's personality, talent and be themselves. "I am 5 feet 5 inches tall and I was always told by people that they wished I was taller by one or two inches. Plus, I have broad shoulders and this is why I may not always come across as a skinny person. However, none of these things have ever mattered to me. I feel confident in my skin and that's what matters. At beauty pageants, a contestant is judged on their overall personality," she shares.
Talking about days when she was prepping for the beauty pageant, Aayushi recalls how she was ecstatic most of the time. From seeing herself on the screen walk like a model, savouring every moment of the journey, reading up about what was happening around in the world to trying different looks, Aayushi misses those days with fond memories. "I have been participating in beauty pageants since the age of 7 and over the course of years, I had a developed a sense of what needed to be done. However, during the tenure of Femina Miss India, there were times when I had to struggle with that element of uncertainty. It would bother me at first, but then I learnt to be spontaneous and go with the flow. The experience pushed me to be comfortable outside of my comfort zone," says Aayushi.
Recalling one of the comments that made Aayushi feel proud and that has stayed with her, she shared, "My father didn't come for finale of the pageant, as he was too stressed. However, after I came as a runner up, he told me that the time he saw Femina Miss India was when Priyanka Chopra was crowned and after that, all these years later, he saw me win the title of a second runner up. He was proud and that made my heart smile too," she said.
Recently, at Bennett University, Aayushi along with other winners of Femina Miss India 2024 had a chance to play pickleball. Sharing her experience about the same, Aayushi reminisced that while she was not very good at the sport, she does find it super interesting. "If I get a chance to anchor any sport event involving pickleball, I think I would be more than happy to do that," she says.
Reflecting on her future goals, Aayushi says she is open to lapping up any opportunity that comes her way. "Be it some interesting acting assignment, something in broadcast journalism or anything that involves me being in front of the camera, I am open to experiment," she says.