Former Miss World Yukta Mookhey who won the pageant in 1999 has been away from the limelight for quite a while. In a recent interview, she has spoken about other actresses who have also been pageant winners – be it Sushmita Sen or Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. She also spoke about Juhi Chawla and how gracious she has been.While Sushmita had won the Miss Universe title in 1994, Aishwarya was crowned Miss World in the same year. As Yukta was shown a picture with both of them and Diana Haydon, she spoke fondly of the three ladies. She recalled how Sushmita was extremely encouraging of her, while Aishwarya was so well spoken, poised and dignified and this is what is so inspiring about these women, apart from just their outer beauty. Speaking about Diana, she said during this chat with Filmy Media, “Diana was like an elder sister. She prepped me thoroughly about to say, what not to say, how to stay mindful. Her advice made me feel supported and prepared.”She was then asked if it’s fair for people to now comment on Aishwarya’s weight gain or just how she’s looking. Yukta was also asked about the way people comment not just on Aishwarya but also her family and daughter Aaradhya. Yukta reacted and expressed it’s quite sad and people should stop it. She said, “It’s a clear violation of boundaries, chaahe woh public figure ho, chaahe woh accessible ho. This is not a way to treat a lady who has made so much name for our country, not just because she’s Miss World but also what she’s done at Cannes or with work in Hollywood. Aaj tak unke mukh se kisi ke liye bura nahi nikla. Mera naman hai uss stree ko jisne aaj tak kisi ke liye kuch nahi bola. Unki bacchi joh innocent hai, woh public mein leke aa rahi hai, iska matlab yeh thodi hai ke aap unke liye bolenge. Woh iss desh ki beti hai, iss desh ki grand-daughter hai. She’s Amitabh Bachchan’s granddaughter, aap yeh toh socho ke kiske baare mein bol rahe ho. (I bow down to that lady Aishwarya who has never said anything bad about anyone. Just because she gets her daughter in public, doesn’t give anyone the right to comment on her. Atleast think who are you even talking about. She’s Amitabh Bachchan’s grand-daughter).”Further talking about Aaradhya, Yukta added, “I’ve seen some videos of her and she’s just as dignified as her mother. This is culture.” She added, “It’s a reflection of society. Poore naakhun nikaalke noch lena. (It’s like people are ripping out their nails and attacking someone). We are misusing freedom of speech. Bohot galat ho raha hai. It’s better we not normalise it.”Yukta also added that film people should protect their children from the public eye till they get matured and that’s the right way to go about it.
