DUBAI LETS ME BE REBELLIOUS:

MISS UNIVERSE HOPEFUL

- By Manjusha Radhakrishnan Entertainment Editor

Let's face it — most people don't expect a mother of two teenagers, aged 14 and 17, from Dubai to enter the Miss Universe India pageant and shake up the status quo.

But that's exactly why UAE-based Tasneem Raza is impossible to ignore. The statuesque PR professional-turned-model, 42, is not here to smile politely or recite rehearsed lines about world peace. She's entering the main Miss Universe India competition - not a “Mrs.” or special category - but the real deal, as a UAE-based contestant of Indian origin.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, she tell us that she's here to reclaim her space, challenge old-school beauty norms, and serve up a reminder that motherhood isn't a full stop - it's just the second act.

RAISING THE BAR

"Just because I have kids doesn't mean I disappear ... I've spent years raising my family — now it's time to raise the bar."

And raise it she has - with confidence and purpose, from the UAE, a place that helped shape her ambitions. Plus, thanks to recent rule changes by the Miss Universe organisation in 2023, married women and mothers are now eligible to compete — a shift that makes Tasneem's entry all the more timely.

Unlike the typical contestant raised in India's tightly knit pageant ecosystem, Tasneem enters from left field - or more accurately, from the Emirates Hills-meets-after-school-drop-off reality of Dubai.

'DUBAI'S ENERGY FUELS ME'