Mister India
| Type | Men's beauty pageant |
|---|---|
| Franchise holder | The Times Group |
| Parent organization | Femina |
| Headquarters | Mumbai, India |
| Country represented | India |
| Qualifies for | |
| First edition | 2014 (May) |
| Most recent edition | 2024 (July) |
| Language | Hindi, English |
Times Mister India, aka Mister India World, is a beauty pageant and organization that selects the India's official representative to the Mister World and the Mister Supranational pageants.[1]
History
[edit]The Times Group, the owner of the franchises for Femina Miss India and Miss Diva, launched Mister India in May 2014, holding its inaugural edition as "Mr India 2014" The pageant continued with consecutive editions until 2016. It then went on an extended temporary hiatus due to delays in the conduct of Mister World pageant, which resulted in no annual national competitions being held from 2018 to 2023.[2][3]
The winner of the Times Mister India pageant primarily represents India at Mister World. Additionally, Mister India sent delegates to Mister Supranational from 2016 to 2021, with a separate digital edition held in 2021 to specifically select a representative for that year's Mister Supranational 2021 competition.[4][5]
Marking its return in 2024, the Mister India pageant held its 6th edition on July 20th. This marked the longest hiatus between editions, with seven years having passed since the last competition held in 2017 formally on-stage. Also, the Mister India 2024 edition featured the highest number of shortlisted contestants (thirty-five) compared to any previous edition.[6]
International Victories
[edit]India has participated in the Mister World pageant since its inception. In 2014, the Times Group began sending representatives to the competition. Prateik Jain, India's inaugural participant (Times), achieved a Top 10 finish at the Mister World 2014 pageant and was also crowned Mister World Continental King of Asia.
In 2016, Rohit Khandelwal secured India's first and, to date, only Mister World title. This historic win also marked the first time an Asian contestant had claimed the coveted crown. That same year, Jitesh Naresh Thakur represented India at the inaugural Mister Supranational pageant, earning the position of second runner-up and the title of Mister Supranational Asia.
In 2018, Prathamesh Maulingkar became the first Indian and Asian winner of the Mister Supranational pageant. This achievement solidified India's position as the first country to have won both the Miss and Mister Supranational titles.
Rahul Rajasekharan was the last Indian representative to the Mister Supranational pageant selected by the Times Group, prior to the renewal of their partnership with the Mister Supranational organization in 2025. Since its inaugural edition until 2021, the Times Group has sent five representatives to the Mister Supranational pageant. All of their representatives have placed in the finals bagging 4 continental titles, with one winning the Mister Supranational title, one being the 2nd Runner-up and three in the Top 10.
Titles
[edit]| Number of wins under Times Mister India | |
|---|---|
| Pageant | Wins |
| Mister World | 1 |
| Mister Supranational | 1 |
Note that the year designates the time Times Mister India has acquired that particular pageant franchise.
Editions
[edit]Below is the complete list of Times Mister India editions.
| Year | Date | Mister India | Entrants | Pageant venue | Broadcaster |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | May 8, 2014 | Prateik Jain | 14 | D'Bell, Parel, Mumbai | Zoom TV |
| 2015 | July 11, 2015 | Rohit Khandelwal | 15 | Club Royalty, Mumbai | |
| 2016 | December 11, 2016 | Vishnu Raj Menon | 16 | ||
| 2017 | December 14, 2017 | Jitesh Singh Deo | 16 | Castella de Aguada, Mumbai | |
| 2019 | September 26, 2019 | Varun Verma | None | Rocky Star Cocktail Bar, Mumbai | Official Social Media Handle |
| 2021 | June 8, 2021 | Rahul Rajasekharan | 12 | Virtual pageant | |
| 2024 | July 20, 2024 | Gokul Ganesan | 35 | Mumbai |
Titleholders
[edit]| Edition | Date | Mister India | Mister India Supranational | Current titles | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mister India World | 1st Runner-up | 2nd Runner-up | ||||
| 1 | May 2014 | Prateik Jain | None | Prateik Jain | Puneet Beniwal | Bharat Raj |
| 2 | July 2015 | Rohit Khandelwal | Jitesh Thakur | Rohit Khandelwal | Rahul Rajasekharan | Prateek Gujral |
| 3 | December 2016 | Vishnu Raj Menon | Altamash Faraz | Vishnu Raj Menon | Varun Verma | Devesh Khanduja |
| 4 | December 2017 | Jitesh Singh Deo | Prathamesh Maulingkar | Jitesh Singh Deo | Abhi Khajuria | Pavan Rao |
| — | September 2019 | Varun Verma | No pageant held instead appointed by Miss India Organization. | |||
| 5 | June 2021 | Rahul Rajasekharan | A virtual competition was held solely to select the representative for Mister Supranational 2021. | |||
| 6 | July 2024 | Gokul Ganesan | None | Gokul Ganesan | Not awarded | |
| 7 | 2025 | TBA | ||||
Placements in international pageants
[edit]The following is the placement of Times Mister India titleholders in international pageants.
- : Declared as Winner
- : Ended as runner-up or top 5/6 qualification
- : Ended as one of the finalist/Semi-finalists
- : Unplaced but given special award(s)
| Year | Delegate | Age[α] | Hometown | Competition performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placements | Special award(s) | ||||
| 2014 | Prateik Jain | 25 | Bangalore | Top 10 | 6 Special Awards
|
| 2016 | Rohit Khandelwal | 27 | Hyderabad | Mister World 2016 | 1 Special Award
|
| 2019 | Vishnu Raj Menon | 28 | Thrissur | Unplaced | 1 Special Award
|
| 2024 | Gokul Ganesan | 24 | Chennai | Top 10 | 5 Special Awards
|
| Year | Delegate | Age[α] | Hometown | Competition performance | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Placements | Special award(s) | ||||
| 2016 | Jitesh Naresh Thakur | 27 | Rajasthan | 2nd Runner-up | 3 Special Awards
|
| 2017 | Altamash Faraz | 26 | New Delhi | Top 10 | 4 Special Awards
|
| 2018 | Prathamesh Maulingkar | 27 | Tivim | Mister Supranational 2018 | 2 Special Awards
|
| 2019 | Varun Verma | 27 | New Delhi | Top 10 | 3 Special Awards
|
| 2021 | Rahul Rajasekharan | 32 | Thrissur | Top 10 | 4 Special Awards
|
| 2025 | TBA | ||||
- ^α Age at the time of the international pageant
See also
[edit]
- List of Indian representatives at international male beauty pageants
- Femina Miss India
- List of beauty pageants
References
[edit]- ^ "Mr India 2024 makes a grand return with its latest edition!". femina.in.
- ^ "Provogue MensXP Mr India World 2014: Meet The 14 Finalists". mensxp.com.
- ^ "Mr India World 2014 winners announced". business-standard.com.
- ^ "Journey of Prathamesh Maulingkar from Mr.India to Mister Supranational". femina.in.
- ^ "Kerala's Rahul Rajasekharan is all set to represent India at Mister Supranational 2021 in Poland". indiatimes.com.
- ^ "The search for India's next Mr India begins, Meet the Top 35 finalists". femina.in.