The Miss World 2026 finale is here, and India’s crown hopes rest on Nikita Porwal, the Madhya Pradesh-born performer who arrived at the international pageant with a background that extends well beyond modelling.

Porwal will compete at the 73rd edition of Miss World, which is also being celebrated as the pageant’s 75th anniversary edition. The finale is scheduled for September 5 in Vietnam, with viewers in India able to watch the event live on JioHotstar from 5:30 pm IST.

Miss World 2026: When and where to watch the finale

For those following Porwal’s bid for the Miss World crown, the key details are:

Date: September 5, 2026

Time: 5:30 pm IST

Country: Vietnam

Where to watch in India: JioHotstar

JioHotstar is streaming the Miss World 2026 finale exclusively in India, with the livestream beginning at 5:30 pm IST.

Who is Nikita Porwal?

Porwal’s journey to Miss World began in Ujjain, Madhya Pradesh, but the stage she is most familiar with is not necessarily a pageant runway.

The Femina Miss India World 2024 winner is a trained theatre performer, playwright and actor. According to her official Miss World profile, she has performed in more than 60 theatrical productions and studied Performing Arts with a specialisation in Dramatics. She is also the Creative Director of theatre company Rangrays.

Her creative work includes Krishna Leela, a 250-page theatrical production, while she has also acted in the Brij-language film Chambal Paar. Before entering the pageant world, she spent years developing her craft through acting and storytelling.

That background has given Porwal a different route to the international stage. Rather than viewing Miss World as a departure from theatre, she has spoken about the pageant as another platform through which she can tell stories, this time representing India.

From Ujjain to the Miss World stage

Porwal was crowned Femina Miss India World in October 2024, earning the opportunity to represent India at Miss World. Nearly two years later, she is set to compete for the international crown in Vietnam.

India has won the Miss World title six times, with Manushi Chhillar being the country's most recent winner in 2017. Porwal now enters the finale hoping to add another title to that record.

Her journey has also been closely tied to her work outside the pageant stage.

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Nikita Porwal’s Beauty With a Purpose project

As part of Miss World’s Beauty With a Purpose initiative, Porwal has worked on Project MAATI, which focuses on tribal women and children in Madhya Pradesh and Odisha.

The project addresses areas including education, healthcare, nutrition, hygiene, clean drinking water and economic opportunities. According to the Miss World organisation, the initiative has included the distribution of 100 water filters and 500 milk powder packets to more than 100 tribal families.

Porwal has also spent time visiting remote communities and working with organisations involved in education, healthcare and livelihood support.

Bringing Indian culture to Miss World

Porwal’s representation of India has also extended to the cultural segments of the competition.

For the Dances of the World presentation, she performed in an ensemble inspired by Goddess Meenakshi of Madurai. The bespoke Torani creation brought together vibrant colours, embroidery and traditional detailing, with Porwal using the presentation to showcase an Indian cultural narrative on the international stage.

Her official Miss World profile describes her interests as including poetry, painting, music, chess and animal welfare, alongside her work in theatre and social impact.

Now, that journey reaches its most visible moment.

As the Miss World 2026 finale gets underway in Vietnam, Porwal will be looking to turn years of theatre, pageantry, cultural representation and social-impact work into India's seventh Miss World crown.