00:00Ladies and gentlemen, the new Miss Universe India is contention number 18, Keziyaal Esmaizu.
00:13She was born in the desert heat of Abu Dhabi, thousands of miles from the coconut trees of Kerala.
00:20And nobody in that room in Jaipur expected a 19-year-old law student to walk away wearing the biggest
00:26crown in Indian pageantry.
00:28But on the night of August 23, 2026, at Z Studios in Jaipur, history did not just happen.
00:36It happened for the very first time for an entire state.
00:41Keziyaal Esmaizu became the first woman from Kerala to ever be crowned Miss Universe India.
00:46She was born in 2007, which makes her only 19 years old.
00:51One of the youngest women to ever win this national title.
00:55Her roots trace back to Mavalikara, in Kerala's Alapuja district.
00:59But her childhood was spent far from home, growing up in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates.
01:06She studied at Emirates National School, then St. Joseph School, and later Abu Dhabi Indian School.
01:13Real confidence in front of strangers, and the ability to communicate with anyone, from anywhere.
01:19Today, while most people her age are still figuring out their next step,
01:24Keziya is already juggling two demanding worlds.
01:27She is pursuing a law degree in Bengaluru, while simultaneously building a modeling career.
01:33But pageantry was never new territory for her.
01:36Her journey began when she won the Miss Teen Diva title back in 2024.
01:41Just one year later, in 2025, she represented India on the international stage at Miss Teen International.
01:49And finished as the first runner-up, gaining priceless exposure to global competition.
01:55But here is what makes her story so much deeper than a crown and a sash.
02:00Keziya is a trained classical dancer, with 12 years of discipline behind her.
02:04She sings, she plays both the drums and the violin.
02:09She has explored public speaking, and she even made her acting debut in the Malayalam film Shylock.
02:15This is not a one-dimensional beauty queen.
02:18This is a multi-talented artist who has been quietly building a resume of excellence since childhood.
02:23And yet, behind every one of these achievements, was a battle that so many young people today will recognize instantly.
02:30Keziya has openly spoken about struggling with her self-image, and her confidence, for years.
02:37At one point, she admitted she went years without keeping a single unfiltered photo of herself.
02:43If this story inspired you even a little, smash that like button, subscribe if you haven't already,
02:49and share this with someone who needs to hear that confidence can be built, even when it doesn't start out
02:55real.
02:56We will be able to see her as well.
