On a balmy August afternoon, we arrive in Jodhpur, driving past clusters of blue houses and low stone walls, with the Mehrangarh Fort looming over the city until the road opens up to the imposing Ajit Bhawan. By this hour, the sun has melted the sandstone into deep tones of turmeric, terracotta, and old rose. Built in 1927 from red sedimentary rock, the mansion stands proudly as India’s first heritage hotel. The moment I step into the courtyard, the sweltering heat of the day dissipates into the cool shade of the jharokhas. The air is charged with the contrast between the desert’s dryness and the rich aroma of desi ghee tempering cumin in a distant kitchen. Wild magenta bougainvillea cascades over centuries-old archways, blanketing the ground in a garden of dry petals on a stone floor, still warm from the morning sun.
I head upstairs to the heritage suite for the day’s prep. While the place takes me back in time, the modern ring lights and mirrors give me a reality check until I see the army of brushes lined up against the antique tables, along with a rack of bespoke couture placed side by side with trays of glittering jewellery. Sitting amidst this arrangement is our Celebration Issue cover star, actor Manushi Chhillar, fresh off the flight from Glasgow, where she performed at the closing ceremony of the 2026 Commonwealth Games to carry the baton to Ahmedabad, the next host city in 2030. “The feeling never gets old,” she says, her voice cutting through the hum of a hairdryer. “While performing on a global stage offers a sense of catharsis, standing here within the timeless culture of this palace provides a different kind of grounding. It reminds you that being deeply rooted in your heritage is your truest strength,” she adds.
“I had a very fulfilling childhood, and it keeps me connected to the person I was before medicine, the Miss World pageant, and films.”
Once the prep is done, we make our way back downstairs. As she steps into the central courtyard for the first setup, the sunlight catches the gold threads of her outfit, perfectly matching the warm sandstone behind her. Our photographer, Taras Taraporvala, clicks a few test frames and quickly notices her effortless rhythm. She shifts smoothly between poses, catching the soft afternoon light across her face. She catches him viewing at the test monitor and offers an easy, knowing grin. “Years of pageantry. You learn a few things,” she quips.
That casual admission pulls me back to 2017, the year her face appeared on every news channel, billboard, and family WhatsApp group in the country. She was barely 20, plucked from a medical college lecture and swept straight into a whirlwind of global attention. India didn’t just celebrate her—it dissected her. Commentators debated her answers, tabloids scrutinised her wardrobe, and the internet trolls didn’t make it easy. She was asked to be a diplomat, a style icon, and an ideal—all at once. The world was suddenly trying to dictate exactly who she should be.
Watching her now, resting her forearm against a centuries-old pillar, I ask her about the disorienting lag between being globally known and knowing yourself.
“I had to build a skin thicker than these walls to stay focused on who I am,” she says, her voice softening. “Growing up in a middle-class household, you’re conditioned to care about optics. What will the relatives think? What will the neighbours say? You realise very quickly that if you want to protect your sanity, public opinion can’t be your compass. The moment you stop caring about external validation, you’re free of people’s opinions.”
That thick skin wasn’t built on indifference. It was forged in a childhood that was surprisingly grounded in the flux and chaos of real life. Long before she learned how to walk a runway in six-inch heels, her parents—both medical professionals— refused to let her lead a linear life. Her youth was a mosaic of classical dancing, oil painting, kayaking, rock climbing, and more. “My parents called me their little philosopher because I’d just phase out and daydream for hours,” she says, with a chuckle while watching the lawns below us. “I had a very fulfilling childhood, and it keeps me connected to the person I was before medicine, the Miss World pageant, and films.”
When she began preparing for medical school, that expansive childhood had to be sacrificed for the discipline of human anatomy and a fiercely competitive entrance exam. She took the All India Pre-Medical Test (now NEET) not once but twice during the turbulent 2015 re-examination cycle, an experience that gave her a deeper understanding of the pressure and uncertainty faced by countless students. Having sat for the same exam myself, I ask her how she looks back on the emotional toll of that period.
"The moment you stop caring about external validation, you’re free of people’s opinions."
“When competition becomes so cut-throat at such an early age, students don’t get the chance to interact with their peers, understand life, or build life skills. They’re confined, isolated with their books, preparing for one exam, and made to feel that their entire life is about it. As someone who has experienced that, and has lived a life beyond it, I tell everyone: work hard, give it your best, but don’t let one outcome define your life. There is so much more to experience.”
That refusal to let a single metric define her value became her blueprint when she made the leap from medicine to the silver screen. Stepping into Bollywood as an outsider without a film lineage is its own kind of blood sport. Box office numbers are parsed with the same brutal ruthlessness as entrance exam rank lists.
“When you’ve always done well academically, won competitions, and found a sense of achievement in the outcome, it’s heartbreaking when something doesn’t work out,” she admits, as the hairstylist steps in to adjust a long hair jewel woven into her braid for the second look. “You feel that hard work should guarantee a good result. But my life isn’t defined by one film. It’s a collective effort, and the outcome isn’t always in your control. So, I learned to detach.”
By late afternoon, the busy pace of the morning finally slows down. The sharp sunlight softens as we take our seats in the dining hall. A traditional brass thali arrives at our table, carrying rich local dishes like slow-cooked laal maas and steaming baati glistening with ghee. Over lunch, our conversation naturally moves into the unscripted, private parts of her world that include a return to her roots. Beyond acting, her early medical background has resurfaced in a new form through SOMA Longevity Sciences, her venture into preventive healthcare.
“I realised during my travels that longevity science is the medicine of the future, focussed entirely on prevention,” she explains, while breaking a piece of crisp flatbread. While the venture is a partnership with her father, its true purpose was shaped long before her pageant days. “When I did clinical postings in a government hospital, I saw the reality of healthcare in India,” she shares. “We have a long way to go when it comes to awareness about health, and an even longer way for women’s health. Everything I have been able to do in life has been possible because I had access to the right information about my body and knew how to take care of myself.”
After lunch, as the shoot winds toward its final frame, Manushi steps under the palace archways. Framed by guardsmen in vibrant orange turbans, she lightly gathers the folds of a structured, plaid corset gown. I ask her what love and companionship mean to a woman who has spent years dismantling every external expectation placed upon her. “I am still discovering love,” she says with refreshing candour. “But I feel it starts with accepting yourself for who you are. Growing up, I thought love came with a deadline and marriage had a fixed template. All of that has shifted. Love is an evolving experience— one I’m still waiting on.”
She pauses, watching the sun fade into the horizon, painting the Jodhpur sky in shades of plum and bruised orange. “And marriage, to me, would simply be the natural progression of that relationship—when you find a companion with whom you can share your dreams and navigate life together.”
"Love is an evolving experience— one I’m still waiting on.”
The crew calls a wrap. She steps off the lighting mark, swapping her heels for slip-ons, and wrapping a simple shawl around her shoulders. For all the celebrations surrounding her career, her personal definition of a life well-lived is strikingly quiet. She does not look to box office records, entrepreneurial success, or international titles for validation.
“At the end of the day, it is just my parents. Whether it was after a Kuchipudi recital when I was 10, or standing on a stage in China where I was crowned Miss World, or watching my first film preview—all that matters is that they are proud of the human being that I’ve become. I think that is my biggest achievement,” she signs off with a smile.
Styling: Priyanka Yadav |Styling Assistant: Shivi Khosla |Hair Stylist: Safalta Bhanu |Make-up: Harry Singh |Location Partner: Ajit Bhawan, Jodhpur |Artist Reputation Management Agency: Blue PRint and Mekhla Langoo
This story appears in Manifest India’s Volume 2 Issue 05. Subscribe here for more stories like this.