Meet former beauty queen who turned actress, faced troubled marriage, quit acting and now is social activist, she is...

Many former beauty queens have successfully transitioned to acting, achieving stardom in the film industry. The 1990s saw several pageant winners, including Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen, make a seamless leap into Bollywood, where they established themselves as leading ladies. Much like them, Former Miss World 1999 Yukta Mookhey entered the industry, however, her brief filmography despite a successful debut, her journey was short for various reasons.

Born into a Sindhi family in Bangalore, Yukta spent her early years in Dubai until the age of seven. Her family relocated to Mumbai in 1986. Her mother, Aroona, ran a grooming salon in Santa Cruz, while her father, Inderlal Mookhey, was a former Managing Director of a clothing company. After completing her schooling, she pursued zoology at V.G. Vaze College in Mumbai. She also holds a diploma in computer sciences from Aptech and has trained in Hindustani classical music for three years.

In 1999, Yukta won the Miss World title and made her big break in 2001 through the Tamil movie Poovellam Un Vasam. A year later, she made her Bollywood debut alongside Aftab Shivdasani in Pyaasa. Though the film generated significant buzz, her subsequent projects failed to replicate the same success. Several films, including Kab Kyon Kahan and Hum Teen, were shelved, while others like Market and Insaaf The Justice, saw her exit mid-production. Her foray into regional cinema also yielded disappointing results. After a nine-year hiatus, she made a comeback with a cameo appearance in the 2019 blockbuster Good Newwz, starring Akshay Kumar and Kareena Kapoor. Although her role was brief, the film's massive commercial success marked a notable milestone in her career.

On the personal front, Yukta’s life was not so rosy. She got married in 2008 to a New York-based businessman and financial consultant, Prince Tuli. The couple tied the knot in a traditional Sikh ceremony. Shortly after their marriage, they welcomed a son, however, their union was short-lived, as they parted ways in 2013. The actress filed a police complaint against her husband, alleging physical and emotional abuse, as well as sexual harassment. She also accused her in-laws of subjecting her to domestic violence. An FIR was registered under sections 498A and 377 of the Indian Penal Code.

Following these incidents, Mookhey filed for divorce, which was finalized in 2014. She has since been living in India with her son, taking on the role of a single mother. She has shifted her focus from acting to social activism, driving campaigns to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS, breast cancer, and thalassemia.