Over the years, beauty pageants in India have come to be stepping stones for acting career. Many a Miss Indias and Miss Worlds, from Zeenat Aman to Manush Chhillar, have taken the big leap from modelling to pageantry and finally acting. But there was one Miss India, who not only quit films at 28, but did so to pursue higher studies.
The Miss India who quit showbiz to pursue higher studies at Yale
Aditi Arya was born in Chandigarh in 1993 and later moved to Gurgaon with her family. She earned a degree in business management from Delhi University and began a career in the corporate world, working in Ernst & Young. In 2015, Aditi won Miss India and represented India in Miss World 2015. The following year, she made her acting debut with the Telugu film Ism, before working in a few Hindi web series. In 2021, Aditi made her Bollywood debut with a supporting role in the sports drama 83, which was made on a budget of Rs 200 crore. However, that was to be her final film release as Aditi bid adieu to the industry, moving to the US where she enrolled in the Yale School of Management, pursuing MBA. She graduated earlier this year, sharing pictures with her family from the graduation ceremony.
Aditi Arya’s marriage to Jay Kotak, son of Uday Kotak, one of India’s richest men
In 2023, Aditi confirmed that she was engaged to her boyfriend Jay Kotak. Jay is the son of banker Uday Kotak, one of the richest men in India. As per a Forbes magazine list, Kotak is worth $13.4 billion (Rs 1,11,600 crore), making him the 14th richest man in the country as of 2023. In November 2023, Jay and Aditi tied the knot in a grand ceremony. The former actress shared pictures of her nuptials on social media soon after, even changing her name to Aditi Arya Kotak.
