India selects its delegates for international male beauty pageants through several national competitions held throughout the year. Winners and runners-up from these events are sent to represent the nation at various prestigious international competitions.
Currently, three primary national pageants stand out: Times Mister India, Rubaru Mister India, and Mister India Supranational. Each selects contestants through their own processes, culminating in the coronation of winners and runners-up.
Early years and franchise development (1994–2012)[edit]
The inaugural Mister India World pageant (1994), organized by Adonis-Graviera, selected Bikram Saluja as India's representative for the first-ever Mister World in 1996.[5] The same year (1994), the Gladrags Manhunt and Megamodel Contest chose Rajat Bedi to represent India at the inaugural Manhunt International, where he achieved the 4th Runner-Up placement.[5] Graviera continued to organize the Mister India World pageant, with Sachin Khurana winning the 1998 edition and representing India at the international competition. Grasim Mr. India acquired the franchise for Mister World in 1994, holding it until 2007. They returned as franchise holders from 2010 to 2012, during which they actively sent delegates to the international pageant. Haywards 5000 briefly held the franchise ownership in 2007, sending Kawaljit Anand Singh to Mister World.[5][6]
Ownership transition and recent developments (since 2014)[edit]
The Times Group acquired the rights to send India's representatives to Mister World in 2014, continuing the legacy established by previous franchise holders.[1]
In 2023, a new national organization named Mister Supranational India, led by Himadri Bhatnagar, acquired the rights to send a representative to Mister Supranational 2023. Their first delegate, Raj Sunil Singh, participated in the 2023 pageant but did not advance to the semi-finals, marking the end of India's consecutive placements at the competition since its inaugural edition in 2016.
Note 1: In 1995 the first ever Mr India pageant was held called Graviera Adnois Man of Year to select India's representative to Mister World. In 1996 the title was changed to Grasim Mr India and the winner of Grasim Mr India 1996, Sachin Khurana represented India Mister World 1998. From 1997 to 2003 the winner of Grasim Mister India represented India at Mr. International.
Note 2: In the years, 2010 and 2012 no runners-up were awarded.[14]
Note 3: IN 2021, due to the pandemic, a virtual pageant was organized to only select the representative to the Mister Supranational pageant.
Rubaru Mister India is India's oldest and the largest national male pageant organised by the Rubaru Group. Following are the list of titleholders of the pageant.
