Actress Dia Mirza shot to fame with the Miss India pageant back in 2000, but says she never believed in competition. "It feels almost surreal to look back 20 years. I was so young when it all happened," she reminisced on an experience that made the young Hyderabad girl a household name.

"The year 2000 marked a new millennium, bringing with it a sense of hope, promise and excitement", she added. Interestingly, Dia was never one who dreamt of winning a beauty pageant.

"I happened to be spotted by a modelling agent who offered me a part-time job at 16. Everything happened very quickly after that -- advertising campaigns, fashion shows, editorial shoots. One thing led to another and I was selected from Hyderabad for the Miss India pageant," she recalled.

"I remember my mother being really surprised that I wanted to take part!" Dia, who had never left Hyderabad before in her life, vividly remembers adapting to life in Mumbai.