Mehr Jesia

Biography

Mehr Jesia, born on 30 November 1970, is an Indian producer, former model, and beauty pageant titleholder best known for winning the Femina Miss India Universe title in 1986. She represented India at the Miss Universe 1986 pageant and later became one of the pioneers of India’s supermodel era.

Early Life and Background

Mehr Jesia was born into a Parsi family in Mumbai, Maharashtra. She completed her schooling at J. B. Vaccha High School for Parsi Girls in Dadar, Mumbai. Raised in the Dadar Parsi Colony, she grew up in a close-knit cultural environment that valued education and tradition alongside modern aspirations.

Modeling Career

Jesia began her professional journey in the 1980s. Her breakthrough came in 1986 when she won the Femina Miss India Universe crown. This achievement brought her national recognition and opened the doors to a successful modeling career.

She soon became part of the first generation of Indian supermodels, sharing the spotlight with contemporaries such as Madhu Sapre, Feroze Gujral, Shyamolie Verma, and Anna Bredmeyer. Her confident presence, elegance, and professionalism helped redefine fashion modeling in India during a time when the industry was still evolving.

Film Production

Transitioning from modeling to film production, Mehr Jesia co-produced the Hindi film I See You (2006) with Arjun Rampal under their production banner, Chasing Ganesha. The film starred Arjun Rampal, Vipasha Agarwal, Sonali Kulkarni, and Boman Irani. Though modest in scale, the project marked her entry into creative production within the film industry.

Personal Life

Mehr Jesia married former model and Bollywood actor Arjun Rampal in 1998. The couple has two daughters together. After two decades of marriage, they announced their separation in May 2018 through a joint statement. Their divorce was finalized in November 2019 by a family court in Bandra, Mumbai. Following the separation, their daughters remained in their mother’s custody.