Maha Kumbh Mela 2025: Ex-beauty queen Ishika Taneja bids farewell to acting career, to follow Sanatan Dharma

Known for her role in the 2017 film ‘Indu Sarkar’, former beauty queen Ishika Taneja bid farewell to her acting career to follow Sanatan Dharma after taking a holy dip in the Ganga river during Maha Kumbh 2025 festival in Prayagraj, reported Times Now.

She won the title of Miss World Tourism in 2018. Tanja made headlines with her bold statements on women's roles in society after taking a spiritual turn.

Goodbye to acting career

Ishika Taneja took a dip in the holy waters at the Maha Kumbh on January 29, after attending her Guru Diksha ceremony in Madhya Pradesh's Jabalpur. She received spiritual initiation from Shankaracharya Swami Sadanand Saraswati Ji Maharaj.

Speaking about her newfound path, she said, as quoted by Aaj Tak, "I am a proud Sanatani. I am connected with the spirit of service. There are divine powers in Maha Kumbh. The biggest achievement of my life is that I have received Guru Diksha from Shankaracharya ji. Having a Guru has given me direction in life.”

She even described her journey from showbiz to spirituality as 'floating', adding that she has finally 'returned home' after years of working in films and music videos.

Speaking about her views on the true purpose of womanhood, she said, “Women have not been made to dance wearing tiny clothes. They are made to serve Sanatan."

Ishika Taneja noted that she has no plans to return to her previous lifestyle. However, she added that she is open to producing films in the future.

Ishika's showbiz career

In 2016, then-President Pranab Mukherjee honoured Ishika with the Rashtrapati Award in the 100 Women Achievers of India category.

She starred in the web series Hadh, produced and written by Vikram Bhatt and holds a Guinness World Record for completing 60 full airbrush makeups in just 60 minutes on 60 models.