Highlights
- Manushi Chhillar recalled having to restart her NEET preparation after the 2015 paper leak.
- The former Miss World said she gave up dance and painting to focus entirely on the entrance exam.
- She also opened up about burnout, student pressure and the importance of protecting mental health.
Manushi Chhillar has reflected on the emotional toll of preparing for the medical entrance exam after the 2015 NEET paper leak, saying she had to put aside everything she loved in pursuit of her dream.
Speaking on Soha Ali Khan's YouTube talk show All About Her, the actor and former Miss World revisited one of the most challenging periods of her life, explaining how the unexpected cancellation of the exam tested her resilience and offered insight into the pressures faced by medical aspirants across India.
'I had to sacrifice everything'
Asked about being told she would have to retake the entrance exam despite months of preparation, Manushi said the experience was far from easy.
"There are two aspects to this, one is my personal experience, and the other is understanding the reality that most students in the country face," she said.
While she credited her parents, both doctors, with preparing her mentally for the demanding process, she admitted the sacrifices were significant.
"I had to sacrifice everything that brought me joy. I was a Kuchipudi dancer, I loved painting, and I had to put all of that aside for a year to focus entirely on my entrance exam," she said.
Manushi added that although it was among the toughest phases of her life, meeting other aspirants gave her a broader perspective. She recalled students whose families had borrowed money for coaching, relocated to different cities and spent months preparing for a single examination.
'You wonder how much more you have left to give'
The former beauty queen said the paper leak made an already difficult journey even more exhausting, as students had to continue preparing for several more weeks.
"When you're told that after months of preparation you have to continue for another 45 days, you wonder how much more you have left to give," she said, while acknowledging that she had "immense privilege and support" throughout the process.
Manushi also credited her parents with helping protect her mental wellbeing by insisting she spent an hour every day exercising, whether through basketball or going to the gym.
She said the routine allowed her to step away from the pressure of exam preparation and stay connected with people outside the competitive environment, something she recognised many students were unable to do.
Burnout changed her view of medicine
During the conversation, Manushi also reflected on her journey through medical school and how burnout gradually changed her career path.
She said she genuinely enjoyed studying medicine, but by the time she entered college, she and many of her classmates were emotionally drained after years of preparing for competitive entrance exams.
Recalling a joke often shared by senior students that the happiest days of medical college were the first two and the last two, Manushi said she now believes it reflected the burnout many students experience.
Manushi completed her MBBS before winning the Miss World 2017 title. She later transitioned into acting, making her Bollywood debut opposite Akshay Kumar in Samrat Prithviraj before going on to appear in The Great Indian Family, Bade Miyan Chote Miyan and Operation Valentine.
