For years, Tangia Zaman Methila hovered on the edges of the global pageant spotlight: selected, crowned, prepared, yet repeatedly unable to take the final leap to the Miss Universe stage.
This year, that long-awaited journey has finally materialised, transforming her story into one of persistence rewarded.
As the 74th Miss Universe unfolds in Bangkok, Methila has become the unexpected face of a swelling national campaign. Film stars, models and producers, from Jaya Ahsan to Safa Kabir, have flooded social media with heartfelt appeals for votes, turning the competition into a rare moment of unified enthusiasm in Bangladesh.
And the results show. Methila has now climbed to the top of the global voting list, securing the leading position in the People’s Choice category among contestants from 121 countries. For many Bangladeshis, this is the closest the nation has ever come to breaking through on the Miss Universe stage.
Methila, overwhelmed by the response, has expressed profound gratitude. She has called the public support “a debt of love that can never be repaid,” pledging to dedicate herself to the welfare of Bangladesh throughout her life. In a recent post, she urged voters to hold their ground: “Bangladesh is just a few votes away from returning to first place. Please keep pushing forward. We cannot afford to fall behind now.”
Methila’s rise has been anything but sudden. Known first as a model and later as an actress, including her Bollywood debut in Rohingya (2019), she has navigated the pageant world for years.
She represented Bangladesh in Face of Bangladesh and Face of Asia 2019, and won the title of Miss Supranational Bangladesh the same year, though circumstances forced her withdrawal from the international final.
In 2020, she earned the title of Miss Universe Bangladesh, only to watch the pandemic close the door to the main event. Each time, the opportunity came close, yet slipped away.
This year, at last, she has reached the grand stage. Crowned Miss Universe Bangladesh 2025 in September, she arrived in Thailand in late October, not as a hopeful, but as a determined woman who has been preparing for this moment for half a decade.
Bangladesh has competed before, with Shirin Sheela in 2019 and Anika Alam in 2024, but never with such global visibility. Methila’s voting success is being hailed as a milestone, raising the possibility of Bangladesh entering the semi-finals for the first time.
The grand finale will take place on November 21 in Pak Kret, Thailand, and for the first time in years, Bangladesh enters the final week not as a quiet participant, but as a contender with momentum.
