BY SURENDER BHUTANI

Warsaw, Oct 1 (IANS) Czech Republic's Tatana Kucharova was crowned Miss World 2006 as Indian Natasha Suri failed to get past the semi-finals. Miss Australia, the second runner-up, has Indian roots and aspires to work in Bollywood.

Miss Romania Ioana Valentina Boitor, 17, was the first runner-up at the event held Saturday night in Warsaw's communist-era Palace of Culture and Science.

Natasha reached the semi-final list with great difficulty and it was no surprise when she was eliminated in the final round. 

Miss Australia Sabrina Houssami, 20, defeated the 22-year-old Mumbai girl in the Asia-Pacific group.

But Natasha was one of the top five favorites in the preliminary rounds. 

Earlier, in the port city of Gdansk, she was first runner-up in the Miss World Beach Wear competition. She was also second runner-up in the Miss World Dress Designer title. 

Sabrina, a Muslim, was born to an Indian mother and a Lebanese father and has adopted some Western values. 

Asked earlier about her chances of winning the Miss World title, she had said that she might get into the top 10. 

She was almost prophetic when she mentioned: "Perhaps the world is not yet ready for someone as multi-cultural as me."

Sabrina, who supports a charity called Astara Angels that works with children in Rishikesh in India, said she was interested in working in Bollywood as she is fluent in Hindi. Among the judges was noted Indian film director Karan Johar. 

Sabrina is a presently a student at Sydney University.