Miss India Natasha Suri probably will have a sleepless night when she goes to bed - she has to live up to the expectations of millions of supporters in her effort to win the coveted Miss World 2006 title.

She is one of the top five favourites at Saturday's event when the beauty pageant will move to its final round in the Congress Hall of the Palace of Culture and Science - a gift from Soviet leader Stalin in the early 1950s.

The cameras will be focused on 106 participants, with Miss Venezuela still occupying the top slot with the bookmakers and Natasha breathing down her neck.

The 22-year-old dusky beauty from Mumbai seems to have all the right ingredients for making it to the top. She was named Miss Beautiful Smile in the India pageant earlier this year.

The Mumbai girl has been scoring heavily in preliminary rounds, making her a favourite. In the port city of Gdansk, she was first runner-up in the Miss World Beach Wear competition. Suri was declared second runner-up in the Miss World Dress Designer title.

She had taken extra care with her dress as she said: "I wish to showcase the Indian cultural values and to make a great impression of my country."

As designer Ritu Kumar says: "Her selection of dresses will certainly enhance her looks and will create a great impression on the judges." Said designer Deepika Gehani: "Her looks are an interesting combination of Indianness with international appeal."

In a confident but philosophical tone, the Mumbai beauty told Indian ambassador Anil Wadhwa: "I can simply do my best and leave the rest in the hands of destiny."

And Suri told: "I don't want to parrot politically-correct answers at the pageant. I aim to be spontaneous and allow my personality to shine." Bollywood director Karan Johar is one of the judges for the final selection.

The atmosphere in Warsaw is electrifying and all the tickets have been booked in advance though the cheapest entry ticket is euro 500.