Sushmita Sen once believed the Miss India contest was fixed in Aishwarya Rai’s favor. Read further to know how Aishwarya’s struggle with English played a role in her loss of the crown to Sushmita.
The Miss India 1994 pageant remains unforgettable, giving India two global beauty queens, Sushmita Sen (Miss Universe) and Aishwarya Rai (Miss World). Both went on to become iconic figures in Indian cinema. But filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar recently revealed that before winning, Sushmita was convinced she had no chance against Aishwarya. In an interview with Vickey Lalwani, filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar shared that Sushmita Sen felt the Miss India pageant was rigged in Aishwarya’s favour. Aishwarya was already a top model and the ‘Lakme girl,’ while Sushmita was a complete newcomer leading her to believe the judges were biased.
Prahlad recalled finding Sushmita crying backstage. When he asked what was wrong, she told him, “It’s all fixed. I will never win.” He reassured her, saying the respected jury couldn’t be influenced and told her to give her best advice that paid off when she won. Sushmita later thanked him for the encouragement.
Why Aishwarya Lost: “Her English Was Not Strong Then”
Prahlad Kakkar clarified that despite media rumours, there was no rivalry between the two. But Aishwarya was genuinely upset after losing the crown. According to him, Sushmita won because she was more polished, confident, and performed better in the English Q&A round due to her convent-school background.
Aishwarya, at the time, wasn’t very fluent in English, which put her at a disadvantage. Prahlad explained that she avoided English interviews early in her career and preferred speaking in Tulu, Konkani, or Hindi, not out of arrogance, but out of fear and lack of confidence.
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