‘Sushmita Sen wept, called 1994 Miss India rigged,' reveals Prahlad Kakkar: She said Aishwarya Rai would be named winner
Prahlad Kakkar shared how he advised Sushmita Sen about judge Simone Tata's role, encouraging her to trust the fairness of the judgment process.
Ad film director Prahlad Kakkar recalled actor Sushmita Sen "weeping copiously" during the 1994 Miss India pageant as she believed that the competition was “rigged” in favour of Aishwarya Rai. Speaking with news agency ANI, Prahlad opened up about the competition between Sushmita and Aishwarya Rai. Sushmita and Aishwarya had competed in the Miss India pageant in the same year, 1994, and went on to win Miss Universe and Miss World titles, respectively.
Prahlad Kakkar on Sushmita Sen's crying during 1994 Miss India pageant
Prahlad shared what Sushmita told him while crying "in one corner of the changing room" during the contest. "One day, halfway through the competition, Sushmita was weeping copiously in one corner of the changing room. I walked up to her. Even though I was supposed to be from a rival camp, I walked up to her and asked her. She said, 'No, it's all fixed. It's all rigged. We don't know what we are doing here.' When I asked her, she explained how Aishwarya was a bigger model and she would be named the winner," Prahlad said.
Prahlad on why Sushmita won the contest
The filmmaker shared how he advised Sushmita about judge Simone Tata's role, encouraging her to trust the fairness of the judgment process. He also revealed the circumstances that led to Sushmita Sen being crowned as the winner over Aishwarya.
"It was a tough competition. Both of them were stunning. But Aishwarya fell. Finally, there was a question-and-answer round, which was an extra round because they couldn't make up their minds. Sushmita's answer was far more confident and composed than Aishwarya's, and she won the last round. It was touch and go. But that was like, what an era it was," he added.
Prahlad on Sushmita and the film industry
Prahlad said that Sushmita grew somewhat disenchanted with the film industry over time. "Sushmita got disenchanted with the industry and started becoming difficult to actually get hold of, access. So she put layers in front of her, too. I don't think she trusted them. To some extent, she was westernised. Additionally, she harboured a mistrust of the industry, as she believed it was all exploitative. At the end of it, if you're a single woman and you're good-looking and your life is on the line because your career is your life, then you can be taken advantage of," he further said.
About Sushmita's career
Sushmita eventually won Miss India 1994 with Aishwarya finishing 1st runner-up. She went on to win Miss Universe that year. Sushmita made her acting debut with the thriller Dastak (1996). She starred in several hits such as Biwi No.1 (1999), Sirf Tum (1999), Filhaal (2002), Aankhen (2002), Main Hoon Na (2004), and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005), among others. After a hiatus, Sushmita returned to the mainstream in the drama series Aarya in 2020.
