‘Sushmita Sen Was Weeping Copiously, Said It’s All Fixed’: Prahlad Kakkar Recalls Backstage Incident 1994 Miss India Pageant

Popular AD filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar, who worked with several big superstars, recently recalled an incident from the 1994 Miss India competition where Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen competed for the crown. Kakkar shared an emotional moment from backstage at the pageant when Sushmita Sen was seen breaking down in tears in one corner. At that time, she felt overshadowed by Aishwarya’s fame. She then told Kakkar that Aishwarya is going to be a big model in the future.

While speaking to ANI, Prahlad Kakkar said, “That happened in front of me because when they came up for Miss India, I had escorted Aishwarya to Goa with her mother. Halfway through the competition, I found Sushmita weeping copiously in one corner. Even though I was from the opposing camp, I went up to her and asked her, ‘What’s the problem?’ She said, ‘It’s all fixed; it’s all rigged. We don’t know what we are doing here.’”

Prahlad Kakkar said that Sushmita Sen felt overshadowed by Aishwarya Rai’s massive buzz. He recalled, “She told me, ‘Aishwarya is so big, and she is going to be a bigger model. We are all just beginners. They have obviously decided that she is going to be Miss India, and we are all here just for the crumbs.’”

The AD director said, “I told her that Simone Tata was never going to listen to anyone’s diktat. And that is exactly what happened-Sushmita won.”

Also read: Sushmita Sen Thanks India For Being Her Identity As She Celebrates 30 Years Of Winning Miss Universe Title

Prahlad Kakkar shared that judges were quite confused between the two contestants, so they introduced an additional round to determine the winner. He added, “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 decide between the two. Due to her convent education, Sushmita’s answer was far more confident than Aishwarya’s. She won in that last round.”

Also read: Sushmita Sen Shares Nostalgic Post Celebrating 31 Years Of Winning Historic Miss Universe Title; Says ‘Introduced An 18yr Old…’

1994 beauty pageant scripted history as two Indian women brought winning titles to the country. Sushmita Sen was crowned Miss Universe, while Aishwarya Rai won Miss World. It marked a golden chapter in India’s pageant history. Till now, their wins have been celebrated by the country. The two later became the top female superstars in the Hindi film industry dominating the screens in the early 2000s.