Sushmita thought Miss India pageant was 'rigged' to favor Aishwarya?
What's the story
Ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar has revealed that actor Sushmita Sen thought the 1994 Miss India pageant was going to favor Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. He revealed to ANI, "One day, halfway through the competition, Sushmita was weeping copiously in one corner." "I walked up to her, even though I was supposed to be from a rival camp."
Reassurance
Kakkar reassured Sen about fairness of judge Simone Tata
Kakkar added, "She said, 'No, it's all fixed. It's all rigged. We don't know what we are doing here.'" The filmmaker reassured Sen, "'Simone Tata's a judge. She's going to judge honestly and fairly.' And that's precisely what happened." He explained that the final decision came down to a question-and-answer round, which was introduced because the judges couldn't decide between Sen and Rai Bachchan.
Career
Here's how Sen won the pageant
Kakkar revealed, "Sushmita's answer was far more confident and composed than Aishwarya's, and she won the last round. It was touch and go." Sen eventually won the Miss India 1994 pageant. Meanwhile, Sen and Rai Bachchan later won the Miss Universe and Miss World titles, respectively. She made her acting debut with Dastak (1996) and starred in hits like Biwi No. 1 (1999), Sirf Tum (1999), Filhaal (2002), Aankhen (2002), Main Hoon Na (2004), and Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya? (2005).