'Sushmita said it’s all rigged': Prahlad Kakkar recalls witnessing Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai's rivalry at Miss India 1994

Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen, two names that went on to define grace and global recognition for India, once stood on the same stage, competing for the Miss India crown in 1994. While Sushmita made history as the first Indian to win Miss Universe, Aishwarya was crowned Miss World the same year. Ad filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar, who witnessed their rivalry unfold from the sidelines, recently opened up about what really went on behind the glamorous curtain.

‘I saw it happen in front of me’

Speaking to ANI, Prahlad shared that he had accompanied Aishwarya to the competition and had a ringside view of the entire event. “That happened in front of me, because when they came up for Miss India, I had escorted Aishwarya to Goa with her mother. I met Sushmita there because I had access to the changing rooms, much to the organiser’s dismay,” he recalled.

‘I found Sushmita weeping in one corner’

Revealing what went on backstage, he said, “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.’”

‘Aishwarya is so big... we’re all just beginners’

Prahlad recalled how Sushmita felt disheartened by the buzz surrounding Aishwarya’s popularity. “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,’” he revealed.




Trying to calm her down, Prahlad assured Sushmita that the judging would be fair. “I sat her down and said, ‘Have you seen your judging panel? People like Simone Tata can’t be coerced. She was never going to listen to the dictum of the organisers, and she was going to judge everyone fairly.’ And that is exactly what happened — Sushmita won.”

‘Both were stunning, but Sushmita’s answer sealed it’

Prahlad also revealed that the judges found it so difficult to choose between the two that they added an extra round to help make the final decision. “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,” he shared.