Looking back, it’s difficult to picture anyone other than Sushmita Sen as Miss India in 1994. Did you know that the actress almost didn’t participate in that year’s beauty pageant? Because of Aishwarya Rai.
Sushmita Sen said in an interview that “extremely beautiful” Aishwarya was also competing in the Miss India 1994 contest, therefore she almost didn’t go. Sushmita considered dropping out of the competition because she felt her beauty and popularity were being eclipsed by her competitor’s. An clip of the conversation has gone viral on Reddit when the actress said that 25 females had dropped out of the competition after hearing about Aishwarya Rai.
Sushmita’s mother was initially supportive of her decision to withdraw from the pageant, but she eventually convinced her daughter to compete. The next day, Sushmita competed in the pageant and ultimately won, bringing honour to India. Sushmita’s mother is credited with inspiring her to enter the competition in the clip. The video was uploaded on Reddit and labelled “Sushmita-Aishwarya pageant story.”
The Tie Breaker Round
Not many people are aware that Sushmita Sen won the pageant in a tie-breaker round. Aishwarya Rai was given a surprising question at the 1994 Miss India pageant that piqued the interest of the judges and audience.
She had to decide which of two legendary TV heroes, Ridge Forrester from “The Bold & the Beautiful” or Mason Capwell from “Santa Barbara,” best exemplified the traits she most values in a future husband. Aishwarya’s choice of Mason came as a surprise to everyone, but she justified her decision by saying that they had similar values and that he was compassionate and funny.
However, Sushmita Sen was probed about India’s rich textile history and her own fashion tastes. She said that the beginning of India’s textile legacy can be traced back to Mahatma Gandhi’s support of khadi.
Sushmita Sen made history by becoming the first Indian to win the Miss Universe pageant after the triumph of Miss India. The first woman from India to take home the crown at the international competition. A few years later, in 1996’s film Dastak, Sushmita made her Bollywood debut. She then became a prominent figure in many other productions, including Tamil movies.
