The Miss India competition of 1994 is still remembered as one of the most iconic beauty pageants in Indian history. It witnessed a fierce contest between two young women who would go on to become global names Aishwarya Rai and Sushmita Sen.. Recently filmmaker Prahlad Kakkar who launched Aishwarya in Pepsi advertisements and was also her neighbour opened up about the behind-the-scenes rivalry between the two. Speaking to Vicky Lalvani in an interview Kakkar made a startling claim. He said Aishwarya Rai did not know English. That’s why Sushmita won the Miss India competition. According to him language skills played a crucial role in deciding the winner. Why did English make a difference? Kakkar further explained There was no competition. The truth was that Aishwarya had just started her career; she was still raw while Sushmita Sen was much more purified because she came from a convent school. He added that when performance in English was required contestants who were not fluent in the language faced a disadvantage. That’s why Sushmita won the question-and-answer round he said. Did Sushmita Sen believe the contest was fixed? Interestingly Kakkar also revealed that Sushmita herself did not believe she could win at first. Sushmita could not believe she could win because she thought the contest was fixed for Aishwarya. Mainly because Aishwarya was already a top-level model. Pepsi had launched her; she was Lakme’s model. Sushmita thought too much attention was on Aishwarya and that she wouldn’t stand a chance even if she performed better Kakkar recalled. He remembered walking into the changing room and finding Sushmita in tears. I asked her what the problem was. She said ‘It’s all fixed. I will never win.’ I told her ‘Are you stupid? Look at the jury. Do you think anyone can buy them? Don’t be silly. If you deserve it you will get it because the jury is very powerful. You cannot buy them.’ According to him this pep talk motivated Sushmita to give her best performance. She later called him to thank him for the confidence boost after she won. How did Aishwarya react to her loss? Kakkar also spoke about Aishwarya’s disappointment after losing the title. Aishwarya was very upset that she lost. She thought nepotism helped Sushmita win. But the truth is that she lost in the question-answer round. She even stumbled while wearing high-heeled shoes because she was not used to them. Compared to Aishwarya Sushmita was much more fluent and confident. He added that Aishwarya’s lack of comfort with English made her avoid interviews in the language early in her career. She was not confident about handling herself in English. She would give interviews in Tulu Konkani and even Hindi but not in English. That’s why people thought she was aloof. But the truth was she was scared. Was Sushmita Sen’s insecurity justified? According to Kakkar Sushmita’s insecurity was natural given Aishwarya’s larger-than-life image. Aishwarya was the queen bee. Everyone expected her to win. That made Sushmita feel convinced that the contest was pre-decided he said. But in the end confidence fluency and self-belief turned the tables in Sushmita’s favour securing her the Miss India crown that went on to define her career. Highlights: Prahlad Kakkar revealed English fluency gave Sushmita Sen the winning edge. Aishwarya Rai was disappointed and felt nepotism favoured Sushmita. Kakkar recalled motivating a tearful Sushmita before her winning performance.