Sushmita Sen reveals she withdrew her Miss India form because of Aishwarya Rai

Sushmita Sen is no doubt one of the most loved and followed actresses in Bollywood industry, Miss India 1994 winner Sushmita Sen has revealed that she withdrew her form from the contest after finding out that Aishwarya Rai Bachchan is also participating in the beauty pageant. 

Sushmita Sen once disclosed in an interview that she had almost skipped Miss India 1994 contest as extremely beautiful Aishwarya was also participating in the pageant. Feeling overshadowed by her rival’s beauty and popularity, Sushmita considered withdrawing her name from the contest. In the interview, an excerpt of which is going viral on Reddit, the actress revealed that 25 girls had already backed out of the competition because of Aishwarya Rai, News 18 reported.

However, after Sushmita withdrew her application form, her mother’s pushed her to participate in the pageant and accept defeat at least after trying her best. The very next day, Sushmita participated in the pageant and later emerged as the winner, making India proud. In the clip, Sushmita credits her mother for encouraging her to participate in the grand contest. A Reddit page shared the video with the caption Sushmita-Aishwarya pageant story.

On the other hand, Sushmita Sen was asked about the textile heritage of the country and her personal preferences in clothing. In her answer, she credited Mahatma Gandhi’s promotion of khadi as the start of India’s textile legacy.