When Sushmita Sen opened up on rivalry with Aishwarya Rai, revealed why they weren't best of friends

Bollywood actors Sushmita Sen and Aishwarya Rai rose to fame after winning Miss Universe and Miss World, respectively, in 1994. The two were often pitted against each other. Reacting to reports of their alleged rivalry, Sushmita once clarified in an interview with WildFilmsIndia that they were neither enemies nor friends. (Also Read: Sushmita Sen on Bollywood: We’re in a business with humongous egos and that’s not a secret

When Sushmita Sen said she, Aishwarya were not best of friends

Sushmita said that she and Aishwarya "never had enough time to be enemies, rivals or friends," adding, “We were always people who knew each other from a distance. We minded our own business, did our thing. We were not the best of friends, who’d say, ‘No, you first.’ We always wanted to be the best in our own ways — which we have proven to be. I went ahead and won Miss Universe; she went ahead and won Miss World. Neither of us was second to anybody. We did our job, and we did it well.”

Sushmita Sen dismissed rumours of rivalry

She added, “People should keep one thing in mind — if we ever had any rivalry, it was in our own work. To ensure that I am good at what I do. You only compare people against one another when both are perfect. None of us is perfect. We both started a new career and have to work really hard to make a place for ourselves before any comparisons can be made. There is no such thing as rivalry. The sad part is that people don’t understand that. There will come a day when, after all that’s been said and done, Aishwarya and I will have the last laugh."

Over the years, Sushmita and Aishwarya have carved a place for themselves in Bollywood. Aishwarya rose to stardom with hits like Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, Devdas, Mohabbatein, Taal, Dhoom 2 and more. Sushmita starred in popular films like Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta, Biwi No.1, Main Hoon Na, No Problem, among others. She was last seen in the web series Aarya and the film Taali, in which she portrayed transgender activist Gauri Sawant. Aishwarya, on the other hand, received acclaim for her performance in Mani Ratnam's Ponniyin Selvan II. Both actors are yet to announce their upcoming projects.