Zoom wishes Sushmita Sen a very happy birthday! Sushmita’s victory in Miss Universe 1994 put India on the beauty map of the world. More crowns and beauty queens followed, but Sushmita became a benchmark for them. And Bollywood had to follow.
Sushmita’s victory in Miss Universe 1994 put India on the beauty map of the world. More crowns and beauty queens followed, but Sushmita became a benchmark for them. And Bollywood had to follow.
Strangely, Sushmita’s debut film was Mahesh Bhatt’s ‘Dastak’, where she enacted her real life role (that of Miss Universe) onscreen. Sen had everything - dashing looks, ambition, talent, and a fiercely intelligent mind that could intimidate most erudite men from the industry; her only hitch was that she was a trifle taller than most Bollywood actors at that point of time. She carried her towering height and lean physique with poise and elegance, though offers didn’t come by, a dime a dozen. In 1999, for the first time Sushmita Sen received applause for her performance in ‘Biwi No. 1’ with Salman and Karisma Kapoor – it was then that she woke to an interesting revelation about her knack for comedy. In 2001 she attempted another David Dhawan so-called laugh-riot, ‘Kyo Ki Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta’, the results of which weren’t funny at all; of course, the critics had the last laugh.
But Sushmita wasn’t here to simply tickle funny bones and make her way into the highest echelons of the glamour biz; her intensity and perceptive sensibilities gradually emanated from the screen. In 2002 she starred in Meghna Gulzar’s debut vehicle, ‘Filhaal’, a strong woman-oriented subject. The film didn’t go down well the masses, but Sushmita received a sack full of accolades for her portrayal as a surrogate mother.
In 2003, ‘Samay – When Time Strikes’ followed, a thriller where she played the protagonist – a cop in common-wo(man’s) clothes. Here again she evaded the archetypical role of posing as a heroic cop’s love-interest; she was the officer-in-control. In Manisha Koirala’s ‘Paisa Vasool’, Susmita played the role of a crass woman for the first time. Though the film bombed at the BO, she walked away once again with the bouquets, leaving behind the brickbats for others to bear.
Bollywood finally woke up to a serious actress in Sushmita Sen and received offers such as Farah Khan’s ‘Main Hoon Na’ and Mahesh Manjrekar's 'It Was Raining That Night' (the English version of his earlier production, 'Astitva'), which is in her native languages of Bengali and English.
Sushmita’s professional life might be packed with a houseful of films, bustling with other activities, or blossoming with love (with her string of high-profile liaisons), but her first priority is her adopted daughter, Renee, who, Sushmita says, is the joy of her life.
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