Sushmita Sen

Sushmita Sen (born November 19, 1975, Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India) is an Indian model and actress who made history by becoming the first Indian woman to win the Miss Universe international beauty pageant, in 1994, at age 18. In addition to featuring in television commercials, Sen has acted in Hindi, Tamil, and Bengali movies as well as in a streaming series. Her Miss Universe win and her contributions to women’s empowerment and social welfare have made her an inspiration to the women of India.

Early life

Sen was born to a Bengali family. Her father, Subir Sen, is a former wing commander of the Indian Air Force and her mother, Subhra Sen, is a jewelry designer. Sushmita Sen attended St. Ann’s High School in Secunderabad, now in Telangana, and Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute in New Delhi. Preferring not to pursue higher education, she entered the Femina Miss India beauty pageant in 1994. Indian model Aishwarya Rai (who went on to become an actress) had been favored to win, and Sen had half a mind to withdraw from the contest. Eventually, with her mother’s encouragement, Sen participated, and her win was a surprise. Later that year, she went on to represent India at the Miss Universe pageant and won the title. Sen has spoken of her struggle with the English language, as the primary language of instruction during her schooling years had been Hindi. But she faced the Miss Universe panel of judges with confidence, answering all questions in English, despite the language disadvantage.

Modeling and acting

Sen chose modeling as a profession as a teenager, and her historic win gave a tremendous thrust to her career. Since then she has done countless fashion shows, television commercials, and brand endorsements. She has walked the runway at Lakmé Fashion Week (a prominent fashion event in India), collaborated with renowned designers such as Rohit Bal and Manish Malhotra, and been the face of brands such as Camay, Kalyan Jewellers, Sebamed, and Jafra Ruchi Cosmetics. After the 2023 series Taali (“Clap”), a biopic in which Sen played the role of a transgender activist, she wore a showstopper outfit celebrating the LGBTQ community at a fashion show by designer Rohit Verma.

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Sen’s break in movies, too, came fairly early. Two years after she won the Miss Universe crown, Sen starred in the female lead role in a Bollywood psychological thriller, Dastak (1996; “Knock”). Her character was also named Sushmita and, like her, was a Miss Universe winner. The fictional Sushmita, however, had a stalker with a murderous instinct. Although the movie got a lukewarm response, she left a mark with her performance. Her first hit came with Biwi No.1 (1999; biwi means “wife”; the film is one in a series with “number one” in the title directed by David Dhawan), a Bollywood comedy starring Salman Khan and Anil Kapoor. Sen’s character, the “other woman” having an affair with a married man (played by Khan), won her a Filmfare Award for best supporting actress. Filhaal (“For the Moment”), a sensitive film about surrogacy and its ramifications on a close friendship, was released in 2002. Sen played the surrogate mother to her best friend’s child in this critically acclaimed film. In 2004 she played a glamorous chemistry teacher in the romantic action-comedy Main Hoon Na ( “I’m Here”), opposite Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan. The romantic comedy Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya (2005; “Why Did I Fall in Love?”), which paired Sen with Salman Khan again, was a big hit. Sen has explored opportunities beyond the Hindi-language film industry as well. She was cast with Nagarjuna, a famed actor in Tamil, Telugu, and Hindi films, in the Tamil romantic movie Ratchagan (1997; “Savior”) and acted in the Bengali movie Nirbaak (2015; “Speechless”). Some of her Bollywood movies, such as the horror film Vaastu Shastra (2004; “Science of Architecture”), have been dubbed in other languages.

After a hiatus from her acting career, Sen made a comeback with the streaming series Aarya, which first aired in 2020. Her controlled acting and imposing presence as the eponymous lead in this crime thriller won her much critical acclaim. Aarya centers on a strong woman who takes charge of her family and a pharmaceutical business empire, which has been a front for illegal drug smuggling, after tragedy hits. The series entered its third season in 2023.

Personal life

Some of Sen’s life choices have been regarded by many as unconventional. When she was 24, she decided she wanted to be a mother but did not want to get married. She brought Renee, her first adopted daughter, home in 2000. At first Renee was under Sen’s foster care. It was not easy for an unmarried woman to be allowed adoption, and she had to fight a court battle to legally become Renee’s adoptive mother. Sen’s mother opposed the idea, but her father’s support strengthened her case. It took her 10 more years to adopt her second daughter, Alisah. In an interview reported in The Indian Express, Sen said regarding her motherhood:

The wisest decision I made at the age of 24 was to become a mother. It stabilized my life. People think it was a great act of charity and wonderful action, but it was self-preservation. It was me protecting myself.

Sen has struggled with her health, having been diagnosed with Addison disease in 2014 and suffering a heart attack in 2023. To honor the doctors and the medical team that helped her recover, she declared that February 27, 2023, was her “second birth date.”

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