Life’s come a full circle for Sush

Sushmita Sen on her crowning glory and how the title hunt continues. "For me, Miss Universe wasn’t just another beauty pageant. It was a fantastic platform at the age of 18," says Sushmita.

In 1994, at the age of 18, this too tall, too skinny, too unconventional looking beauty sprang the first surprise when she beat crowd favourite Aishwarya Rai to the Miss India crown. She then flew off to Manila, Philippines, where she edged out Miss Colombia, Miss Greece and Miss Venezuela to wow the universe.

“That was 15 years ago. I was the first Miss Universe from India,” Sushmita Sen reminisces with a dimpled smile. “Since then, there has been just one other winner, Lara (Dutta) in 2000.”

A month-and-a-half ago, after a media conglomerate let go of the Miss Universe India franchise, Paula Shugart, president of the Miss Universe Organisation, surprised Sushmita with a call. She asked Sushmita if her company, Tantra Entertainment Private Limited (TEPL), would like to become the India franchise owner for holding the preliminary to Miss Universe 2010. The former beauty queen-turned-actress jumped at the opportunity.

“For me, Miss Universe wasn’t just another beauty pageant. It redefined and polished my personality. It was a fantastic platform at the age of 18, gave me the opportunity to speak at the UN, share the podium with the likes of Jane Fonda and Al Gore. Even today, wherever I go, I’m addressed as Miss Universe from India. This is the universe’s way of conspiring to give me what I have always wanted,” she asserts.

Sushmita has launched a flagship brand called ‘I AM’ that will work in tandem with several verticals, one of which is called ‘I AM She’. This vertical will select the next Miss India Universe who will represent the country at the global Miss Universe competition. Another vertical is the ‘I AM Foundation’ which will undertake several CSR initiatives, with chosen finalists working closely with the Cancer Patients Aid Association (CPAA), The Energy and Resources Institute (TERI), Bal Asha Trust, The Research Society and The ANI Foundation.

“I want to groom young, people-oriented women for the global platform. And when as citizens of the world they say they are from India, it will be a matter of great pride for us,” she points out. “I know since I’ve been there before. With this venture, life has come a full circle.”

‘I’m 35, independent, I have two beautiful daughters and I still believe in marriage’

Interview

Dulha Mil Gaya has been in the making for a long time. Now that the film is lining up for release on January 8, how do you feel?
Ecstatic, even though it is late by two years. I often tease Mudassar (director Mudassar Aziz) that he’s had to go through unending labour pain to deliver this beautiful baby. It’s one of my best performances, which was why it was painful to see it stuck in the lab for so long. But the timing is right. It’s going to be one of the first releases of 2010. And my heart tells me that it will be a big hit.

How often have people around you told you “Dulha mil gaya.”
(Laughs) More than telling me I think they’ve hoped that I’d find my match. And may be that’s why in my case the ‘dulha mil gaya’ phrase came with a question mark. Potential grooms were always around but perhaps the timing wasn’t right. So marriage didn’t happen. (With a flash of those dimples) I’d like to believe that ‘ab dulha mil gaya’.

There must have been times earlier too when marriage seemed an attractive option?
(Smiles) Sure, when I was 16 and education seemed an ordeal. I’d fantasise about somehow getting through high school, getting married and leaving all the headaches to the husband. But since then, I’ve realised that no matter whether you are married or not, you cannot ever cease to be responsible for your life.

After steering clear of marriage for so long, what does the institution mean to you?
Marriage is a commitment that is sanctioned by society on paper. For me personally, when two people live together and there’s love, honour and respect in the relationship, it’s as strong a commitment. But marriage gives these two people the authority in writing to get physical and produce a child who is a by-product of this union.

But isn’t marriage slowly losing its sanctity even in a conservative country like India?
There’s definitely been a change in the mindset of people over the last decade thanks to TV, digital and mobile space and social networking sites. Today, there are no boundaries as ideologies of the East and West merge. But no matter how modern we are in our outlook to life, we still bend down to touch our parents’ feet, right? The action is a physical representation of seeking the blessings of elders. So is marriage and if it can make our parents happy, why not? My parents however, have always given me the liberty to live my life the way I’ve wished to.

Often, marriage is a reason to have a child. But you already have two without this social sanction.
For me, having children was always the priority, whether they were born from my stomach or my heart. I would have given birth outside marriage had I wanted to. But I don’t think being an unmarried mother moving around with a big tummy would be received well. Adoption is much easier in terms of social acceptance.

So, is there still a reason to get married?

I am 34, independent, I have two beautiful daughters, enough to live comfortably and share with others. Still, I believe in marriage. For me, it is a commitment that needs to be negotiated well. And it is not about give or take but about sharing. That’s what makes this relationship beautiful.

‘When Renee asked about her father, I showed her the Shivling’

Till she was about five, Renee never questioned me about why she didn’t have a dad. Then, Father’s Day was celebrated in school and suddenly, she realised that physically there was no one to introduce as her father.

Fortunately, she and I have always been able to talk about things, without apology or feeling sorry for ourselves. When she asked me about her father, I took her to the temple and pointed to the Shivling. She accepted the explanation, drawing a Shivling in school to symbolise her dad.

But as she grew older such reasoning ceased to work and my answers had to evolve with time. Today, she’s come to realise that in a country like ours, to have a daddy you need to be married. And mamma’s not. So now it is, “Mamma, when you get married, I have to like him first.”

I feel sorry for my ‘dulha’. Convincing my parents will be easier than wooing my extra-perceptive daughter who understands that marriage is a lifelong commitment and is not easy to charm. It’ll only get tougher as she grows older.

Right now, Hannah Montana is the way to Renee’s heart. She’s that iconic figure who is easy to idolise and at the same time makes mistakes that Renee knows should be avoided. I like Hannah too, she’s human like us!

And till she gets her daddy, Renee has a father figure in her grandfather. Baba (father Shubeer Sen) is the most important person in Renee’s life. He doesn’t have to stay up nights to make a place in her heart. He’s already there.

‘I waited 10 years to adopt another daughter’

Seventy per cent of the children in adoption homes are girls. Parents give up a son only if he has some kind of illness. Till about three months ago, the High Court had ruled that if you had adopted a girl child earlier, you couldn’t adopt another. But I wanted another daughter. So I waited 10 years. And recently, when I read in the newspapers that the ruling had changed, I got into action.

When I adopted Renee I was just 24, a movie star and the youngest single mother to be given a baby. But I have proved myself as a responsible mother, so this time, with Alicia, it was easier to adopt. For that matter, motherhood too is easier the second time around. More so, with Renee around believing that she knows everything there is to handling a baby, from feeding and changing her to carrying her around.

Alicia at three months is a happy, healthy baby. Renee wasn’t well when she came to us. She had to be given medicines at 4 am and then again, three hours later. I’ve been up quite a few nights with her. Actually, more than me it was my mother. And every time I complained, ma said, “This is nothing, it’s just the beginning.” She was right. But I wouldn’t have missed the experience for anything in the world.

My only mistake is that I waited 10 years to adopt another child. Alicia is different from Renee but the pleasure of being a mother, the fullness you feel inside, is exactly the same. I want to have lots of children and I won’t wait this long to have another baby, whether it comes from my stomach or my heart. As long as my bones are strong and I’m able to run after them, I’ll have my babies.

‘Acting has been my identity for 11 years but I won’t be an actress all my life’

Acting means a lot to me today, far more than it did yesterday. It’s a platform to express myself creatively and connect with people. It can make them laugh, cry, love and dislike me. That’s the power of this beautiful medium.

I expect a lot from myself and acting is a way of verifying from people around me whether I’ve matched up to those standards. In the past, I’ve got super-excited with scripts and taken on films without thinking about whether they would be made or marketed well. With age and experience, I’ve learnt to be more selective.

Still, you don’t always take the right decisions. Sometimes, a film is a big hit and what you feared was wrong, turns out to be right. Sometimes you are pulled up for doing a film that was never meant to be taken seriously and for letting yourself go. Films like Do Knot Disturb, my extra weight, whom I’m involved with, has been a matter of speculation for the country. It doesn’t bother me.

Acting has been my identity for the last 11 years. But I won’t be an actress all my life. When the time comes, I’ll say goodbye. And I won’t wait to be asked to resign. But before I quit there’s still so much I want to do.

Rani Laxmibai was the only film I wanted to direct. Unfortunately, for the time being, it’s been shelved because I don’t want to make compromises. But I’m going to be producing other films.