Many would assume that after courting global acclaim for her web series, Aarya, actor Sushmita Sen would be on a signing spree. But that’s not the case. “Apart from Aarya, there are two other scripts that I have greenlit so far. And that (limited number of projects) is what I want to do. I have always been a very exclusive person,” the actor tells us.

Sen continues, “I have never believed in doing a lot, but doing little with everything you got. It is the kind of commitment I understand in life. So, whether it’s my professional, personal or social life, I follow that.”

The former Miss Universe goes on to explain why she doesn’t have a PR machinery in place. “I don’t have a publicist because I am a discrete person. I need to have one-on-one relations with people. I don’t want a lot of noise, I just want conversations,” says the actor.

And this philosophy is also reflected in her career graph so far. She has made a mark despite being selective about projects. “I want to achieve one-on-one equation with the people — my audience as well as well-wishers. I want to do good work so that I have a new audience, too, people who may not have watched my work before, maybe an entire new generation that looks at it and says there’s ‘imandari’ here. That’s very important for me,” says the Filhaal (2002) and Main Hoon Na (2004) actor.

Sen likes to evolve with every project she does: “In the process (of working on a project), I grow as an actor and a creative person. So, that’s what I want to do.”

The actor is not afraid of criticism or failure. In fact, she likes to embrace them all. “It’s important for me to live my truth, no matter what aspect of my life it is about. Sometimes you will be applauded and sometimes you will be served with brick bats. But whatever happens, you have to learn how to withstand that to stay true to who you are,” the 46-year-old says with a smile.