Showing posts with label Sushmita Sen interview. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Sushmita Sen interview. Show all posts
When women start saying they won’t settle for less, things will change-Sushmita Sen
11:05 PM
The actress addresses the issue of pay disparity and says that while things are slowly changing, we have a long way to go
Onkar Kulkarni (BOMBAY TIMES; May 30, 2024)
Recently, Priyanka Chopra and Lara Dutta Bhupati spoke about the disparity in the pay scales of heroines as compared to their male counterparts. Priyanka has been vocal on this subject even in the past, and in a recent interview, she once again touched upon it and said, “It is such an important conversation. It took me 22 years to be able to get paid the same amount as my male co-actor. There are so many CEO friends of mine that get paid 1/4th of what their (male) predecessors get.”
Lara, too, highlighted the fact that one of the biggest challenges women still face today in the industry is pay disparity. She stressed upon the point that women work equally hard, if not harder than most of their male counterparts, but probably get paid one-tenth of what the actor earns.
While talking to Bombay Times recently, Sushmita Sen, too, who is doing interesting work in the digital space, shared her thoughts on this. “The issue of pay disparity has been there forever. However, with my experience in the digital space, I can say that the numbers are huge (in this medium) for women, at least, it is for me. I think it also reaches a point where you have to know your worth and you have to be unapologetic about asking for it. So, I say ‘no’ more than I say ‘yes’. But when I say ‘yes’ I am the most hardworking person you will find on a set. But I don’t say ‘yes’ easily,” said the actress who headlined the web series Aarya.
Sushmita, further explained how she is seeing a change in the industry, even though it’s a slow process. “I am telling you from my own experience. There is a change. Is there a disparity? Yes, there is. It is a long-standing disparity. But is it changing? Yes, but gradually. It will take generations of actresses putting their foot down and saying, ‘You know what, why are you not talking to me about having a share in the territory or profit share in a film?’ to see the change we want. When we start asking and say that we won’t settle for less, is when change will come about. It’s very hard to say ‘no’, but when you start doing that is when things will turn around,” she said.
‘Much has changed in the way the industry functions’
Recalling the times when she started off in the industry, the actress who made her debut in 1996 with Dastak, and was seen in films like Biwi No. 1, Vaastu Shastra and Main Hoon Na, says, “Without a doubt, much has changed in the way the industry functions. Earlier, we used to get approached saying, ‘You have three songs, you will be dressed by this designer, you will have one conflicting emotional breakdown in the movie, a good lead actor and a good director. We were also told that film mein budget nahi hai. This used to be the case back then, but it isn’t the same now, so things are certainly changing.”
(When I showed interest in Aarya), my lawyer Priyanka was making nail marks on my thigh, ‘you can’t just do that’-Sushmita Sen
9:31 AM
Sushmita makes sense of stardom, relationships, and a second life, including in showbiz…
Mayank Shekhar (MID-DAY; November 18, 2023)
If you were to play word-association, probably anywhere in the sub-continent, the word that would come immediately with Miss Universe is: Sushmita Sen.
Twenty-nine women on the planet have been crowned since her. Yet, as we introduce her in this conversation to a live audience, Miss Universe rightly shows up on top. Do you ever stop being Miss Universe?
“So glad you asked this,” she says. In Namibia, the following year, when the crown passed on to Miss USA, at the party in the coronation hall, Martin Brooks, then president of the organization joked that they’ll fire her the next morning. She said, “No, I shall resign tomorrow morning.” She was 19.
When the name-plate was placed on her table, it didn’t say “Former Miss Universe” as originally designated. It said Miss Universe, 1994, which is the year she dedicated to the title she won in Manila, Philippines. That she considers her second home after our own, i.e. India.
Consider a recent talk-show she was on with Jessica Soho, the ‘Oprah Winfrey’ of Philippines. On the episode, during the interview, Soho brought over several Philippine children from different islands, all of them named Sushmita: “These were 22-year-old girls: Sushmita Chagalung Mang, sometimes, Sushmita Sen Chagalung Mang…!” Incredible.
So, yes, whether others do or not, Sen remains Miss Universe, forever, and a crown she wears poised to perfection still. And that, strangely enough, bothered her daughter Alisah, 8, when she asked her mother, once, why there was so much paparazzi always surrounding her.
She told her child, hey, that’s because I’m kinda famous! “But, why,” the girl asked. “Because, you know, Miss Universe, and I act…”
Alisah semi-taunted her, instead, “But that was a long time ago, mom!”
The coin dropped for Sen. Around 2010, Sen had decided to take a break from films altogether. Something her manager and friends in the movie industry then, termed a “hara-kiri,” given the shelf-life attributed to female stars in Bollywood, anyway.
But her reasons were quite clear. If you scroll up her filmography on IMDb leading up to it: films titled Zindaggi Rocks, Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, Karma Confession And Holi, Do Knot Disturb, Dulha Mil Gaya… Her last film, before the sabbatical, and the reason for it, was No Problem (2010). Which is when she said, “No!” There is a problem here!
Sen recalls, “You get bored, if you are growing neither as an actor nor as a person. You need to experience/observe life in order to reflect art. Also, I had become a mother again, to a one-month-old.”
“I had adopted my first child, Renee, when she was six months old. But there’s a big difference between raising a one-month and a six-month baby. That’s when I thought to myself—I can’t leave her with a nanny to do something I don’t even like!”
As happens with showbiz—“jo dikhta hai wahi bikta hai”—that break continued indefinitely, as the “scripts offered started to dry up too.” The daughter-mother exchange was a turning point of sorts, it seems. As Sen puts it, that’s when she realized her daughter had grown up as well, with a mind of her own, “telling her off.”
What did she do? What most people with paps circling them may not. That is, pick up the phone, call up the content bosses of the top three OTT platforms in India, namely, Disney+ Hotstar, Amazon Prime Video, and Netflix.
And introduce herself, “Hi, my name is Sushmita Sen. I’m an actor, used to be one anyway. I’d like to come back to work, and I need help, because I haven’t worked in eight years.”
What might have been more baffling, for the OTT bosses, is the number of conditions she flagged, given that she’d been without a job for almost a decade: “I wanted them to know I am hungry. And I had been watching content on OTT and loving it, while Hindi cinema, with women, operated along the same lines still.”
“I told them: I want workshops. I want to learn. I want to unlearn. And I want to headline a show. I want responsibility. I don’t want to be just a character. I need a conflict so powerful that it is author backed. Their jaws dropped.”
The underlining point being something she’s followed all along: “You get in life what you have the courage to ask for. You just don’t get it [otherwise].”
She rejected multiple scripts that obviously didn’t meet all the conditions. Until Saugata Mukherjee, with Disney+ Hotstar then, currently with Sony LIV, called her back with what he suggested was an offer she couldn’t refuse. He told her nothing else.
In true Godfather style, only few hours later, she was with director Ram Madhvani, who she was pleasantly surprised to meet. He described her role as the “female Michael Corleone.”
Within five minutes, she said yes: “My lawyer Priyanka was making nail marks on my thigh—‘you can’t just do that’!” Sen says what she had learnt from her “first innings [in Bollywood] was not to get carried away by a script. The words to screen require a team.”
This is how, in 2020, we finally saw Sen in Aarya, on screen, after years, doing gymnastics, in the opening scene. We saw her husband in the series, Chandrachur Singh, who’d also been away for so long that some (like me) mistook him for Shashi Tharoor, for a second. “Yeah, I saw those memes,” Sen laughs.
Madhvani’s International Emmy-nominated Aarya is a dark, crackerjack crime thriller, based on the Dutch drama, Penoza, that follows the life of Sen’s eponymous character, as she navigates the world of drug-trade, mafia, murders and revenge, across the rugged terrains of Rajasthan. Aarya is still par for the three-season course.
A better shocker for audiences would’ve been Sen showing up as a transgender lead—playing the activist Gauri Sawant, who went through sex-change, in Taali (on Jio Cinema). You only have to notice Sen in the younger portions of the series, where she’s a young boy with slight stubble, to appreciate the transformation. “That’s when I felt totally beautiful [in my skin],” she says.
The process presumably must’ve been the same: training, workshop, learn, unlearn. The only criticism likely to come her way for Taali, and something she was prepared for, is usurping a role rightly reserved for a transgender actor, after all. She defends, “Frankly, I wasn’t okay to play the role in Taali, until I knew Gauri Sawant herself wants me to play her.”
“The crew was resistant to get in touch with me [Miss Universe, etc], until Gauri coaxed them into it. She told them, I want my life to be beautiful. It has been spelt out to be ugly for far too long.” Sen declares she may have actually underplayed Sawant in the part: “She’s way too spit-fire strong in actual life!”
• • •
While there are several Sushmitas named after Sen, born around the mid ’90s, in Philippines, and in India too—a better name for her might well be Alice. And I don’t mean this in the way of the song, ‘Who the f*** is Alice!’ But, of course, the book, Alice in Wonderland.
Think about it. Enough female actors, in particular, during interviews, you’ll observe, say they never actually wanted to be actors. Which is euphemism for how they never chased fame. It’s only true for Sen, in all honesty. She never even did inter-school plays, growing up.
Shortly after winning the Miss Universe title, she built a home and life in Los Angeles—“that’s where my financial independence was”—for three years.
She had a career in modelling sorted, perhaps looking at entrepreneurship thereafter. It was while she was visiting her parents in Delhi during the time that filmmaker Mahesh Bhatt called her to meet, since he happened to be in Delhi too. She told him over the phone, “If it’s for a role, I’m not interested. I can’t lie. It’ll show on camera.”
This, one can vouch for, even during this conversation. Between 2010-2012, during her acting sabbatical, Sen ran the Miss Universe franchise from India, then owned by Donald Trump. She adds, “This didn’t make it easy or fun. I enjoyed sending girls from India to compete for the pageant, but I didn’t like the people I was working with, so I quit.”
On Trump, she says, “There are some people who leave an impression, not necessarily because of their achievements or power. Just for the people that they are. He is not one of them.”
Okay, we digress. In the mid ’90s, Bhatt persisted for coffee, nonetheless. They met and he told her a few things flatly, “You don’t have to act. You have to play yourself, that is Sushmita Sen. Also, when did I say you’re a good actor, I’m a damn good director.” So Bhatt-like!
The film he had in mind was about a Miss Universe getting stalked, which became Dastak (1996), a big-budget production, shot in Seychelles, Switzerland… It was the only film Sen was ever going to act in.
Here, of course, no dialogue coaches, workshops, acting instructor—Sen was, right away, called in for the film’s mahurat. She recalls, “I had mugged up my lines. I came out of the [vanity] van, and there were 40 media persons lined up for the shot. Bhatt Saab said, ‘Let them watch. It’s after all Miss Universe’s mahurat’. Before I was to give my shot, he changed my entire scene.”
“It became about a woman dealing with a man lunching at a morgue, from whom she has to collect a dead body. I was 22. No acting experience. For two years, I’d been professionally trained to be a lady. Here, I was to show aggression, that I don’t understand, throwing my earrings at the morgue man. I wasn’t getting it right. Bhatt Saab began to tell [brother-partner] Mukesh, ‘Yeh kisko leke aaye ho? She doesn’t know anything!’”
It’s at this point Sen broke. She told Bhatt off: “I told you I can’t act. I’m done. You can’t insult me, in front of all these people. There was a showdown.” Bhatt retorted, “That’s the anger [I was looking for]. Now show it in the film’. This is where Bhatt Saab is Bhatt Saab.”
The entire posse of media folk around her were actually ‘junior artistes’, brought in, holding cameras, pretending to be press!
Dastak, Sen says, got almost entirely shot with her first takes, given how raw she was, as a performer, and how she might feel spent/exhausted, with multiple dabs at the same scene.
The ’90s, of course, were another time, even as they were times that were changing. Looking back, Sen argues, “Thank God for the world that existed back then—I would’ve never been an actor by now.”
What followed Dastak is Alice in Bombay/Bollywood, where everyone, biggest names onwards, knew her already, from her pageant stint. A story I had heard about Sen, which only she can verify is if she first met Amitabh Bachchan in the men’s loo. Dying to pee and no place to go, she walked into the men’s loo, and there was Bachchan saying hi to her… True story? Apparently not.
“This could’ve happened with [me and] someone else. It’s possible. Lucky for whoever saw me in the men’s room. But if it was Mr Bachchan, I’d remember!”
For all its usual highs and lows, Sen did become a legit Bollywood star. The acting experience, or lack thereof, didn’t count for much. What did, in some sense, if you wish to place her in the pantheon is how many Bengali actors become Bollywood heroines.
As in, somehow the male equivalent of Sen, right from Rakhee, Sharmila Tagore, down to Kajol, Rani Mukerji etc, are usually Kapoors or Khans. Rather than male Bengali leads. For the heck of a conversation, I ask her why that is so. She sighs, “It’s an interesting thought. But with due respect to Bengali men, Bengali women are something else!” Point taken.
The other thing that Sen has in common with a full constellation of female Bollywood stars is the number of them who come from defence services’ backgrounds. Their parents having served in the forces—from Priyanka Chopra, Anushka Sharma, Preity Zinta, Lara Dutta, Aishwarya Rai, Neha Dhupia, Gul Panag…
You lose count, really. And this is equally true for women in film crews you bump into often. Sen’s dad served in the Indian Air Force.
She has clearly thought about this phenomenon before: “I think if you’re going to be an outsider [in any industry], it helps to be raised with certain qualities that services’ kids have. Our fathers get posted to a new location every three years, which means everything changes for you—your uncle-aunties, friends, school… This makes you grounded as a person, adapting to new places.”
The other thing Army daughters enjoy, I reckon, growing up in closed cantonments, is a sense of freedom—that isn’t as common among girls, living in the towns/cities right outside the gated, services’ establishments. Sen argues, “On the other hand, we grow up over-protected, but that also makes us fearless.”
Between class IX to XII, Sen went to Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute (AFGJI) in New Delhi. It’s a school I’m familiar with, having been to The Air Force School, next-door, around the same time.
A shout-out is warranted, only because AFGJI is a unique kinda school, for classes merging, wherein airmen’s kids study along with officers’ and civilian’s children. But more so, the school has an inclusive section dedicated to special children, struggling with certain mental faculties.
Sen is happy I bring this up, since it did influence her personality at an early age: “The beauty of interacting with special children in that school was that you got graded for participating in competitions, where you help the other child win, in order to win yourself.
“We got graded 25/100 for just that. So, for instance, you had to push the wheelchair in a run, and you lost, if both of you did. It takes the approach that we aren’t different from each other. Only, that I can’t move forward [in society], unless all of us do.”
After school, Sen had her eyes set on an economics degree from St Stephen’s College. While in line for admissions, realizing that she hadn’t made the percentage cut-off, heartbroken, she headed off to a nightclub the same evening. It’s what happened on that night, that she never had to go to college, ever.
She remembers, “There was a gentleman at the nightclub named Ranjan Bakshi, looking at me. He claimed to be from The Times of India, and wanted me to apply for Miss India. You know how it is, in Delhi…”
Yes, we all do. Sensing a creepy uncle-type, Sen’s friends gave her cover, fobbing off the old gent. But her group of friends returned soon after, with the same man, who had The Times of India business card, asking to be taken more seriously.
This is how she landed at the Miss India contest. There was also the parental block before that. Her father was upset. He had IAS aspirations for his daughter. He didn’t speak to her for some time.
Even when she had entered Miss India, she had to convince him about the swim-suit round: “I can’t participate in the contest, and not do the swim-suit round, which is part of it. I told him, baba, I have to wear a swimsuit. But I promise you, I will add respect to it. It will not be ‘chhablami’ [crass].”
Sen adds, “When I won Miss India—for my dad, being a defence person, it was me representing India. He bawled his lungs out. I had given him the biggest moment, being his daughter.”
This is the point in the interview Sen is in tears herself; asking for tissue. She came good, even further, for her father, when she was awarded an honorary D.Litt by NR Narayana Murthy, in Kolkata, many years later. She was unwell. Her dad went to receive the degree, on her behalf. So much for never entering college.
• • •
The reason Sen will be Miss Universe for Indians, foremost, forever, is also her stardom belongs to a time when mass culture itself was so monocultural.
We followed a handful of celebs. Information on them was scarce. Mystique, supreme. There developed a para-social relationship with the star. Wherein we formed our own opinions on them based on the little we know. And we took immense pleasure in it.
As a kid, when Sen won the global title, I confess to her, we’d gossiped about how she had dumped her boyfriend right after. Feeling sad for the boy we knew nothing about. Rajan, something? “Rajat Tara,” she reminds us. Of course!
“I was the best-man at his wedding in Belgrade,” Sen says, recalling how he remains her BFF still: “I was so fortunate to have him as my first boyfriend. You don’t dump a guy like that. You could outgrow.” That she’s famous and single (as in unmarried) since she was 18—I also wonder if normal dating has been difficult for her.
Sen says hiding who you’re dating is more tiresome: “Takes away too much energy. There are times in my life, when I’ve wanted to give respect to a relationship [by being open about it] and I have, without waiting [for the other person to].”
Which brings me to the X/Twitter post on her relationship with former IPL boss Lalit Modi that blew up social media in 2022. Sen rightly asks me to check my facts. She put out no such post herself (Modi did).
What she did was respond to the madness on Instagram: “I just posted for how silence must not be misconstrued with weakness. I wanted people to know that I was laughing. And got done with it.”
“You can’t be 47, in the public eye for 30 years, and be afraid of the public. You have a relationship with them. They can get strained sometimes, as with all relationships. But that’s okay. I was looking at memes calling me gold-digger, but monetizing the same content, online. Also, let’s get the facts straight. I don’t even like gold. I like diamonds!”
Okay, switching gears to something more serious: “Oh, that wasn’t serious,” Sen chides. Obviously not. Her relationships are not what we know her for.
In many ways, Sen is the female equivalent of Shah Rukh Khan. And I don’t mean SRK in 2023, with two blockbusters under his belt. But all the years before it as well, wherein people never lost the personal connect with the star, regardless of hits/flops.
As with Sen, who’s equally articulate, can charm the pants off you, and while she hadn’t been onscreen for nearly a decade— people remained interested in what she said, and more so, what she did. In terms of life’s choices.
Take the case of her two children, Renee, 24, Alisah, 18. Both of whom she fought in the court to gain her right to adopt them as a single mother.
The impact that must’ve had on millions of Indians, similarly looking to be parents, but not necessarily out of wedlock. And that you couldn’t be a “fertile, single woman,” and adopt a child at all: “The last such person to do that [before me] was a 29-year-old divorcee. And it wasn’t me alone, who won the court case. It was worth the fight. There were so many of us [in the same situation]. Even when we won the court case, and I was 24—once I brought my [adopted] child home, there was problem at the passport office. They refused to leave the line on who’s the father, blank.”
“I had to go back to the judge, who issued the letter to the passport office stating that a refusal to do this would be contempt of court. What happiness, we are jumping timelines!”
A decade later, she knocked on the Supreme Court, because the laws didn’t allow you to adopt a girl child, twice. Which is strange: “At the orphanage, there are no boys. Even if there are a few, they get adopted immediately. There are parents who have already adopted, but they can’t bring another baby girl. That defeats the purpose.”
“It took us 10 years to win that case. We won on November 17. On November 19, which is my birthday, my [second] daughter came home. It’s as if she was waiting for this, to be born. Of course, you can say ‘not applicable’ to a father’s name in [her government] documents as well!”
It’s an empty nest for her now, as Sen puts it: “Both my children have now moved into their own lives. I’m learning to be jobless [on that front]!” Which explains her changing priorities, she suggests. Only, in July, 2022, she suffered a massive heart attack, which is becoming inexplicably common at middle-age, lately.
Sen already has a family history of a heart condition—a reason both she and her brother (Rajeev) get medically examined, regularly. She was “hyper-active, shooting” for the third season of Aarya.
Sen says, “This was all of a sudden. I had just been checked. It couldn’t be the heart. But I had a 95 per cent blockage in my artery. In the 45 minutes of that episode, the last 15 minutes of which I was running parallel between life and death, I just knew that God has plans for me.”
“Miraculously, the arteries opened up for the blood to pass through. The doctor was laughing with me while putting stents on the operating table. It’s like a new lease of life. I finish my 47th year, with so much that has happened.”
Sen turns 48 on Nov 19, 2023, a day after this is published.
I have always been a very exclusive person-Sushmita Sen
8:16 AM
Sushmita Sen calls herself ‘discrete’, explains why she is selective about the work she takes on
Sugandha Rawal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; February 26, 2022)
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.
When I’m in love, I’m 100%. So, when we part ways gracefully, we must do that 100% as well-Sushmita Sen
8:58 AM
Sushmita Sen opens up about her breakup with Rohman Shawl
Sugandha Rawal (HINDUSTAN TIMES; December 31, 2021)
Actor Sushmita Sen has always believed in speaking the truth, be it about her professional sphere or personal life. That’s why she didn’t try to conceal the fact that her relationship with model-actor Rohman Shawl had ended.
“For me, closure is a big thing. When you are a public figure, the person [who is] involved with you is also in the public eye. So, it is not fair for his or your life to be stuck,” says Sen, who announced her split from Shawl via social media earlier this month.
She continues, “Closure is essential for both people so that they can move on with their lives. And, of course, the friendship remains. At my age, if I sit and think about the terrible things (in life), I am wasting my life.”
The 46-year-old is proud of the fact that she has learned a lot from every relationship she has had in her life. “In every relationship, I’ve grown. It’s a beautiful thing to be able to speak your truth,” the actor says and adds that she is “a 100% person”.
“When I’m in love, I’m 100%. So, when we leave (part ways) gracefully, we must do that 100% [as well]. Whatever the reason may be [for your breakup], your life is not about being in a loop. The truth is incredible because it allows people to remain friends and be good to each other. The world needs that love. There are enough problems with it already,” explains the actor.
On the professional front, Sen describes 2021 as a beautiful year. Her career has reached new heights, with her web series Aarya receiving International Emmy nominations and the success of its second season. “I feel blessed. I came back after a 10-year hiatus with an author-backed role, which has got overwhelming acceptance. It has not been a mixed year, but a beautiful one,” she says.
A few days before her birthday this year, Sen underwent surgery on November 16. She says that it was the result of a health concern she had ignored for the last seven years: “By the end of filming Aarya2, I knew that now we couldn’t delay this (surgery) anymore. Look at how graceful my God is that in the middle of Covid-19, Europe opened, just so that I could have my surgery done.” She adds that she is “recovering well, and is looking forward to getting back to training again”.
“I’m entering 2022 at my healthiest, hopefully fittest, and I have Aarya season three and other things to look forward to,” she ends.
My role in Aarya is a female version of Michael Corleone from The Godfather-Sushmita Sen
8:00 AM
Winning praise for her mature performance in Aarya 2, Sushmita says the OTT boom has not only helped actors realise their potential but also put Indian content on the global map
Uma Ramasubramanian (MID-DAY; December 17, 2021)
Talent can be a patient thing. It doesn’t leave your side, honing itself quietly until the right moment comes its way. For Sushmita Sen, it came 24 years after her Bollywood debut, in the form of Aarya. If the first season made people rediscover Sen’s acting prowess, the latest instalment has proved that she gets better as the stakes rise higher.
To the actor, the Ram Madhvani creation represents the kind of content she always believed in. “Now, I am moving in the right direction. I am marrying the person I am with the role I choose. It required a director like Ram and such a team to allow me to do that,” she says.
In the eight-part series, circumstances and shifting alliances compel Sen’s Aarya to transform from a homemaker to a fierce don. The actor is delighted that the audiences have embraced a woman-led story, season on season. “The show is inspired by Penoza [the Dutch series], or [if you see the similarities], the role is a female version of Michael Corleone from The Godfather. So, it’s tough for Indian audiences to suddenly accept not just a strong female lead, but to see her being everything that we consider masculine. Thanks to Ram, Aarya is still as feminine as she can be, because she is a mother first.”
The advent of streaming platforms has changed the content landscape in India over the past two years. Sen seconds the idea. “The real celebration of content has come through OTT because it has allowed us to explore. It’s not about actors, whose careers had come to an end, making a comeback. It is about web [platforms] that allow Indian stories to have international appeal while remaining true to Indian culture. [Aarya] being nominated at the Emmys was a shoutout to the fact that we are making our presence felt globally.”
The second season of the Disney+ Hotstar series ends with a tease, as Aarya finds herself facing a new enemy. Is a third edition on its way? “Penoza had five seasons. So, we have the basic arc of five seasons. Only Ram can answer this question, but I have a dirty feeling we’re coming with season three,” she laughs.
We are in a business with humongous egos-Sushmita Sen
8:36 AM
Shreya Mukherjee (HINDUSTAN TIMES; July 14, 2020)
Sushmita Sen’s web series, Aarya, has garnered much appreciation. But before settling on this project to make a comeback, the actor declined quite a few offers. She agrees that “too many NOs is like alienating people”. She says, “We are in a business with humongous egos, that’s not a secret. Each time you say no, that’s a problem, you’re a problem, it might mean that you don’t want to work.”
However, Sen never pondered over what people would think. “It’s always been about being honest about the work I take up. Good, bad or ugly — I chose this, so I’m responsible. The offers that came to me sometimes weren’t good enough; it would also be like we are doing you a favour by keeping you in the industry. That doesn’t work,” she adds.
The actor, 44, never “targeted the first five spots in the film industry”, but admits she’s hungry for good work. “I’d enjoy working in a strict environment where I’m told on my face when I go wrong, rather than those ‘wah wah kya shot diya’ reactions. That is what inspired me to grow, otherwise I’m just another actor trying to stay in the game,” she opines.
For Sen, it’s the story and characters that matter, and not the medium. “I think I am old enough not to be excited about formats. I am excited about stories, characters, presentation, etc. Whether it’s online or theatre doesn’t make much of a difference,” she says.
At a time when many are expressing how toxic social media is, Sen feels consistency matters, adding, “No amount of social media marketing can change that, because more than a generation has seen you being consistently you. It takes a lot of brickbats, appreciation and ignorance, and everything culminates into the person who’ll be remembered.”
She’s also not keen on making a hue and cry about every issue. “For example, every time something happens in the country, you feel for it, pray for the people, but this idea that you need to pull up a force and make noise about feeling sad isn’t something I encourage. Social media is fantastic…it helps you connect beyond boundaries, but if you use it to promote ideas and hatred in divisiveness, count me out,” she signs off.
I’m an outsider but I was approached to be a part of films because of the pageant I won-Sushmita Sen
9:05 AM
Actor Sushmita Sen says winning a beauty pageant made it easier for her in Bollywood, feels she’s still relevant thanks to her fans
Shreya Mukherjee (HINDUSTAN TIMES; June 28, 2020)
A rank outsider in the film industry, Sushmita Sen managed to earn herself a spot in Bollywood with unforgettable performances in films such as Main Hoon Na (2004) and Chingaari (2006). And referring to the outsider-insider debate highlighted after actor Sushant Singh Rajput’s death, Sen admits that winning the Miss Universe title made things easier for her. But, she’s quick to add that wading through was difficult.
“A lot of young people come from smaller cities, who live, breathe and eat cinema. They want to be actors, directors or follow some creative pursuit here. The hunger in them is fantastic, but it often gets seen as desperation,” she points out.
She warns newbies to not look too desperate. “Given the competition in the industry, this desperation becomes too much of a pressure. So, instead of performance, one is judged by the number of followers on social media. It’s like if we can market it well, we can sell anything,” explains the 44-year-old. Sen, however, never had that mindset. She clarifies, “I’m an outsider but I was approached to be a part of films because of the pageant I won. I never thought of being an actor, but when I took it up, I felt I could learn and grow here,” says the actor, who recently made her web debut.
At one point Sen thought of pursuing something else. “But I always knew whatever I do, I’ll do it with integrity and respect. You could be the biggest filmmaker or hero, but you must show respect,” she says.
The actor believes many newcomers lose themselves in this industry due to the pressure. “By God’s grace, the industry invested in me. But I can continue to work and stay relevant because of my fans. I am in no rush, I’ll live on my own terms,” she says, adding it wasn’t easy to deal with the life-threatening Addison’s disease she recently recovered from.
Sen shares there were tough moments, but other things made her stand up. “Even during the Coronavirus lockdown, at times, I couldn’t take this closed atmosphere. But, I feel good to have this balanced approach given the people (her daughters Renee and Aliseh, beau Rohman Shawl and her family) I have around. Having patience is key. There’s a lot of gratitude,” she adds.
The fact that people are standing up to express themselves makes me proud as a woman and human being-Sushmita Sen
8:16 AM
Pallabi Purkayastha (BOMBAY TIMES; October 18, 2018)
In the light of the global movement #MeToo, which has gained momentum in India, former Miss Universe and actress Sushmita Sen was asked to comment on the uproar at the recently concluded Bombay Times Fashion Week.
The actress said that she is proud of women who are speaking out. “Sahi samay toh tabse tha jabse aurtein iss duniya mein aayi hain, sahi samay kal ya parson nahin tha. But I am proud of everyone (referring to the women who have come out with their #MeToo stories) and it is not just a gender bias about women alone. I think the fact that our society, our people are all standing up to express themselves... their voice is so powerful... the fact that I get to see that in my lifetime, makes me proud as a woman and human being,” she said.
When asked if these incidents have left her shocked, Sushmita said that the fact that people have remained silent for so long is even more shocking. “Shocking har baar hi hota hai, but we are not ignorant people. It’s not like we never knew that these kind of things were happening, but what is even more shocking is that we did not listen to it for so long and did nothing about it,” she shared.
Talking about whether the movement is also paving the path for character assassination, Sushmita said that if 50 people are accusing the same person of sexual misconduct, there has to be some truth to it. “This is just the start and we have to listen. You have to believe and you have to understand that if one person accuses someone, then maybe it’s false, but if 50 people accuse the same person of the same thing, then there has to be some truth to it. You have to listen to people, give them a fair trial and let justice prevail,” concluded Sushmita.
Manila is my home away from home-Sushmita Sen
7:57 AM
Sushmita Sen visits the city after 23 years. First as Miss Universe, and now to judge the pageant
Upala KBR (DNA; January 28, 2017)
After 23 years, Sushmita Sen will be in Manila, Philippines again. She was chosen as 1994’s Miss Universe in this city and she soon returns there for the grand coronation pageant on January 30. Her win was the first time India brought home the title. Comedian Steve Harvey is hosting the event and model Ashley Graham is hosting it backstage, while Filipino-Hawaiian vlogger Bretman Rock will be the Miss Universe red carpet host. In an exclusive chat, Sush shares her thoughts on visiting Manila 23 years on and more...
From a winner in 1994 to a judge this year, it must be an emotional return to Manila...
For me, the deciding factor was not just that I was being invited as a judge, but the fact, that I was being invited back to Manila, Philippines, to judge the competition! As I’ve mentioned on Instagram, this is ‘life coming full circle’, bringing us back together to celebrate ‘where it all began’. It’s been overwhelming to receive messages from Filipinos around the world, welcoming me back. This will be one emotional homecoming.
Why haven’t you visited Philippines in the last 23 years?
It has indeed taken me 23 years, despite the fact that I am someone who loves to travel, loves to dive — and Philippines has some beautiful diving sites — and yet somehow, hasn’t happened! I think that life, God’s plans and just the process of this journey of Miss Universe had to complete itself in this beautiful fashion, where I went from being a participant, a winner, to now a judge and it was all destined to happen in the Philippines! It is my home away from home.
Please continue…
It is the one place that has given me love, respect, adulation and this deep sense of belonging, for two decades now, transforming this generous foreign land into my second home. I often say this, that if one has the honour to win the ‘Miss Universe’ crown, there ain’t no better country than the Philippines to win it in, because you will be remembered and cherished and celebrated by generations to follow. I am living proof of that! I am very, very excited!
Are your daughters Renee and Alisah travelling with you?
No. I would have liked that, but I am a hands-on mother. I don’t have nannies running around my children looking after them. If my children travel with me, they come first.
Do you plan to stay back there for a short holiday?
I would have liked that, but this is an official visit. I will definitely go back for a more social visit with my kids at a later stage. On our next trip, I look forward to introducing my children to the country they feel very connected with.
It’s a great time for women in cinema-Sushmita Sen
7:49 AM
Chaya Unnikrishnan (DNA; August 12, 2015)
Sushmita Sen, who is returning to TV as a judge for
Comedy Superstar (she was last seen on Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena in 2008)
has plans to make a comeback to Bollywood, too. She recently finished
shooting for a Bengali film Nirbaak, which she says was a “wonderful way
of breaking the inertia”. Here, the actress talks about films and her
eventual return to the big screen.
Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, who was once considered your rival, is making a comeback to movies...
Why just Aishwarya? Even Kajol is coming back with a fabulous film. Earlier, Sridevi did an amazing job. Even Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla have returned to films. It is embarrassing to say it’s a comeback though because it’s an art they have polished; acting is something that one never forgets, just like driving and swimming. They had other priorities in their lives, which they concentrated on. Now that they are done with that, they have returned to their craft to enjoy themselves.
Any plans to return to films?
I recently did my first Bengali film Nirbaak and it was a fun way to break the inertia and go back to doing something I used to do. It made me understand how much I missed it.
It’s the best time for heroines as women-centric films are being made.
Absolutely. It’s still a man’s world, though, as distribution rights are still done in a certain way in India. But yes, scripts with women in mind are being written. It’s a good thing that girls like Vidya Balan and Kangana Ranaut are making women-centric films come alive. It’s a great time to be a part of cinema. More power to women.
Even biopics are in vogue. A few years ago, you’d launched Rani Lakshmibai, which you later stalled. Planning to revisit it now?
I know biopics are doing well, but I wanted to make Rani Lakshmibai at a particular budget, which for a women-centric film was difficult to fund then. However, I lived with the character for two-and-a-half years; it has taken up a lot of time and patience. I don’t think the time is right now. However, it won’t go to waste. I’ve bought the rights from Jayashree Mishra and will make it sometime later. Right now, I want to initiate my acting before getting into production.
Among the newbies, who do you find promising?
Alia Bhatt blew my mind with Highway. That girl hasn’t ceased to amaze me. She is incredible.
Marriage is always on the cards-Sushmita Sen
8:05 AM
Sushmita Sen talks about life, kids – Renee and Alisah — and of course, her debut Bengali film that is up for release
Sneha Mahadevan (DNA; April 1, 2015)
If there has been any actress who has defied the norms to chase her dreams and live life on her own terms, it is Sushmita Sen. From deciding to being a single mother and adopting two girls to now making her debut in Bengali films with National Award-winning director Sreejit Mukherji's Nirbaak, Sushmita has done everything at her own pace. When we met her recently, the extremely excited actress spoke about her film along with discussing everything under the sun. Read on...
Considering you are a Bengali, isn't it surprising it took you so long to do a Bengali film?
That's true. I steered clear of it. The first time I read the script, it went over my head and then I re-read it. I realised that this man was brilliant and the screenplay had so much subtext. I am so used to Hindi commercial cinema where everything is spelt out pretty much. But I got a lot of like-minded people to advice me on the same and everyone was of the opinion that Sreejit was brilliant and that I had to work with him. It's finally releasing in Kolkata on May 1 and in Mumbai on May 15. It helps that my director has made it a habit of winning National Awards, just won it again for Chotushkone. I like his track record, he is such a brilliant guy that I couldn't have asked for a better man to initiate my career in Bengali films.
Has Hollywood never appealed to you?
That's not true. I have had my phases of being excited about something and then thinking that this doesn't excite me anymore. I do multiple things. I run a company, I am a mother, I take off to Maldives to get myself certified. I got my daughter certified under junior paddy. Now these are things in life that are important to me. They are a part of my larger picture. I cannot be a part of a rut. That is something I have consciously chosen not to do. I give 100 percent to everything that I am doing. The four best years of my child's life while growing up, they don't come back, three or four films not being done, is a very small price to pay. That for me, is my choice.
You said you went to Maldives...
I had always heard stories about people telling me that it was a whole, new world underwater. Once you get under 10 metres and you start to look at the world, you realise that you are a nobody there. We went and had four dives, got certified. Did the theory. That was fun because my daughter and I studied from the same book for the exam. It was great fun. My younger daughter Alisah became an ace snorkeller at age 5. She snorkelled in the Indian Ocean and when she grows up, I am going to show her those videos. I swam with white-tip sharks and saw so many creatures that people take years to see. I was lucky enough to have seen it on my fourth dive. I have done 20 metres. Renee has never been more excited about anything else. Diving happens as buddies as two people have to dive together to watch each other. She became my buddy. And once you are underwater, all that you can hear is the sound of your oxygen regulator and you realise that you have never been more free in life. The visuals you see will change you forever. I am beginning to earmark diving spots across the world and I intend to keep taking both the kids so at a certain age, Alisah can also dive.
Renee is 15 now. Does she have an idea as to what she wants to do?
Everyday, I hear new versions of what she wants to do and now the latest thing is Liberal Arts. Her explanation, "That way I can indulge in my music as well. Because I am going to be an actress eventually." She has been clear about that since she was a baby. She is like, 'I love the camera'.
And you are fine with her decision to become an actress?
Oh yeah. I have always supported her but my only condition to her, was to get a degree. Everyone needs a shield that will protect them. And I say that repeatedly because the tendency is that my mother only did Class 12 and she did fine. But everyone has a different story. Films shouldn't be a be-all and end-all. No one should be desperate and really to be a creative person, you cannot let desperation set in. Because then you stop being creative. And she is creative. She has an absolutely fabulous voice and she has trained since she was two and a half. She is very talented. I don't want her to ever be at a stage where she says, 'Ma, I don't have anything else to do.' So that is the deal – you get me a degree and then you can do whatever it is that you want.
What about marriage? Was that never on the cards?
Marriage was always on the cards. I have always been a romantic. Since I was 16, I have had a very lovely notion of it. But like everything else in my life, I have never been in a hurry. I have always believed that it will happen at the right time. I believe that if you are born with a desire, that it will manifest. But don't keep conditions on it. Marriage was always on the cards and will still stay on the cards unless proven otherwise. In the meantime, I think I have led a very exciting life. Not once in my life have I felt, 'Oh god, I didn't get married'. But the truth was that I didn't have a single moment free. To have a relationship, I have had to schedule it because I have a lot of things that I want to do.
But would they be delighted if you choose to get married now?
I have mentally prepared them. I have told them that just because it's not happening, let's not entirely give up on the idea. And don't you dare come to me in three years and say, 'Mum, I have found the guy'. That is just not happening. It is my turn first.
Looks like Aishwarya and I will star together in a film-Sushmita Sen
8:40 AM
Bharati Dubey (MID-DAY; June 9, 2014)
After being a part of the film industry for nearly two decades, Sushmita Sen has now signed a Bangla film.
Sen will be making her Bangla film debut with Srijit Mukherji’s Nirbaak. hitlist caught up with the actress….
What took you so long to do a film in your mother tongue?
I always wanted to be part of a good Bangla film and whenever I was offered a project, I always wanted something better. But when Nirbaak came my way, I found the story so gripping that I said yes right away.
You make appearances at charity events and fashion shows, but it’s been a while since you played the lead in a Hindi film…
None of the scripts that came my way interested me. My ability to say no to them is the reason why you did not see much of me on the big screen.
So many of your contemporaries are now married. Some have come back to start their second innings…
Like I said earlier, the scripts did not interest me. As for marriage, I am saving the best for last and when it happens, it will be beautiful.
There were reports about you playing Benazir Bhutto in a film. Is it happening?
No, that film was shelved a long time ago. But I do know that the people of Pakistan would’ve loved to see me as Bhutto.
Do you star alongside Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in Prahlad Kakkar’s film?
Looks like she and I will star together in the film. It’s a matter of time before the film starts rolling. I look forward to it.
The last time Aishwarya Rai Bachchan was at Cannes, she was criticised by Indian and international media; this time, they loved her on the red carpet. Comment.
It’s a story of every celebrity. We all get targeted at some point or the other and then people’s perceptions change. One should not worry about what the world thinks.
You are a single mother who has lived life on her own terms. How difficult has it been?
It’s not easy but it’s beautiful. Being a mother is a 24x7 job. But the highs are amazing and one does not pay attention to the lows. When I go away, the world will remember my two beautiful daughters, who I believe will make me stay on in the minds of the people.
How do you spend your free time?
I play the joker for my kids. Raising children is about playing a part at different times of the day. I am also an entrepreneur, a daughter and a sister. There is so much to do beyond films; I am living my life. I’d like to own a chain of destination spas some day.
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