_1668492053774_thumb_1200.jpeg?w=1200&q=75&fm=webp)
A Bollywood actress who took our screens by storm and won over the nation’s heart at a young age turns a year older and wiser this month. Sushmita Sen celebrates her birthday on November 19 and turns 47 this year. At the age of 18, the beautiful Sushmita won the prestigious Miss Universe pageant in 1994. She bagged the title thanks to her beauty, confidence and perspective towards life. After that, she entered the film industry and delivered some amazing performances, winning a lot of critical acclaim for her movies. Besides her professional achievements, she has also been in the news for her progressive views on important aspects of society and her personal life as well.
To celebrate her birthday month, we are looking back at the glorious milestones from Sushmita Sen’s life.
5 times Sushmita Sen proved she is a woman of substance
1. The pageant queen moment
In 1994, Sushmita Sen became the first Indian woman to be crowned Miss Universe. She was undoubtedly beautiful and had all the qualifications to be in the pageant, but the show-stealing moment for the diva was her Q&A round. She was asked what was the essence of being a woman according to her. She replied that a woman is a gift of God, the origin of a child and she must be appreciated. Sen’s answer continues to be monumental even today and is a clear reflection of the strong woman that she is. Her reply won everybody’s heart and she has been the most loved Indian Miss Universe ever since.
2. The skilled Bollywood actor
After being crowned Miss Universe, we were introduced to Sushmita on the silver screen. She featured in many commercial and art movies and received a lot of critical acclaim for her movies with female-oriented roles. Be it Samay, in which she played a police officer trying to solve a crime, or Chingaari, in which she played the role of a prostitute who falls in love with a postman or her biggest comeback in the web series Aarya — all of her performances have brought her the fame and love she deserves. Now, her fans are looking forward to her most-awaited performance in the upcoming web series Taali, in which she is portraying Gauri Sawant, a transgender activist.
3. The progressive woman of today
Time and again, this stunning Bollywood actress has surprised us with her views on different aspects of life. She has spoken about women’s rights and has been an active participant in setting a great example for women all over the world. She has been unapologetic and open about her personal life when questions arose about her marriage, her adopted children and her dating men who are much younger or older than her. She has always kept us on our toes with her perspective on various matters and we love following her on social media for her opinions.
4. The loving mother of two
The Bollywood actress adopted her first child, Renee Sen, when Sushmita was just 24 years old. She challenged societal stigmas and gave people a lot to talk about because she had adopted a child without getting married. She adopted her younger daughter Alisah a few years later and has always adorned motherhood as a blessing. Sushmita is the epitome of a mother who has raised two amazing children single-handedly. She often uploads sweet posts about activities like dance routines and going on holidays with her daughters and we can’t be happier for the actor.
5. The fitness role model
If you are a fitness freak or are just looking for some motivation to start working out, all you have to do is check out Sushmita Sen’s workout routine. She focuses on strength training, calisthenics and dance workouts. If you follow her on social media, you will see that her entire feed is bustling with fascinating workout videos that you will want to try once you see them. Although she is becoming a year older, she has held on to being the fittest version of herself.
It is unbelievable how fast time flies because it was just the other day when India had their first Miss Universe in 1994. Almost three decades on, numerous critically-acclaimed films, fame, love from the audience and a lot of other milestones in life later, Sushmita Sen is still the evergreen diva. This month, in a new year of her life, we can only hope that the brightness of the star that is Sushmita Sen never fades and we are graced with more of her silver screen performances and off-screen rockstar presence.
6. The fighter against Addison’s disease
The Bollywood actress shocked her fans in 2014 when she revealed that she had been diagnosed with Addison’s disease. In an interview, Sushmita said that the years she battled with the disease were immensely traumatising. She was full of fatigue, frustration and tiredness of taking steroids substitute cortisol and living with a chronic illness. She openly spoke about her faith and the test of time and how she never gave up hope and kept going everyday. Sushmita Sen proves what a braveheart she is everyday.