Sushmita Sen took the world by storm when she surprised everyone by winning the Miss Universe crown, a first by any Indian beauty in 1994. Before her Rita Faria had won the Miss World title decades earlier but no one could win the Miss Universe title. Importantly, Sushmita Sen was the first Indian girl to win the global beauty pageant after many decades.
So naturally she became very famous and was also offered good work in Bollywood. Recently a video from her Miss Universe days surfaced online that showed how simple Sush was as an 18-year-old Miss India representing the country at the global level. The clip shows young and simple Sushmita Sen decking up for a photo shoot with the Taj Mahal in the backdrop.
The theme of the shoot seems to be traditional Indian wear with a focus on clothes that were worn by royal ladies. She was slim and tall and walked and posed elegantly in all those dresses that enhanced her overall beauty. Apart from her looks it was the replies given by Sushmita Sen at the Miss Universe 1994 pageant that confirmed the crown in her favour.
At the global pageant, Sushmita was asked, “What for you is the essence of being a woman?” In reply, the Bollywood actress said, “Just being a woman is a gift of God that all of us must appreciate. The origin of a child is a mother, who is a woman. She shows a man what caring, sharing, and loving are all about. That’s the essence of being a woman."
That was the answer that not only won her the title but also the hearts of millions of people around the world. Although her win was very big for India, Sushmita Sen could not translate the same success in Bollywood. She has worked in a few big hits but has been nowhere near the level of Aishwarya Rai Bachchan or Priyanka Chopra Jonas who also won beauty pageants on global platforms representing India.
She marked her comeback on OTT with Aarya which became a big hit. The third and final season of Aarya-The Antim War aired on Disney Plus Hotstar sometime ago.