She is one of those rare combinations of beauty and brain. A former Miss Universe, an actor, a single mother of two, and now a businesswoman…Sushmita Sen is truly living life to the brim. The actor in conversation with TWF correspondent Sreya Basu in Kolkata.
What made you sign Dulha Mil Gaya After many years I am doing a film which I can claim as mine…this is my film.
It has been written keeping me in mind. My character is that of Shimmer…she is just as her name suggests.
She is very sparkling, energetic, independent…a supermodel…today’s woman. Everything about her is good, but she has no relationships in her life.
So through the journey of the film she finds that part of her life, which I think is true for a lot of woman today.
You get cynical about love and one fine day you find it. And it has been done in a very beautiful way in Dulha Mil Gaya. It’s a romantic comedy, which is not slapstick, but situational.
There is Fardeen Khan, Shah Rukh, Ishita Sharma in the film to. Don’t you think a multi-starrer can overshadow you? The director (Muddasar Aziz) has done a beautiful job with all the characters. But if you ask me, Shimmer is the best.
Does Shimmer gets her dulha finally? Of course, she gets her dulha. Shimmer has a dulha in her life…but she doesn’t like him. Then she realizes that in life there should be a place for everything…profession, relationships. And how she finds that is what the film is all about.
This is your second film with SRK and first film with Fardeen. How’s the experience? I am very lucky…this is my second film with Shah Rukh; my on –screen chemistry with Shah Rukh is mind-blowing, I can bet on that one.
But this is my first film with Fardeen…he is as good a human being as an actor…his heart is as good as his looks. Very compatible, very royal…and he has been cast in the movie like that only. He is playing himself, just as I am playing mine…the director has made sure that the casting to be such that nobody has to ‘act’ too much.
Why aren’t we seeing SRK in the promotions of the film? Because it is not a frame-to-frame Shah Rukh Khan film; but again, according to me, Shah Rukh doesn’t have a guest appearance in the film either. It’s a character-driven film. Shah Rukh is not seen in the promotions of the film because he has a lot of other things going on right now and this is not predominantly a SRK film.
Now-a-days, many Bollywood beauties (like Bipasha Basu, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan) are doing Bengali films. You speak the language quite fluently. But why don’t we see you in regional films? I keep saying that I am a non-resident Bengali, so I have my limitations. But thanks to my father (Shubeer Sen) I speak a lot of Bengali at home; I am doing that to my daughters as well.
I did a Tamil film right in the beginning of my career and I knew when people watch it, they will say: ’Wow a Bengali trying to speak Tamil…how lovely’ and all. But if I make any mistake with Bengali, people are not going to forgive me.
I have to know what I am doing because I belong to Kolkata and I belong to Bengal and unless a script and a role is outstanding and stands for like a national award, I will not dare attempt it. May be I am greedy, but I am waiting.
What about Rani Laxmibai?
What about it, man? It has been put in the backwaters for the time being. It’s a very expensive film and the market is down. It’s not the right time to make it. But God is great. While that film got stalled came Dulha Mil Gaya …in the right time.
We shot in the Caribbean and I got to meet the finest set of people there. That helped me to get over the trauma of not making Rani Laxmibai. But I will make it one day for sure. Inshallah.
How much is Sushmita Sen like Rani Laxmibai?
I don’t know about that. But I can relate to her immensely the moment I decided to make a film on her. If in my entire lifetime I can achieve what she did in her 29-year lifetime, I would say that I lived a fulfilling life.
You have a restaurant business and now you have got the Miss Universe franchise in India. Do you plan to become a full-fledged businesswoman in future?
(Laughs) I have never planned anything in life…I have always accepted what came to my life. My friend Rajat Dalmia is my partner in restaurant business and we have already opened one in Kolkata.
There is a night club and lounge as well and we are planning to take it further. Now, I have also got the Miss Universe franchise in India. It will be the winner of I Am She who will represent India on the global platform. I want to bring back the crown to India.
For that I want Miss India to be educated and intelligent. Language is no barrier and contestants can speak any language. But that doesn’t mean I will stop doing films. I am quite capable of multi-tasking.
You recently had a new addition to your family…
Yes, her name is Alisah and I am overjoyed… I am on the moon right now.
Is your elder daughter Renee comfortable with your three-month-old daughter?
Yes. Renee loves her. It’s a blessing to have both of them in my life. God bless them. I am going to Kerala backwaters with two kids…I was so busy this year that I missed spending time with them.
What is your relationship status right now?
In real life darling, I have only been in relationships. (Bursts into laughter) Better ask me when I am going to get married?
Will you get married?
Well, I will get married for sure.
When?
That’s not something that I can decide, it’s for God to decide. And when that day comes you are cordially invited.
Do you think marriage is important?
Absolutely. I think anything that you believe in, is important. Marriage is beautiful and I must get married, but for the right reasons, in the right time, with the right person…too many ‘rights’ here.
But you chose motherhood to marriage at 24. That means motherhood is more important than marriage?
I think both are important from their own standpoint. I don’t know about marriage because I am still single. But, motherhood is an overwhelming experience…in fact, you can’t put it in words.
