Sushmita Sen has always been candid about her personal and professional challenges. Now, in an interview with Curly Tales, the actress revealed that she missed a Miss Universe dinner due to her unfamiliarity with table manners. Sushmita scripted history by becoming the first Indian to win the Miss Universe crown 29 years ago (1994). The actress said, "I didn't learn table manners before winning Miss Universe. After winning it, they sent me to Mexico City. I'm 18 years old, I barely speak English. I'm getting it together at that point and Barbara, my travel manager sitting to my right and thereafter beyond Barbara are all men. I'm starving, I'm smiling at my travel manager saying ‘I'm very hungry'. Then I bend over like ‘I'm very hungry Barbara.' She's like, ‘So are they and you're the chief guest, you need to start.'”
Sushmita Sen added, "I felt very out of place, and I don't want to feel that again. One of the things that I learnt was ‘Pet bhar ke kha ke jaao ghar se, taki waha pe jaake khana khane ki utsukta nahi hogi [Eat well at home and then go for an official dinner, so that you won't feel the urge to eat there].' Then you can elegantly say, ‘No more, thank you', and they will assume you follow a strict diet.”
Sushmita Sen has always been open about her journey in the industry. The actress, in an old interview with late actor Farooq Shaikh on NDTV talk show Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai, shared how she had her winning gown for Miss India stitched by a local tailor because she couldn't afford four different designer outfits for the finale.
The actress mentioned, "Itne paise nahi the ki hum designer kapde pehen ke stage par jaye. Char costumes chahiye the. Hum middle class ke log hai aur hum ko humari restrictions maloom thi [We didn't have enough money to afford designer outfits. We needed four costumes. We were middle-class people and we knew our restrictions.]"
Sushmita Sen added, "Mummy ne kaha, 'So what? Kapde dekhne thodi arhe hai log, tumhe dekhne arhe hai. Toh chalo, shuru ho gye, kapde khareed ke laaye gaye Sarojini Nagar market [a flea market in New Delhi] se. Humare neeche, garage mein, ek petticoat silne wala aadmi tha, unko jaakar thama dia aur kaha, 'Dekho bhaiya, TV pe aane wala hai, accha banana.' Unhone uss fabric ke sath mera winning gown tyaar kia, mummy ne bache hue fabric ko mod k ek rose bnaya aur fir kala socks, brand new khareed ke kaat ke, usmein elastic daal ke gloves pehne the maine [My mother said, 'So what? They are not going to look at your clothes, they are going to look at you.' So we bought a piece of fabric from Sarojini Nagar market. Downstairs, in the garage, there was a local tailor who made petticoats. We gave him the material and said, 'This will come on TV, make a good dress.' He made my winning gown out of that fabric and my mother made a rose out of the remaining fabric. We bought brand new black socks, cut it, put elastic in it and then I wore them as gloves]."
On the work front, Sushmita Sen was last seen in Hotstar series Aarya - Antim Vaar.