Sushmita is Still Sen-sational @39
Here's a pictorial look at her journey as she turns a year older
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Former Miss Universe and actress Sushmita Sen, who has entertained audiences with films like Sirf Tum and Biwi No 1, is still fabulous at 39. The actress, who was last seen in 2010's No Problem, featured in Srijit Mukherji's Nirbaak this year.
Here's a pictorial look at her journey as she turns a year older.
This image was posted on Instagram by officialsushmitasen. -
Sushmita was born in Hyderabad on November 19, 1975. Later, her family shifted to Delhi. She graduated from Delhi University.
Her father is a former Indian Air Force Wing Commander and her mother is a jewellery designer. She has a brother, Rajeev, and a sister, Neelam. -
Young Sushmita dabbled in modelling before participating in the Miss India pageant in 1994. But she almost withdrew her application when she realised that Aishwarya Rai was also participating.
In the tie-breaker, when asked about the Indian textile industry, Sushmita answered, "It started off with Mahatma Gandhi's khadi, and it has gone a long way since then. But the basics still lie there."
This was enough for the judges and, in what was considered as a shock defeat, Aishwarya had to settle for the second place. -
At the Miss Universe pageant in Manila, Sushmita impressed the judges with her poise and elegance. She made her way to the top five easily.
In the final Q&A round, she was asked to explain the essence of being a woman. Her answer fetched India, its first Miss Universe crown: "Being a woman is a gift of God and we should all appreciate it. The origin of a child is a mother and is a woman. A woman is the one who shares love and shows a man what love, caring and sharing is all about." -
Sushmita returned to India after completing her stint as the reigning Miss Universe in a blaze of glory and was instantly flooded with film offers. She made her debut in Bollywood in 1996 with Dastak. After Dastak, she worked with Sunny Deol in Zor. Both movies failed to impress audiences.
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But it was with David Dhawan's Biwi No 1 in 1999 that Sushmita made her presence felt in Bollywood. She played the other woman in the movie which featured Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor in the lead roles.
Biwi No 1 was followed by Aaghaaz opposite Suneil Shetty. -
2005 was a big year for the actress with Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya. The film was Katrina Kaif's debut movie, but it was Sushmita who stole the limelight with her dance number Laga, laga, laga re...
Main Aisa Hi Hoon, which released in the the same year, was 'inspired' by the Hollywood movie I am Sam. Sushmita played the role portrayed by Michelle Pfeiffer in the original. -
In 2005, she featured in Bewafaa opposite Kareena Kapoor. She also appeared in another item number in Subhash Ghai's movie Kisna that year.
She was next seen in Zindaggi Rocks, in which she played the role of a single mother. Despite its fresh theme, the film bombed at the box office. -
Sushmita acted opposite her then boyfriend Randeep Hooda in Karma Confessions And Holi. The film bombed at the box office. After that, she featured in David Dhawan's comedy film Do Knot Disturb, which also starred Govinda as the main lead. It was followed by another disaster Dulha Mil Gaya. Despite SRK's special appearance, the film failed to impress audiences.