In a recent interview, Sushmita Sen had talked about ’90s heroines not getting their due space on film posters and hoardings as the focus was always on the heroes. Coincidentally, one of her ’90s’ heroes, Salman Khan, shared a photo of a hoarding of Sushmita’s successful web series, Aarya Season 2. Salman had spotted the hoarding on his way to work, and shared it on Instagram with a few words of appreciation for his ‘Biwi No 1’ and ‘Maine Pyaar Kyun Kia’ co-star.
Speaking to News18 the same day, Sushmita sounded so excited about Salman’s gesture. “I’ve come full circle. I’m so glad you noticed that. I was like, ‘This is amazing’. It’s just pure coincidence, I think. He did call me and mentioned that he was driving to a studio to shoot and on the way he saw the hoarding, and he said, ‘I literally stopped in my tracks. I was like, wow, that has such an impact.’ So it was very gracious of Salman. Also I think it’s time for us not to be apologetic about a woman taking center stage,” Sushmita says.
Inspiring Us Since 1994
Sushmita has been unapologetic about who she is as a woman, ever since her Miss Universe win in 1994. Mention that and she says, “Can you imagine? I feel like an ancient soul. When you say ’94, I’m like, was I born? I genuinely feel like the newcomer who’s just done her second film or second web series and she’s just started her career and is learning and unlearning and in the process of evolving. So it’s beautiful that God has given me 27 years of that.”
‘Harnaaz’s Win Took Me Back In Time’
Another reason to recall Sushmita’s inspiring journey is Harnaaz Sandhu’s win at the Miss Universe 2021 two days ago, becoming the third woman to bring the prestigious crown to India. Sushmita, the first Miss Universe winner from country, says she’s been praying for this since 2000, the year Lara Dutta won the pageant.
“Since Lara won, I have been hopeful that India is going to win again very soon. Because we not only have beautiful women, we have women with a lot of substance. Finally, Harnaaz at 21 comes up. And I watched her on-stage interview – such a young person, so confident, so much faith I saw in this girl’s eyes. It took me back in time and I’m so proud of her. I’m so proud of us, we finally have another victory,” she shares.
The Big Success of Aarya
Sushmita made her acting comeback after 10 years with the web series Aarya. Directed by Ram Madhvani, the show has continued with its success streak in Season 2, which dropped on Disney+ Hotstar last week. Ask her if this is the biggest success of her career so far, and she says, “Every time something does well, at that moment in time, it’s your biggest success. As an actor, in case of a theatrical release, you look forward to a Friday. For an OTT release, you look forward to an entire season. It’s an ongoing process.”
“We believed in the content when Aarya season one was being made, that’s the reason I came out of the hiatus. I believed in the content, the maker, the platform – Disney+ Hotstar. It was an outstanding coming together of a project. But no, I did not obviously know at that point that it would be so successful. OTT never had any best actresses. Suddenly we had these new awards which we won – we got seven best actresses, we got an Emmy nomination, we got a big shout out from the globe. It was overwhelming,” she adds.
‘My Audiences Were Desperate for Me to Come Back’
Sushmita continues, “The most overwhelming part was the fact that my audiences who have been as patient as me, for almost 10 years – through social media, through letters to me in person, were desperate for me to come back. As a performer, you cannot have a greater gift in your life, than to have an audience that waits for you. And then to have an opportunity to come back, and they receive you with all heart and both arms. They did that with Season 1, and now they’ve done it with Season 2. So no, we did not expect this much of an overwhelming response. But we did believe in the content.”
Becoming One with Aarya
While watching the show, one cannot shake off the feeling that the onscreen character has so many elements of the Sushmita we know in real life – fiercely independent, protective single mother. “The arch of Aarya originally was very different. Then Mr Madhvani decided, let’s make it come closest to the truth, by keeping it real, as much as possible. Of course, Sushmita Sen has nothing to do with a drug cartel, there are no commonalities there. But the ethos of a person, he has allowed that freedom to be there, and that’s why we’ve become one as an entity,” Sushmita explains.
So is Aarya an extension of her real life persona? “Some parts, for sure. But the Aarya that is the wife, that part I still have to explore in my life. That’s good acting. There are many things which are not very similar. When I saw the sequence of Holi, where she comes out of the red colour, and looks the way that she does, a lot of that is not me. When I look at it, I almost have a silent desire inside me going, I wish I could be like that too. I love the strength she exemplifies as Aarya,” she says.
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