When Sushmita Sen said she dated ‘amazing men’ who were just ‘so wrong for her’, said marriage was second priority to Renee

In an old interview to Simi Garewal back in the early 2000s, Sushmita, who had just adopted Renee at the time, opened up about her idea of relationships and how marriage would always be secondary to her daughter. She said, “They were all such amazing men, but so wrong for me. I haven’t come close to saying that ‘I’ll walk the aisle with this person’.’ She added, “I’m cautious, as far as long-term commitment goes. There have been times when I could have made a mistake. But something, somewhere has gone wrong. And then I’ve walked away with dignity.”

She also opened up about the men she had dated, who ‘were now married’. Speaking about her relationship with Vikram Bhatt, “Vikram was going through a divorce, when I was seeing him and now he is a divorced man.” Asked if she holds any bitterness to him, she said, “No, bitterness is something that is too much of a baggage, and I don’t like to carry burdens.” On how having Renee in her life had changed her equation with men, she said, “Yes, it has. At one point I was looking for a boyfriend and a husband and now I’m looking for all and a father.” Simi then asked her if marriage was a more difficult commitment than adopting a child, she said, “For me, yes. Renee is a priority. Renee is in my life.” Simi added, “He knows he will be second in priority,” and Sushmita agreed. She also said that she had ‘outgrown’ the phase of dating men.

Prior to Lalit Modi, Sushmita was in a relationship with model Rohman Shawl. The couple dated for around four years, till they called it quits last year. Nevertheless, they remain cordial and Rohman was one of the first to put out a post in support of Sushmita.