I Am Sushmita

Is this the only reason why we don’t see her around much anymore? “I have got two daughters to look after. So spending six months on a film is just not possible. Besides I have been doing too many commercial films and that’s not really me. I want to do films where I stand out as an actor,” beams the model-turned-actress.

Contrary to the popular belief that actresses disappear at a certain age,Sen believes that each one makes her own rules. “When I wasn’t getting excited with offers anymore,I told myself,‘Pause Darling. And think before you take your next step’. I have done 35 films in 12 years. I came into this industry on my own will and I should be able to leave it of my own free will,” she says,still hoping that a flick like Kill Bill or an adult rom-com might just turn the tide for her.

For now though,she’s Sen the Entrepreneur,in the process of making the second edition of I Am She,an even bigger success than the first one. “From my first year,I have learnt the concept of business. In the first year,we were all over the place,today we are more focussed,” she says. Sen,who won the Miss Universe title in 1994,beams with joy when reminiscing about the moment.

“I look on it as a fairytale. What really made the moment for me was there were Indians around the world who shut shop and celebrated. Victory has a way of uniting people,” says Sen,whose only dream is to bring the Miss Universe crown back to India,which was last won by Lara Dutta in 2000. The 36-year-old actress adds that it was a completely new experience when the franchise of Miss India Universe was first offered to her. “The Bennett & Coleman group owned it for almost 50 years. They had all the resources,I didn’t. What I do have is the backing of some fantastic people and this is what inspires me to put my best foot forward,” she says.

It isn’t just the crown,but the scholarships from New York Film Academy (NYFA) and Marangoni Fashion School,Milan,Italy that are big incentives for the finalists. “There was a time when career-oriented women looked down upon beauty pageants. These scholarships will help them go out into the world and achieve something,” feels Sen.

Was she also tempted to put in a Bollywood break in there? “I wasn’t tempted but I was being forced to do it. My well-wishers thought that it will encourage more women. But then I thought I would lying to myself. Because the brand is about your ‘I Am’ quotient. By being an actor you are just one in a crowd. I would rather educate them,” Sen explains.

But Sen is willing to help all the contestants who want to make their foray into Bollywood. Will her ambitious project Jhansi Ki Rani be their ticket to Tinseltown? “No,” she emphatically states. “Whenever I make Jhansi Ki Rani,it will be on my terms. I am very stubborn that way.”