Sushmita Sen became the first Indian to be crowned as the Miss Universe on May 21, 1994.
Actor Sushmita Sen, on May 21, announced how it has been 30 years of winning the Miss Universe title. Taking to Instagram, she shared an old picture and penned a long note. For those caught unaware, Sushmita was the first Indian to be crowned as the Miss Universe on May 21, 1994.
In the throwback picture, Sushmita is seen holding a toddler in her arms while smiling at her. She captioned the post, "This little girl, who I met in an orphanage, taught an 18 yr old me, life’s most innocent yet profound lessons, ones that I live by to this day. This captured moment is 30 yrs old today as is India’s first-ever Victory at Miss Universe!!!" The actress further added, "What a journey it’s been & continues to be….Thank you India for always being my greatest identity & strength!! Thank you Philippines for the unending love & belonging…Three decades & counting!! #mahalkita. I remember & celebrate your grace my beautiful @carogomezfilm #teamo."
Check it out here:
After Sushmita won the Miss Universe pageant, Yukta Mookhey, Lara Dutta and most recently, Harnaaz Sandhu followed suit to bring the title home. Interestingly, at the 1994 event, in the final round, Sushmita was questioned, "What for you is the essence of being a woman?” To which, she replied, "Just being a woman is a gift of God that all of us must appreciate. The origin of a child is a mother, who is a woman. She shows a man what caring, sharing and loving is all about. That’s the essence of being a woman."
After her reign as Miss Universe, Sushmita ventured into Bollywood in 1996, with the thriller Dastak, and followed it up with 1997 Tamil action film Ratchagan. In 1999, she was loved for her portrayal in David Dhawan's comedy film Biwi No.1, alongside Salman Khan and Karisma Kapoor.
After a few misses, in 2001, she starred alongside Govinda in the fantasy comedy Kyo Kii... Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta, but was recognised finally in 2002, when she featured in Aankhen. She then starred in action thriller Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge, Filhaal..., Samay: When Time Strikes, Vaastu Shastra, among others. However, the biggest hit of her career at the time was action masala film Main Hoon Na, alongside Shah Rukh Khan.
With several average films in her kitty, she then starred in 2015 Bengali drama film titled Nirbaak, before taking a hiatus of five years. Albeit, she made a strong comeback with her web debut in 2020 with Disney+ Hotstar's crime thriller Aarya.
Now workwise, she was last seen in Aarya - Antim Vaar, the finale to her Disney+ Hotstar series, which also starred Ila Arun, Sikandar Kher, Indraneil Sengupta, Vikas Kumar, Maya Sarao, Geetanjali Kulkarni, Shweta Pasricha, Viren Vazirani, among others.
