“Why Sushmita Sen Is My Role Model And Inspiration?” – Koimoi Reader’s View

A quintessential beauty with brains and a golden heart. She’s epitomizes grace, beauty, warmth, love and humility. She’s an inspiration to every girl out there who dreams of conquering the world, who dreams of standing up on her own feet, who dares to see herself up there on the world stage, who dares to concoct a dream canvas larger than life itself. She taught us the essence of womanhood. She’s glamorous. She’s stunning. But behind all the gloss and glam, remains a person realistic and grounded. She’s ‘The Sushmita Sen’.

Be it on the celluloid or in her real life, she has reminded us of woman empowerment and gender sensitivity time and again. She became a part of Bollywood and Bollywood was never the same again. Who would have dared to play the raunchy Basanti of Chingaari? Who would have played the girl caught between a cocktail of emotions on one hand and responsibility and duty on the other in Filhaal with as much deftness as Sen? Who would have made ACP Malvika Chauhan so very compelling and convincing and spun a gripping tale of mystery, suspense and thrill in Samay? Or, who else would have made Miss Chandni all the more drool worthy and charming?

Let me pay a tribute to my inspiration and my role model, Sushmita Sen. I’m a Sush-holic not just because of the fact that she’s an unparalleled actor but also for the person that she is. I was not even born when she won the coveted crown of the Miss Universe in 1994. But, I have genuinely lost the count of the number of times I have watched the video where she had spoken on ‘The Essence of a Woman’ up there in front of the whole wide world representing the modern day Indian woman. Her speech ended. The whole auditorium echoed with a huge round of applause. The judges were left spell-bound. One realized that beauty and brains definitely does go hand in hand. And we Indians knew that the 18 year old is going to add an all new feather in the cap of the nation. Needless to say that she became the first ever Indian woman to win the diamond studded covetous crown.

She defied convention. She defied the paradigmatic image of a so-called Bollywood heroine. She’s not merely a reel life heroine breaking the barriers of conventionalism, but also a real life wonder woman. If her career is put under a close scrutiny, one will see that the characters portrayed by her project the various shades and aspects of womanhood. She defines versatility. One moment she’s the nagging and loving housewife in Kyo Kii… Main Jhuth Nahin Bolta, the next moment she can slip into her role as a stage performer and a single mother who gives away her heart to her adopted son after her death in Zindaggi Rocks with equal ease and beauty and sensitivity.

Who can forget Basanti of Chingaari? She portrayed an unparalleled female lead mouthing obscenities and raunchy and crude sexual innuendos. In her key altercation with her badgerer and rapist, she pulls out a blood-curdling, awe-inspiring, goose-flesh inciting dynamic performance. Her sheer presence on the screen screamed feminine ferocity. She deftly vacillated between an emotional and romantic Basanti to a brutal immaculate Basanti who indulged in a gory confrontation with the priest, avenging the death of her lover. At the end of it, we were left enthralled, we were left speechless. Sen’s uninhibited Basanti weaved a magical and dark saga of dread, trepidation and catharsis. She did leave an indelible impact deep down our hearts to stand up for what is correct even if it means deviating from the path of virtue and morality.

Sen played Miss Chandni in Main Hoon Naa and the chemistry classes were never the same. She became the queen of every man’s heart. She became every student’s dream teacher. She turned into the fantasy of every guy and the fashion icon of every girl. She managed to leave a spark and charm without allowing the male lead or the ensemble cast to overshadow her in not even one single frame. Chandni was the embodiment of docility, feminine poise, fragility and elegance. She became the modern day ethereal diva. When she walked the college campus, she had her students and her fellow colleagues drooling all over her. The girls in the college saw her as a confidante, as a friend and as a fashion icon. She took the chiffon saris to the zenith of popularity all over again. With Main Hoon Naa, she had proved that she can tackle commercial flicks as well as parallel cinema with equal adroitness, and that, in a male dominated industry, she proved successful and glorious in carving a niche for herself.

She’s a wonder mum. She has given life to two little angels and taken up the responsibility to shower them with love, kindness, tenderness and care and to fulfill their dreams. In 2004, she had adopted a little girl and named her Renee. However, she was declined legal parenthood of the baby and her noble decision was tagged communally unacceptable. The appeal was thereafter nullified by the High Court of India and she attained gain of cause. She had adopted a three month old baby girl  in 2010 and named her Alisah. She often tells her daughters that they are “not from Mummy’s tummy, but from her heart”. She’s happy and loves the role that she’s playing. She has motivated many single young women to take one step forward towards the fulfillment of a child’s dream.

This Woman’s Day, I dedicated to Sushmita Sen. A salute to her for being the person and the woman of substance that she is. A big thank you to her for being the inspiration and the role model that she is; for reciprocating and valuing the love and respect that I shower on her; for giving me the privilege to be a part of her ‘I Am’ family.

Let me end this amateur piece of my tribute to the most stunning and gorgeous lady of the world by quoting her words that she had spoken on the stage on Miss Universe 1994. “Being a woman by itself is a gift of God which all of us must appreciate. The origin of a child is a mother and is a woman and the woman is the one who shares and shows a man what love, caring, and sharing is all about. That’s the essence of a woman.” Thank you Sushmita for teaching us that being a lady is an attitude indeed. Sky is your limit, Sush. Reach out to the stars. Congratulations for what you have achieved so far and congratulations for all that you are going to achieve in future. We shall be there by you always. Lots of love to you. Keep smiling because your smile is magical and keep inspiring us.

PS: Dear Sushmita, we Sush-holics are waiting to see you on the big screen with bated breath. We want to see more and more of you. Come back soon. See you at the movies.

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