What birthday girl Sushmita Sen once said about being single: ‘Mohabbat ki kami nahi hai life mein’
For millions of Indian women who grew up watching her chart her own path, former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen is a reminder that a woman can define her life exactly the way she wants, breaking every rule the world quietly expects her to follow. That includes staying single, and raising two daughters single-handedly. In an earlier interview with Health Shots, the actor, who turned 50 on November 19, spoke about standing tall in her choices: single, self-made, and a mother to two daughters she adopted long before the world romanticised independent parenting.
While her personal life continues to grab headlines, Sushmita sees it as an inevitable consequence of being a woman who has simply followed her heart.
“My biggest need in life is my freedom. I am a free person. Whatever I do, I do it from my heart, not because someone expects it from me,” Sushmita said in the 2023 Health Shots interview.
Talking about being independent, she said: “I’m single because I haven’t met someone I want to spend my life with. Mohabbat ki kami nahi hai life mein (I don’t feel any lack of love), which is wonderful! And whatever people with the Indian sensibility believe comes with marriage, I already have that – two beautiful children.”
“I have raised them alone. I don’t feel anything lacking in my life,” adds the mother to Renee and Alisah, whom she adopted in 2000 and 2010 respectively.
Sushmita Sen’s life philosophy has been shaped by ups and downs – as much as by her Miss Universe crown at the age of 18, as through setbacks, including the heart attack she survived in 2023.
“I just feel that there’s so much abundance in the world, that if luck is by your side, you can stand on your feet every morning, you can work hard and be fearless… (If you can do this) you have lived your life,” she said.
Where did this courage and zest for life come from?
“I didn’t choose to live my life on my own terms. It just happened. I gradually discovered diverse views of people around me, and questioned myself, ‘What do I want?’ I listen to everyone and do what I want to do. That’s why I have been able to live life on my own terms,” she explained.
