Taking in Sushmita's serene beauty, her lovely eyes, her sensuous visage and her long lustrous tresses that she tosses with abandon - few would think that she could also be riddled with fear and foibles. On this day when we meet her at Kamal Amrohi Studios, she is clearly in her element. As she flashes a brilliant smile and outstretches her hand for a firm and warm handshake, she exudes an air of conviviality. She's currently working on Mahesh Bhatt's Dastak which will herald her entry in filmbiz. Her energy level seems high as she exchanges pleasantries with those around. Dressed in a long, skin-tight skirt and a pink blouse, she looks well- rested, though she may have been through a series of hectic story sessions for the better part of the day. No wonder she agrees to settle down for the interview instantly. It confirms the buzz around town about her professional attitude. Although presently she's chosen to keep the hacks at bay, she entertains our request for an interview honouring an earlier commitment. She initiates the conversation with, "I guess I have created an impression about being off the Press. Rightly or wrongly, I don't know. But I do want to lie low for a while. At least, away from the snoopy scribes. I'm fed up of the vile media onslaught which threatens to vitiate my life - oh! how the vicious gossip maligns one!"
Surely, the grapevine has been abuzz with the most bizarre stories about Sushmita Sen and her lifestyle. Tell-tales accused her of being a two-timer (romancing a high-flying Vicky while carrying on with ex-boyfriend, Rajat Tara). Then the focus turned on her wild lifestyle and silicon breasts. Obviously, she's sick to the gills about all this tittle-tattle, so no questions about her personal life, okay? And she won't even field queries about anything controversial. Well, there's much more to her than scandals and controversies. "Oh, yes," she radiates a smile. "And that's what we're going to talk about." We slide into her black Cielo and have a heart-to-heart.
Had this daughter of an Air Force
Oficer pre-planned to take the world by storm? "No, no, I didn't even dream of it in my wildest of dreams. I was very introvert as a child. Not the one to ever take the initiative and participate in any activities in school. I was always scared of being laughed at. But during the last three years of school, I somehow mustered courage and started participating actively in dramatics and debates. Once I made bold to come on
stage, I wanted to be centre-stage. So I gave my best shot to whatever I did, always hoping to excel. So maybe that desire translated itself into reality and I always finished first in any contest, any competition," she says confidently.And that confidence was well vindicated when Ms. Sen faced the toughest competition and came out trumps. But being No.1 in the film industry is a different ball game altogether. The rough and tumble in a scramble to reach the top can wither the hardiest of egos. "That's where lies the challenge," she smiles. "Doing films was more of a challenge than anything else for I'd already earned name, fame and money. When all those irresistible film offers came along, I thought, why not give acting a try and see if I am good at this also. As for the competition, I guess I will be able to face it here too. That will be my crowning glory." Since she had so many Hindi films, what prompted her to do a Tamil film first? "See, when I made up my mind to enter films, I wanted an outstanding role in my debut film. With the Ms. Universe title to live up to, nothing mediocre would have been suitable. By chance I happened to be in the South for a charity function, when Kunjumon approached me with a script. A quaint love story especially written for me. I was impressed. And to top it all, I got a chance to work with the music director of my choice (A.R.Rehman) and my favourite hero (Nagarjuna)."
Anyway, that's her debut film in the South. What about her debut film in Hindi?
"Dastak where I play myself (that is Ms. Universe) will be my debut film here. I have a very strong role in the film being directed by Mahesh Bhatt. I don't think I could
ask for anything better."
Being beautiful is one thing but being a good actress requires a fair amount of talent. How does she rate herself as an actress? She smiles, "Once upon a time I thought acting was the easiest job around. But it's tough. It requires an amazing amount of talent and lots and lots of hard work. Initially when I saw somebody enacting a scene or dancing I felt I could also do that. But when I got down to doing it, it was quite painstaking. And I realised that it got tougher with each take. You have to give a
number of expressions. And being a perfectionist, I get very frustrated when things don't work out the way they should. But then Mahesh Bhatt comes to my rescue and
makes it all work. He even lets you do your own thing sometimes. Slowly it's all sorting itself out. Things are not as tough now, as they were earlier."Yes, the girl has definitely learned her skills. For those who have seen the rushes of her film are seemingly impressed by her performance. The girl who was so keen to take up journalism now has a kind of aversion to the profession. Why? "Journalism used to and still intrigues me greatly," she says candidly. " In fact, I regularly write a column for a Bengali newspaper in Calcutta. It's something I thoroughly enjoy doing even now. But if I gave up the idea of taking it up as a profession, it's because I found journalists and journalism very different from the image I had in mind. I didn't like what I saw." Did she have any pre-conceived notions about the film industry as well? And was it different from what she had imagined it to be?
"See, entering films was the last thing on my mind. So there was no question of forming any impressions. But I'd definitely heard what's commonly said about the industry - you know what I mean, the exploitation, the casting couch and the rest. That did intimidate for starters but good sense prevailed when I realised that the good, the bad and the ugly are to be found in every profession. And once here, I felt it wasn't so bad after all. People in this industry are discerning enough to know who's to be exploited and who's not." With an author backed role in her Tamil venture as also in Dastak, Sushmita's future looks rosy and picture-perfect. But will she be able to sustain this bout of good fortune, with a steady stream of meaty roles in an essentially male dominated industry? "I don't know really, but I would definitely not want to do just any film, because I have to live up to certain expectations. Till now, I've been quite lucky for I share equal screen time with the heroes in all the films that I've signed. No decorative roles for me, please. If I'm only required to dance around trees in a film, I could well be called a dancer and not an actress."
What with an ultra mod image a la ZeenatAman and Parveen Babi, would she not be restricted to playing a glam doll? "I'm very fond of Zeenat Aman. In fact, everybody thinks I resemble her a lot and I take that as compliment. There may be certain likeness in the appearance and mannerisms but I definitely don't look as Westernised as her. I'm malleable enough to fit into the Western as well as the conventional mould. The current crop of roles do project me as a glamour girl keeping my Ms. Universe title in mind. But I'm surely going to experiment with less glamorous and more substantial roles. Infact, I'm looking forward to playing a village girl with conviction, that would be the biggest challenge of my life."
Hoping to scale the unprecedented heights of glory on her film career, what does she lay the stress on? "Hmm. That's very interesting. I think confidence in oneself is of utmost importance, coupled with a lot of patience. You know what I mean. However talented and confident you may be, you cannot rush things. You have to persevere to succeed. And after attaining success, you must not lose your head if you wish to sustain it. Because being up there is like being on top a mountain with several people trying to pull you down. So it's tougher to sustain success than to attain it."
What if her hopes came to a naught? "You can never be sure of anything for that matter - success or failure depends on your luck. Even if I don't succeed as I expect to, I don't think it would put me down in any way. I'd learn from my mistakes and do better."
Weaned on pageantry, pomp and glory - blazed the trail for some of the finest hours for her motherland. Will she ever escape the enormous shadow of her triumphant moment? Well, guess what? The shadow has just gotten larger.....
BY: GEETY SAHGAL - TINSEL TOWN
