Sushmita Sen was born on November 19, 1975, in Hyderabad, Andhra Pradesh, India, to a Bengali-speaking family. Her father, Shubeer Sen, was a former Indian Air Force Wing Commander, and her mother, Subhra Sen, is a jewelry designer and owner of a Dubai-based store. Sushmita has two siblings, a sister named Neelam, who is married to Nauman Malik, and a brother named Rajeev. Her maternal grandfather was a poet.
Sushmita attended various schools in Jorhat, Nagpur, and Delhi, spending most of her schooling days at the Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute and Air Force Silver School in Delhi. She was known as a tomboy and often spent time with boys. Since her schools were Hindi medium, she did not speak English until she was 16 years old. However, she subsequently mastered English and became an English Honors student, also obtaining a degree in Journalism. Her native language is Urdu, which she can speak fluently due to her place of birth.
Sushmita's first public appearance was at the Air Force Club Contest at the age of 15. She then participated in a few fashion shows before deciding to take part in the Miss India beauty pageant in 1994. Despite being pitted against the reigning favorite, Aishwarya Rai, Sushmita was crowned Miss India, while Aishwarya became the First Runner-up. Both beauties went on to win Miss Universe and Miss World titles, respectively.
Sushmita's first film appearance was in the 1996 Bollywood movie 'Dastak', where she played herself. Although the movie did not do well, it marked the beginning of her acting career. She has since portrayed a variety of characters and has appeared in several item numbers.
Sushmita is known for her unconventional lifestyle and has been in many relationships. However, she chose not to marry and instead focused on her career. She always wanted to be a mother and adopted a baby girl named Renee in 2000, after a lengthy court battle. Interestingly, her family-owned business in Dubai was already named 'Renee' a year prior to her adoption.
