SEN-SATIONAL!

IN THEIR FIRST-EVER INTERVIEW TOGETHER, SUSHMITA AND RENÉE SEN OPEN UP TO HELLO! ABOUT THEIR MOTHER-DAUGHTER RELATIONSHIP, BOUNDARIES, CAREERS, PARENTING & MORE

- PUJA TALWAR

Summer, 1994. I was one of the many viewers before the television, riveted by an 18-year-old representing India at the Miss Universe pageant in Manila. Sushmita Sen, her confidence and grace unique, appeared unfazed with the competition around, but her surprise at being crowned Miss Universe—becoming the first Indian to win the title—is etched forever in public memory. And the rest, as they say, is history.

Today, 27 years later, I’m sat across the computer screen, interviewing her and her 21-year-old daughter Renée after her debut film Suttabaazi. When asked about the lack of fanfare that typically accompanies a star kid’s launch on Bollywood’s gilded stage, she says: “I have to make it on my own—my mother has been very clear about this.”

Renée’s matter-of-fact response reminds me of her mother’s alluring confidence, and Sushmita laughs when I point out the similarity—it’s the mother-daughter duo’s first-ever interview together. “That’s very sweet, but Renée is her own person,” she emphasizes. “What she says and how she thinks is quite uniquely her.”

The proud mother admits to being pleasantly surprised with Renée’s performance. “She’s an absolute natural in front of the camera… Even though it was a short film, she worked hard and did it all by herself,” she adds, though her concerns mirror those of any other parent. “She has to follow through with her commitment. Being an actor is not just the creative side of things. There is so much more to it—being worldly-wise and thick-skinned, too. You also need to be aware of the business side of being an actor.”

Carving out her own path