Bollywood: Sushmita Sen excited about Aarya's International Emmy nom

It is celebration time in Sushmita Sen’s household. Her brother Rajeev Sen and wife Charu Asopa welcomed their first baby on November 1, turning the former Miss Universe-turned-actress into a gushing buaa (aunt).

Her own birthday is coming up on November 19. And with her 2020 debut web series, Aarya (Disney+ Hotstar) being nominated for International Emmys 2021 in the Best Drama Series category, alongside Chile’s El Presidente, Israel’s Tehran and British show There She Goes, it is indeed a special time in her life.

The actress who had earlier spoken about her Addison’s disease diagnosis in 2014 and her subsequent recovery from it admits due to health reasons she will be travelling during the November 22 Emmy announcement.

But she has left explicit instructions with Amita Madhvani (producer of Aarya) to “stand on a chair and yell and shout and scream,” during the award ceremony. “For us being on that platform and being nominated, one of four from around the world, is a huge accomplishment,” she exults.

On Aarya’s International Emmy nom

“It’s a big one for India. This nomination is as good as a victory for me already. It’s reached out to so many people and a bigger audience is looking at it since the show is now available on Hulu.

"I’ve had audiences from around the world write to me on social media asking how they can watch it. I’m so glad the fan base is extending and now with the (Emmy) nomination, the viewership has increased. It’s a huge win for India and I’m really proud of everyone involved.”

Small screen jitters

Bollywood has been obsessed with 35mm format for a long time, but in recent times quality content and novel storytelling techniques have drawn a slew of talented performers to the small screen.

As someone who enjoyed the whole razzmatazz of Bollywood cinema, Sushmita admits she was initially hesitant to tread this path.

“If I had those qualms (about turning to the small screen), I had it when web series first entered Indian markets a few years ago.”

She is candid enough to confess that though she is an avid watcher of web series, “I didn’t want people watching me from their living rooms.”

“What happened is as a hungry actor who’d been waiting to get good content to work with, suddenly the shift happened.

“You work in a sphere where you are not working with the pressures of just a Friday release; but an overall reach with content that you can appreciate.

"And I always joke, my films would go to the theatre and bomb and then they’d get released on satellite and become hits! People would watch them over and over again! I was like in any case I’m a satellite hit, might as well give them a lot (with her signature throaty laughter).”

Today she says her thought process is very simple. “I’d go where the content takes me and it doesn’t matter which platform it is. That doesn’t mean I don’t enjoy films, of course, I do. But it has to be again content driven, if it isn’t, then it isn’t something I’d make a priority.”

Why she chose to mark her return with Aarya

Sushmita is known to be extremely selective when it comes to her work. The former beauty queen made her Bollywood debut with Dastak in 1996 and went on to do award-winning roles in movies like Biwi No. 1 and Filhaal.

She subsequently earned the tag of being choosy about her roles though her presence was felt at Bollywood functions.

“Aarya is what I was waiting for all that time,” she avers. “There are people in this field who say, ‘she’s not interested in working, we keep sending her scripts we love but it is not good enough for her.’

They were like, she really doesn’t want to work, and then there was the other lot, which appreciates the fact that you don’t want to churn out works like you’d in a factory. You want to wait for something that’s author packed, something that has the correct platform, director, production house, script and cast.

“And I got that in Aarya. Within the first 5 minutes of my meeting with Ram (Madhvani, director and creator of the series) I said, yes. My team who’d gone for the meeting with me were like, ‘you think you are a bit too enthusiastic in saying yes in the first 5 minutes???’ I was like, call it instinct, I knew this was it, this is what I had been waiting for. And I was so right.”

Women who inspire Sushmita

At the age of 18, when a winsome Bengali lass strode up confidently on stage with a twinkle in her eyes and a million watt smile on her face, there was no mistaking here was a woman who’d make her mark in the world. She went on to be the first Indian to be crowned Miss Universe in 1994.

While her Bollywood stint may have left fans wanting more, her unconventional lifestyle was the envy of her peers. In 2000 when she adopted Renee, many eyebrows were raised, but she was unperturbed. In 2010 she welcomed another daughter, Alisah.

While admitting it has been quite a journey, Sushmita is clear to put things in perspective. “The grass is always greener on the other side. You always look at a woman with a family and you think, wow, it must be such a beautiful support system.

"It is such a special feeling and I thank the audiences with all my heart because this is why we do what we do. We do this to become an integral part of a day in your life that changes your life for the better. It inspires you, makes you happy and makes you belong and all of this happens because the audience has accepted Aarya the way they have. So, thank you for that, from the bottom of my heart.”