Sushmita Sen created history when she won toppled Aishwarya Rai to become Miss India 1994 and later that year, became the first Indian to win the title of Miss Universe. After many years a video of the actress has surfaced online, which reveals her incredible journey to winning Miss India. The clip is a snippet from the show Jeena Isi Ka Naam Hai.
“We did not have so much money to afford designer gowns on stage; we were supposed to wear four different costumes. We are middle-class people and we knew our restrictions. My mother said, ‘So what? They are not going to look at your clothes, they are going to look at you.’ So we went to shop at Sarojini Nagar market (a flea market in Delhi). Downstairs, in the garage, there was a local tailor who made petticoats. We gave him the material and told him, ‘This will come on TV, so do a good job.’
He made my winning gown out of that fabric, and my mother made a rose out of the remaining fabric,” she said. For her gloves, Sushmita revealed that they cut up socks, added some elastic and voila! “The day I won Miss India wearing that gown was a very big day for me. I realised that you don’t need money to get what you want; your intention should be right,” she said. Later, Sushmita Sen made her Bollywood debut in the 1996 film Dastak. She has featured in films such as Biwi No 1, Do Knot Disturb, Main Hoon Na, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya and Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge. She was last seen in 2015's Bengali film Nirbaak.