Sushmita Sen: ‘If I was going to get married, I would be married to them. I don’t try’ | Exclusive

Sushmita Sen clarifies why she responded to the madness on Instagram about an alleged relationship

Sushmita Sen became famous at the age of 18, after winning Miss India, and has never stopped being famous since. Her personal life and alleged affairs have often made headlines. Does it make it difficult for her to date, find a man to be in a serious relationship with despite all the focus and attention?

"The problem is not dating. The problem is trying to hide it. Usmein bahut energy jaati hai. Also there is a fear of who would say what. I believe that this is none of your business. I don't need to respond if people talk. I can respond when I want and with who I want. There are times in my life when I believe that I need to show respect towards this relationship, so I bring it out. I won't wait for your respect. It's necessary for me so I did it. No, dating has never been a problem," she told Mid-day's Mayank Shekhar during the Sit With Hitlist series.

Sushmita said she doesn't like men who get intimidated by her personality. "I think that was a problem I did face at some point. But the minute I see a man intimidated by me, I don't like him. I don't like them because they lack security. If you are going to love a woman like me, you have to love yourself. It has to be someone who is happy to do that for me and not tie me back, hold me back, tie me down and say, ‘Mujhe yeh achha nahi laga.' Mujhe meri azaadi bahot pasand hai. And which is why I encourage that in other people. I tell them just do your thing, don't let anyone tell you otherwise," she elaborated.

"Even with a man in a relationship, I want him to fly. I'd love to give him company when he does that. But I don't want him to tie himself down to me, I don't want to be tied down to him. Because if we are going in the same direction, we each have our own wings. If we are going in different directions, then it is better to walk away," she added.

Last year, Sushmita had found herself at the receiving end of trolls after a businessman and former IPL chairman had shared mushy pictures with the Miss Universe 1994 on social media. People had started calling Sushmita a 'gold digger' for allegedly dating him right after her breakup with Rohman Shawl.

Although Sushmita herself put out no post herself, what she did was respond to the madness on Instagram: "I just posted because sometimes I think when people keep quiet, their silence is mistaken for weakness or fear. I just needed to put out one post to let them know I am laughing. After that I was done with it.

"You can't be 47 years old having lived most of your life in the public eye and be afraid of the public. You have to love them, like them, not like them, that's fine, it's part of the process. Do bartan saath mein rehte hai woh awaaz karenge... I have been one of those people who has been loved so much, that when this sort of stuff happens, I think it's okay, I accept it, sabki life mein kabhi na kabhi aisi kankan hoti hai. But it in no way defines who I am. So, I had to put it out there to show, I find the memes funny, but if you are calling someone a gold digger, at least don't monetise it! Check your facts. I prefer diamonds, not gold… And if I was going to marry, I would be married to them, love. I don't try. I do it or I don't," she signs off.

Sushmita Sen was last seen in season 3 of the Disney+ Hotstar web series Aarya.