Aarya star Sushmita Sen opens up about her decade long hiatus from acting

The actress’ last lead role in a Bollywood film was in the 2010 movie, Dulha Mil Gaya, which also featured Fardeen Khan

After being a dominating force in Bollywood for years, Sushmita Sen decided to take a step back from the industry for a while, to the disappointment of fawning fans. The actress proved that all those years away from Bollywood did not dull her abilities in the least, making a fiery foray into the OTT space with the thriller web series, Aarya. Sen recently opened up about her absence from mainstream Bollywood, explaining why it took her so long to come back to the silver screen.

In an interaction with Sucharita Tyagi, the actress said that the hiatus helped her set her priorities straight, helping her figure out what to do and what not to do. The actress revealed that mainstream cinema did not offer her what she wanted, which she believed stemmed from pre-conceived notions, her age and her decade-long gap from the industry.

Sen also talked about how she missed several opportunities because of her own reluctance to ‘get back out there’. She said that she was not able to ‘network’ well, and has never been good at that. “It did not work for me,” she said.

Sen, a Miss Universe pageant winner, made her film debut in 1996, becoming a highly sought-after leading lady. Her last leading role in Bollywood was in the 2010 film, Dulha Mil Gaya, which also features Fardeen Khan. After her hiatus, the actress made her digital debut in Aarya, earning critical acclaim for her performance as the titular protagonist. The Emmy-nominated show aired its second season last year and the production is going on for its third. Aarya is available to stream on Disney+Hotstar.

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