I was seen as a bad influence in the ‘90s: Sushmita Sen

Actor looked back at a more conservative Bollywood

Sushmita Sen has had an illustrious career in Bollywood as an actor. With the rise of streaming platforms, she has shifted her focus away from the silver screen on to the OTT space. Following her Disney+ Hotstar thriller series Aarya, Sen is now playing the protagonist in JioCinema’s new series Taali.

While on tour to promote her latest offering, in which she essays transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant, Sen recalled a time when she was regarded as a bad influence. According to Filmfare, the Miss Universe 1994 winner said, "There were (repercussions) in the '90s because back then, it was a much more closeted society. So, for you to speak your mind and to say anything that you believed in was like, ‘Phew! She is a bad influence, don’t get her in front of our kids and everyone else.’"   

The Main Hoon Na star expanded upon the subject of self-expression and talked about the importance of freedom of expression. "I thought ‘If you take away my freedom to express myself, what freedom do I really have?’ So, am I going to scare away from speaking my mind or am I just going to learn how to say it better, say it nicer? Which I did learn because I think I didn’t have that tact before.”

In the end, the Biwi no. 1 actor stated that social media has ensured that people around the world have a voice and are free to use it. Even though, censorship and judgements are still very much prevalent, it’s not as strong as it once was. “Social media and the world today… Everyone has a voice and the world is far more accepting. There is still that ‘haww’ element,' but it is not as bad as the '90s."