'I was never in the rat race'

Now my heart is into other things. As a 35-year-old woman, I cannot play an 18-year-old college girl in a film. I am happy with whatever I am doing. Yes, I am doing very little films, but I am doing them on my own terms,” said Sushmita.

“I can be anything in Bollywood, but never a rat. I was never in the rat race. After I did Main Hoon Na, people said that I have finally understood the importance of commercial cinema. But the truth is that I have always done things from my heart,” said Sushmita, the first Indian to win the Miss Universe pageant.

So far, Sushmita’s biggest hit has been the 2004 movie Main Hoon Na, in which she starred as Shah Rukh Khan's love interest. Despite rumours of link-ups throughout her career, the actress, who was last seen in the box-office dud Dulha Mil Gaya, has remained single so far and raised two adopted kids. In 2000, the actress adopted a girl named Renee and in January this year, she adopted a three-month-old Alisah. “I would surely adopt more kids, and also have children biologically,” she said.

Sushmita said that her dream project of making a film based on Rani Laxmibai is stuck due to her stubbornness of not compromising with the budget of the film. “I have been very stubborn with that project. I wrote a Rs 80-crore film, but the producers wanted to spend Rs 30 crore. So I quit. It is a crossover film and I wanted to make it big,” she said.
After having ruled the ramp for many years, Sushmita said that now she doesn't consider herself a model anymore.

“When I walk the ramp now, I am not doing any modelling. I just try to showcase the designer's collection in my way, rather than as a model,” she said. On whether she would do any Bengali film, she said since it is her mother tongue, she is careful with her choices.

“If I get a South Indian film, I might do it without much problem. But since I am a Bengali, I don't want to mess up while choosing a Bengali film. So I am very watchful,” she said.    When asked about her marriage plans, she said she is standing in a queue waiting for her turn. “My father used to tell me that don't try and jump the queue. Otherwise you will have to return and start afresh. So I am waiting for my turn,” she said.