HTLS 2023: Sushmita Sen reveals why she took a break from acting after 2015

Mumbai Nov 2 Actor Sushmita Sen starred in bunch of hit films in her career spanning 30 years. These included titles like Ghatak, Biwi No 1, Main Hoon Na and many others. However, in 2015, after starring in Nirbaak, Sushmita took a long break from films. It was only in 2020 that she made a return to acting with Ram Madhvani’s action-drama series Aarya.

In a conversation with Sonal Kalra (Chief Managing Editor, Entertainment and Lifestyle, Hindustan Times) during the ongoing Hindustan Times Leadership Summit 2023 on Thursday, Sushmita spoke about the reason she took such a long break from acting.

Wasn’t happy with the work she got

“The reason I left films was because I was tired of doing the same 201 expression to 2010. That was all I had to do. There was one good song and so on. I was looking for more. As I was getting older, I was not happy with that. I wanted more, I wanted to be student again,” she said.

Becoming a student again

Sushmita then attended acting workshops and was a diligent student. “I want them to teach me and tell me you suck at this job, let me teach you how it is really done. That’s what Aarya did for me. I would have a 14-hour workshop, other actors would come and go and I would be the permanent fixture, just hungry to learn. I would go back home very late at night every day, for 21 days. And I loved it, loved that I was finally learning how to do my job,” she said.

Apart from Aarya, Sushmita was also seen in Taali, based on the life of trans rights activist Shree Gauri Sawant. Both Taali and Aarya got Sushmita critical acclaim.