“Adventure for me is something that I enjoy from within me. And I think children are the little things that can really bring in a lot of adventure in your life. I would do something for the children so I could enjoy my time with them, go out and have a good time.” This was Sushmita Sen‘s answer when she was asked about the adventure she would embark upon if she had the time and money at the Miss Universe contest in 1994. As we all know, she went on to win the crown.

And as she said in her answer, she did adopt a baby girl, whom she named Renee Sen, in 2000, when she was just 24 years old. Recently, at a FICCI event in Hyderabad, she spoke about adoption and becoming a mother. She said, “The wisest decision I made at the age of 24 was to become a mother. It stabilised my life. People think it was a great act of charity, it’s a wonderful action, It wasn’t actually. It was self-preservation. It was me protecting myself.”

She also shared that it was tough, especially at that age, and when she was at the top game in her career. “Being an actress is a challenging job. It is a very self-centered job. You have to be all about yourself. Your vanity has to be at its highest for you to be successful. But I am proud of that 24-year-old because I could have delayed the process, ignore the calling but I didn’t do that,” she said.

She also spoke about not having a child biologically.

Watch her videos below:

We just love you, Sushmita!

The actress adopted another girl in 2010 whom she named Alisah Sen. She often shares photos and videos with her daughters and her beau, Rohman Shawl on social media.