When Sushmita Sen Fainted At A “Hectic” Miss Universe Shoot At The Taj

Sushmita Sen in a still from the video. (courtesy: ritukumarq)

New Delhi:

Sushmita Sen, who was crowned Miss Universe in 1994, did an iconic photoshoot in front of the Taj Mahal the same year. Designer Ritu Kumar shared a video from the archives that features Sushmita Sen’s aforementioned shoot. Ritu Kumar captioned the video, “Sushmita Sen’s Miss Universe Photoshoot.” Sharing more details about the video, the ace designer wrote, “In 1993, I struck a deal with the Miss India team to design clothes for the contestants. In 1994, Sushmita Sen won the Miss India title and went on to win the Miss Universe title in the US. This was a historic moment and one that I was delighted to be part of. As part of my deal with Miss India to create clothes for the contestants, I was tasked with creating her wardrobe as she toured the US and I started sending her suits made out of bandhani and zardozi, kurta-pajamas and saris that were all received really well.”

Ritu Kumar described what happened before the shoot and how they later managed to ace the shoot with a pink saree that Sushmita wore. She also mentioned that Sushmita Sen fainted during the shoot. “When she landed in Delhi after the tour I got a frantic call to come to the Taj Palace. On reaching I learned that the team had scheduled a shoot outside the Taj Mahal the next day but the clothes they got sent were shorts and t-shirts – too skimpy to be worn outside a mausoleum! So, at night we opened up the store and located a pink sari and quickly altered a blouse. We also got hold of some other key pieces and within hours we were ready for the shoot. The shoot turned out to be hectic and poor Sushmita even fainted at one point but the images were worth our toils,” read an excerpt from Ritu Kumar’s post.

The designer signed off the post with these words, “To date, I think of her in that pink sari wearing a crown and the UP Police personnel around us clapping with pride! These images were splashed all over the country’s leading publications with credits to us and, more importantly, to the weavers.”

Check out the post shared by Ritu Kumar here:

Sushmita Sen, a former Miss Universe, is best-known for featuring in projects like Biwi No 1, Do Knot Disturb, Main Hoon Na, Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya and Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge and No Problem. She made her acting comeback with the International Emmy-nominated series Aarya. The actress was last seen in the third season of the series. Sushmita Sen also featured in Taali, in which she played the role of transgender activist Shreegauri Sawant.