Ex-Miss Universe or Miss Universe 1994? Sushmita Sen clarifies the correct way to address her

Sushmita Sen is the first Indian to hold the Miss Universe title

Sushmita Sen brought glory to India in 1994 when she was crowned Miss Universe, a first for the country at the time. While it’s been over 30 years since her victory, she continues to be hailed for the title and her remarkable achievements thereafter.

In an earlier interview with Mid-Day, Sushmita was asked the correct way of addressing her, whether it was okay to call her ‘Miss Universe,’ like a Colonel or a General whose titles always remain the same, or ‘Ex-Miss Universe.’

Responding to this, Sushmita shared a backstory. She recalled the time she went to Namibia to crown the next Miss Universe and stood next to Martin Brooks, who was then the president of the Miss Universe Organisation.

Also read | Sushmita Sen reveals she called heads of Netflix, Amazon Prime Video and Hotstar to ask for work, says "I told them I want to come back and work"

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Sushmita Sen (@sushmitasen47)

In a casual chat, he told her, “So, Sushmita, tomorrow morning you’re going to be fired.” To which the actress, who was only 19 then, replied, “No, tomorrow morning I resign.”

Adding to the story, Sushmita said, “They came to him (Martin) to ask at the coronation ball, ‘Do we put former Miss Universe?’ He immediately looked at me and said, ‘Object to that.’ So I said, ‘I object!’ He then said, ‘Once a Miss Universe, always a Miss Universe.’”

Sushmita explained why the president of the Miss Universe Organisation chose to say so, along with the correct way to address her. “Because you have a dedicated year of victory. So you never say former Miss Universe; you say Miss Universe 1994.”

Sushmita Sen was the first Indian woman to be crowned Miss Universe, at the event held in Manila, Philippines, in 1994. She competed against contestants from across the globe. It was the same year Aishwarya Rai, considered a strong competitor, became Miss World.

Sushmita forayed into Bollywood soon after and starred in films like Dastak, Zor, Main Hoon Na, and Zindaggi Rocks, among others. Her crime thriller Aarya, whose first season released in 2020, won her several accolades.