Daijiworld Media Network - Mumbai
Mumbai, Jun 2: Former IPL chairman Lalit Modi has defended actress Sushmita Sen against the “gold digger” label that surfaced during their relationship, saying the criticism was unfair and insisting that she was never financially dependent on him.
In a recent interview, Modi said Sen was a successful and self-made woman who earned everything on her own and often paid her own expenses.
“Sushmita is a beautiful, successful and self-made woman. She has more diamonds than almost anyone I know, and she earned everything herself. She even had diamond stores,” he said.
Rejecting allegations that Sen benefited financially from their relationship, Modi claimed there were occasions when she paid for outings herself.
“There wasn’t a time when we went out and I had to pay for anything, she paid for everything. I was like a kept boyfriend,” he said.
According to Modi, Sen never liked accepting gifts or financial support from others and the criticism directed at her was misplaced.
“She would never accept anything from anybody. So when people called her a gold digger, that was completely wrong,” he said, adding humorously that if anyone deserved the label, it was him. “If anything, Lalit was the diamond digger,” he remarked.
Reflecting on their relationship, Modi described Sen as an important person in his life who influenced him during a significant phase.
“Sushmita was very special to me. She helped me grow into many of the things I am today and was an extremely important part of my life at that time. It was a very special relationship,” he said.
Although the two are no longer together, Modi said he continues to hold Sen in high regard and cherishes the memories they shared.
“I have the fondest memories of her and she’s still a very dear friend. I wish her nothing but the best. She’s an amazing woman and what she has done as a single mother to her daughters, Renee and Alisah, is remarkable,” he added.
Modi also recalled the social media post in 2022 that publicly revealed their relationship and triggered widespread discussion online. He said the post was made impulsively while they were travelling together and was not part of any planned announcement.
According to him, neither expected the scale of the public reaction that followed.
The relationship became one of the most talked-about celebrity stories of 2022, with both Modi and Sen featuring among the most searched personalities in India that year.
Following the controversy, Sen had responded to trolls through an Instagram post, stating that she preferred diamonds and purchased them herself.
In a later interview in 2023, Sen described her relationship with Modi as “just another phase” of her life.