Daijiworld Media Network – Mumbai
Mumbai, Oct 14: Actress Sushmita Sen has opened up about the emotional and legal challenges she faced while adopting her elder daughter, Renee, at the age of 21. Speaking with Dr Sheen Gurrib on her YouTube channel, Sen recalled the three-year-long court battle and how her father’s selfless support made her dream of motherhood possible.
“When I legally became an adult at 21, I knew this was what I wanted to do,” she said. “From 21 to 24, the legal battle began. Once it started, at least I had my daughter with me under foster care. But I lived with the constant trauma of ‘What if the family court doesn’t pass this in my favour? They’ll take the child back, and now this child has started calling me Ma.’”
Recalling those tense days, Sen revealed that she once told her father to keep the car ready in case she lost custody. “My father said, ‘Now we are really pushing it. We’re not going to do any of that.’ But I was adamant—they couldn’t take my baby away from me.”
Sen expressed immense pride in her father, who she said played a crucial role in convincing the court. “The court asked him to show ‘financial intent’ to support my child, and he was told to sign over half his assets. My father replied, ‘I am not a very rich man, so if you take half, it will be nothing. I have come to sign unconditionally everything I own in her name.’ Because of him, I have my children,” she said.
She also shared that the court warned her father that being a single mother might prevent her from finding a suitor. “My father replied that he hadn’t raised his daughter to be someone’s wife,” Sen said with pride.
After the long struggle to adopt Renee, Sen said the process was much smoother when she adopted her younger daughter, Alisah.
Reflecting on marriage, the actress described it as “companionship,” saying that she doesn’t need a man for wealth or status. “Having already raised two daughters, the only thing a man can bring into my life today is companionship,” she added.
Sushmita Sen’s story continues to inspire many for her courage, independence, and the unbreakable bond she shares with her father and daughters.