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April 9, 2010

I knew Ricky Martin was homosexual, says Sushmita Sen


Mumbai: Pop star Ricky Martin’s revelation that he is homosexual ended years of speculation and also surprised many people the world over.

But one person was not so surprised. That person was Sushmita Sen. The former Miss Universe was linked to Martin a few years ago.

Sen said, “All the time I have known him, I’ve been so proud of him. It takes tremendous courage to accept your own DNA. I knew he was gay. More power to him. It is a fantastic feeling to be able to love who you want to and that’s a choice no one can make for you.”

A few days ago, there was a rumour that Sen had filed an application in court to marry former Pakistani cricketer Wasim Akram.

She rubbished the rumours, saying, “I have two babies and the third is my latest business venture [that will see her hold a beauty pageant to groom Indian girls and send the best to the Miss Universe contest]. Do you think I have the time to marry anyone?

"I wasn’t in touch with Wasim after our reality show. He has come to India for the T20 cricket tournament and that’s how we met again. These are tough days for him, with what happened to his wife [Huma died last year]. It is really not in good taste to circulate such gossip.”

And how is Sen balancing her career and personal life looking after two children? “Alisah [her second adopted daughter] is travelling with me. My mother [Subhra] is here in Mumbai with me and she is helping me look after the kids as I am too tied up with my business venture these days. She has taken three months off for me.

“Renee [her first adopted child] is in a boarding school called Cathedral in Lonavala. She goes to school from Monday through Thursday and on Friday, Saturday and Sunday she is with me.

"The only reason why we have done that now is because she is in grade six and has to study. The only person she used to study with is me. Now that I’m not there, she plays with tuition teachers left, right, and centre. But she is a grade ‘A’ student and is doing exceptionally well.”

33 comments:

Minnie said...

I hope I’m not opening the Pandora’s box again, but I couldn’t resist from commenting on this one :-) This interview again is a classic example of the maturity and class displayed by Sush in leading her life. Inspite of rumors about a reported affair with Ricky Martin, she maintained a dignified silence on the matter and chose to keep a friend’s confidence. I’m sure a few of those so-called affairs were like the one above- wild imagination of some reporter!

She is a rare example of a woman of substance who actually followed up on some of the promises all the beauty queens seem to make on the Miss Universe/World platforms ! If she was “frivolous”, in relationships or otherwise, I don’t think she would have chosen to undertake the huge responsibility of being a single parent to two little girls. There are numerous examples of women delaying motherhood due to their careers (not that there is anything wrong with it-it’s their choice to make), but very few who would choose to be one despite it being an impediment to a full-time career and an encumbrance to potential suitors!

Hats off to this woman who lives life on her own terms in a traditional society and still retain her joie de vivre !

ApexHeights said...

No yaar Minnie, on the contrary this further reinforces her promiscuous nature. I mean how would SHE know closeted Ricky Martin’s sexual orientation which was a guarded secret and came as a surprise even to people very close to him and the probing media / paparazzi never had a inkling , which side he batted for!

Don’t be outraged, but could this be the case the good man was not seduced by a wanton hussy and that is how she came to that conclusion early on...

Ofcourse there is some kind of nobility in adopting girls since being a celebrity, this sends the right signals to a large number of her fans but imo leading a domesticated life is even tougher today and a lot of discipline is required in traditonality today.

Moderator@RL said...

Let's keep the discussion civil here.

Pardesi said...

Agree Minnie - Sushmita could have come out right then when affairs were being alleged, but she has more class than that. I really like her as a person and even more as an actress. Further, I have no wish to intrude into and pore over the salacious bits of any celebrity's life. So I like that she kept Ricki Martin's secret until he was ready to tell people himself.

Rajiv said...

Apex

I could tell by looking at Ricky´s dressing sense and haircut that he could be gay. Just like Karan Johar Ricky always appeared a bit gay(ish). The difference being that Karan will be targetted if he reveals his sexuality because he is from India.

The Illusionist said...

@Minnie - You are on the money with your comments. A single woman, let alone a single Mom with a mind of her own always is labeled. Now, Ash is looked at differently just because she is married into Bachchan parivar.

Khanabadosh said...
This comment has been removed by the author.
Khanabadosh said...

Above comment became irrelevant after reading the article :)

The thing is that most of the girls are on Sush side and boys on Ash side (There are always exceptions).

Minnie said...

Could it be because men can't look beyond a pretty face? :-)

ApexHeights said...

That’s a double whammy after being ticked off in the other thread. Again not fair at all!

Remember we began with a generic statement that ‘Miss Sushmita is a combination of beauty and brains’ from one of the esteemed member here to which I had issues with as I don’t agree to that perception of hers.

Since the discussion here is beyond her movies and reflection of her personal traits, I came out with my own conclusions which please remember are subjective in nature and I am entitled to them. Again the statements are civil in nature and aren’t we are all adults here

Now I do understand her fan point of view discussing her personal life rather than her films but her filmography is strewn with failures galore and nothing to talk and rave about...

Please tell me is there anything wrong in my assessment as to how would she known that Ricky is gay? I don’t think Ricky Martin is going to go around discussing his personal life with people whom he hardly knows esp. in his profession reputations can make or break a career? Remember George Michael and Wham?

She is definitely honorable in keeping the secret of Ricky Martin, but my contention is how and when did she get privy to this secret? Don’t you agree with me that Ms Sen mistook the friendly overtures from Martin and tried something more …….. ?

Minnie said...

Poor Sush…… How dare she know the inner secret of a friend without being labeled as a wanton hussy? How dare she flit in and out of relationships despite being single? How dare she lead an unconventional life in a traditional hypocritical society? But should this mindset surprise us? No, not at all!
After all, Sush was born in the wrong gender! Where does this so-called moral brigade go when we are talking of men in Bollywood known for their philandering ways? I dared to mention Aamir’s personal life on KP once and I had to listen to how healthy it is to walk out of the relationship even if there are children involved! I also got a moral lecture on how important it is to free ourselves from the traditions and shackles of the society!!!
Oh.....the joys of having a Y chromosome in this country!!

Pardesi said...

Well said Minnie!! Maybe Ricky revealed things to Sush as a friend. Yes, it is possible for a man and woman to be friends. To call anyone wanton hussy is deplorable in a forum that is trying to maintain decorum. There are other forums like IndiaFM where such talk is the norm, and we do not want to degenerate to that level.

At least Sushmita is not producing and denying children out of wedlock. Rather, she is adopting orphans and trying to give them a better life. For that she is labeled wanton and a hussy. And her career, which is full of excellent acting but low Box Office success, is used to judge her personal life.

Is money the only thing that matters and Box Office the ONLY way to judge an actor? NOT for me. Give me a Swades, Dil Se, a Chingari, Samay over a Dhoom 2 ANY DAY!!!!

ApexHeights said...

Minnie its simple – the way you hold Aamir’s personal life in poor light, I do the same for Sushmita. Why then double standards and take cover and shield under chromosome x and y.

Discussion was on Sushmita being a combination of beauty and brains and I negated the theory that nothing she has done is smart until now. As far as beauty is concerned it may sound clichéd but is in the eyes of the beholder.

Yes like many, I too yearn to live a life free from any societal norms and imo would lead to a healthier, peaceful living but whether we are still there yet, we don’t know... comparatively western society is at ease with themselves on these issues and we should take a cue..

But by doing this I am not getting smarter but more matured and liberated. I agree Sushmita is a liberated woman but brains ??? – nah nothing tells me that - yet

Coming back to Sush her nobility in adopting orphans girls is commended able and I made reference to that. Her personal integrity on other issues is open to speculation going by what is presented in the media.

Her movie choices have been atrocious and except a Samay there is nothing worthwhile to comment. I would rather have her she do Maine pyaar kyun kiya and Biwi no 1 than a Chingari which inspite of the controversies generated went unnoticed. Comparatively her contemporary Aish has been smarter in many ways than other.

Minnie said...

I normally don’t like flogging a dead horse which is what this and the previous post on Sush have turned into! However, I do feel the need to respond to accusations of possessing double standards in judging people. It is ironical that Aamir Khan and Sush’s personal lives are being equated here. Infidelity, in my opinion is a far greater crime than being in and out of relationships while being single. Denying children out of wedlock is an even more grave transgression as it is injustice to both the mother and child. So, how can one ever equate Aamir and Sush’s lives?

So “her personal integrity is open to speculation going by what is presented in the media”...but Aamir is pronounced by the same esteemed member as “ honest, principled, ethical and a man with strong beliefs."!!! Was I the one being accused of double standards here?

Yes, the discussion was about Sush being a combination of beauty and brains. I completely agree that beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. So, some people including me find her beautiful while some others don’t. I, for one, find Aish to be quite plastic and her beauty never moves me the way it touches some others. At the end of the day, the very idea of what constitutes beautiful is very subjective….I personally find Halle Berry extremely beautiful...I’m sure 95% of Indian males would disagree with me on that :-)

Now, let’s talk about her brains! So, she is “mature and liberated”, but doesn’t possess brains?? Wow...I never knew maturity could be achieved without possessing a modicum of intelligence! Or are we deciding a person’s smartness here by the amount of success they achieve in their career? Aish is more successful, hence is smarter than Sush? So, by that same token, Smita Patil was less intelligent than Hema Malini and Nandita Das is less intelligent than Katrina Kaif? Oh yeah, and everyone in Bollywood should officially possess less IQ than Ace Khan right now since the success of Ghajini and 3 Idiots! It’s a pity that for all the idol-worship Aamir Khan’s fans indulge in, they still didnt get the take-home message of their idol’s most successful movie till date! “Never run after success; do what makes you happy”- wasn’t that the message 3 idiots was trying to propagate?

P.S. Sorry RLers for continuing this...I promise this is the last you will hear from me on this!

The Illusionist said...

Minnie - You have every right to state your opinion on RL. You don't have to be sorry for that. It is just that some times you will have to repeat yourself to get the point across, and that's none of your fault.

PS : I find Halle Berry very beautiful. I don't what it says about me though :)

Pardesi said...

Well said Minnie. By that same token Satyajit Ray, Ritwik Ghatak are not a patch on Murugadoss, Hirani and Farah Khan!

The Illusionist said...

If somebody says that there is no double standards in BW, when it comes to Heroes and Heroines then they probably need to get a 'reality' check.

Minnie said...

@Illusionist:

ROFL....What is wrong with you these days? You find Sush better than Aish...You agree with SRK and Gauri in their conflict with Aish....you find Halle Berry very beautiful....

I think the stress of managing RL is getting to you these days :-)

The Illusionist said...

@Minnie - You think so ? I have to agree with your Psychoanalysis. I was struggling to make sense of everything for few days, and you nailed it.. Thanks =))

Minnie said...

=))

ApexHeights said...

I can understand your passionate defense of Sushmita Sen. but what has Aamir done to deserve your ire…. infidelity, children out of wedlock – you make him some kind of
wolf in sheepskin!

Is SRK love at play here ? – kidding !

ApexHeights said...

Hey it’s never a good idea to compare personal and professional lives of two people as many of the trials,tribulations and experiences are based on their own personal situations and circumstances...

Aamir is not a 'lafangaa' by any standards and I presume did not go all over the place to bed women. His commitment to relationships was amply displayed by marrying and settling down with Reena, supposedely his childhood sweetheart and maintaining even after reaching superstardom. I have not followed his personal life closely, but I think he was happily married for a long period of time giving 2/3 beautiful kids to Reena. Don’t really know when the marital stress and conflict took over but in short it seemed like an amicable separation and settlement. Now differences can crop up in a realtionship at any stage of life but this is where Aamir’s integrity and honesty came at display and instead of putting up a façade and keep up the to avoid media glare and jeopardize his filmy career he took a backseat, stepped aside from movies and sorted out his personal life before coming back with full force to movies.

I assume prior meeting Kiran his present wife, he must be playing the eligible bachelor and it is here he may have been involved with these other women you are talking about one of which decided to have a child out of him. This issue remains a woman prerogative with god gifted biological controls which I do not wish to go deep into fearing the language here may come across offensive to few… I think similar kind of incident took place with Imran Khan too and coincidently this was UK / London too… what’s with this place or do they specialize in finding look alike kids to extract their pound of flesh ...


To come back to Sushmita she just did not live up to the hype she generated coming in after winning a beauty pageant and basically (perception again) led a livin'la vida loca kind of lifestyle though there is nothing wrong there. But what makes you tag her as brainy woman or a woman oozing with creative juices….. her films , movies , choices have all been plain ordinary and bordering dumb. …

hey its getting lengthy I need to get back to work…..more later.

Pardesi said...

I cannot understand the "passionate defense" of Aamir's personal life when you do not even know the details of it. He was married to Reena, yes, and she was the producer of his film Lagaan. It was during making Lagaan the Aamir got involved with the British lady and the testament to that affair is NOT the child but the fact that his wife left him at that juncture. The child has never been used to extract a "pound of flesh", the mother is quite discreet but the British tabloids got a hold of it. In fact during Taare Zameen Par "each child is special", a tabloid wrote "What about the child you refuse to acknowledge"? I have heard stories about his other "playing" incidents, but since they are uncorroborated, it is best to ignore. But an affair, a child and a wife leaving you because of that is not easy to ignore or sweep under the carpet.

As for Sush's movie choices, compare them to the Mela, Love Love Love, Mann phase of Aamir where barely any film was succeeding and they were mostly poor quality. He was able to pick up the pieces, but then he had the backing of a film family. Do not forget that he started out in a home production. No doubt he has talent, or he would not succeed, but Sushmita has talent as evidenced by her fine performances, yet she lacks family or sugar daddy (like Katrina) backing, so she has to take life as it comes to her.

ApexHeights said...

So in your opinion Aamir‘s involvement with the British lady are well corroborated and the only reasons for aamir – reena split?

Well, there were rumors around that time that troubled started due to ideological differences and conflict of thoughts as to how the kids would be raised which then heightened due to religious atmosphere prevailing in the country..

Look, all these stories / tabloids etc is speculative business and we will never know the actual reasons for the split and affairs. He seems a committed person otherwise he wouldn't go the extra step of marrage and legalizing his relationships.

All we can talk and discuss is - our perceptions after reading these articles in filmy gossip magazines and tabloids which are agenda driven...and on a need to sell based

In general due to his proven actions and reactions and live interactions – he comes across to me as a certified genius.

ApexHeights said...

and yes ,Mela and Love and Loev should be beaten to death and two of the most favorite movies of RL. Could we widen our horizon and look beyond please.

for that matter the whole film induratry is family driven with hardly any outsiders , but that does not make them - Aamir Khan

plus sushmita has been searching for her sugar daddies right from Vikram Bhatt days so lets not go there..!!

Pardesi said...

Aamir's own self-confessed descent into alcoholism that caused him to take a sabbatical, his Dad's open statement about the love child - so no, it is NOT coming from tabloids. I do not read tabloids.

Yes we can move on from Mela, LLL etc when others move on from supposed poor performance of other films. Aamir is not a born again Christian whose life began at the time of Lagaan. His entire filmography is there for us to debate and examine. His fans drop any poor film like a hot potato and beat the drums about a select few. Let us examine the recent Ghajni, a pathetic copied film that he defended as not even being copied! And as for his acting there - yes his hairstyle and pumped-up body acted well! So what can I defend about Ghajini? Its Box Office? Sorry, I do not care for that kind of endorsement of films.

ApexHeights said...

Yes, he admitted to alcoholism at one stage of his life but that can even be attributed to struggle within and conflict when one is having with oneself mentally or finding the difference between right and wrong – however this does not imply the reason for this alocholism was cheating or infidelity….for all we know this could be the case where his, then wife Reena behaving weirdly and not being the person he fell in love with….so speculations again !

Aamir was supposedly very close to his dad and don’t know if his dad came out openly accepting aamir’s love child. His brother Faisal was a nut case anyway and that was a wild-family phase…..so matters can rest there.

with regard to his films and career ,he has been steadfastly working towards building a nice repertoire and has finally found just the right balance. This does not mean he did not show us a glimpse of his magic, say in a rangeela, sarfarosh or hum hain rahee pyaar ke etc . Just the way he rendered Kya Bolti tu itself should have made people sit up and take a note in 90s decade which seemed like going through the motions stage with inane romantic fantasies.

Ghajini – is hardly Memento whichever way one looks at it. Sometimes these ideas take form just by hearsay or someone who saw such and such movie.. This movie was a copy of Tamil version and everyone involved admitted.

Performance wise Ghajini was a lesson in high and low notes. How, when, where to underplay and overplay and the results connected to audience in huge numbers and yes including me too. A better explanation could be audience was looking for a change from raj / rahul / or a odd suri.

Apart, just the time consumed , preparation and hard work which went into this movie is commendable and worth talking by itself, something bollywood still has not come to terms with until now. The rest are still stuck up with collaborating / proposing / manufacturing movies discussing – yeh ho jaayegaa ! woh ho jayegaa ; audience raj/suri ko differentiate kar legee etc etc….

Pardesi said...

I had no idea I was talking to people who love Ghajini!!! In the interest of preserving my sanity and my memory, I hereby withdraw from this pointless argument. AAMIR is GOD! He was born in 2002 when Lagaan came on the scene, and I am converted to his religion! All HAIL the new creator and conqueror of the universe. ADIOS

ApexHeights said...

Oh I can fully understand the predicaments there.

FYG in future Lagaan – Once upon a time in India – 2001 (not 2002)

And then there was this urban contrast the same year Dil Chahta Hai - 2001 again!

Unknown said...

I dont want to get in to debate here..But just want to make one point..

Somebody here said ""Aamir and reens's separation is amicable""

Well i cabn tell you no seoaration is amicable.....Its another thing the relatively mature ones hide their animosity under the carpet

Unknown said...

@kunal @ minie

Even i find Hell berry extremely beautiful...

Aishwarya Rai the most plastic of the BW lot..

Sushmita the most intelligent and beautiful of the lot..

Regarding susmita knowing Rikky martin's sexual orientation is quite plausible because some time back they were freinds and spent some time together..Hence the rumours of their affair surfaced...

ApexHeights said...

I agree even if you are not in a marriage – separation can be painful.

Taking the media intrusions and publicity hungry individuals, I would say not washing dirty linen in public should be considered amicable.

ApexHeights said...

“Regarding susmita knowing Rikky martin's sexual orientation is quite plausible because some time back they were freinds and spent some time together..Hence the rumours of their affair surfaced...”

This has been exactly my point, that there is more to this story than meets the eye. Since Sushmita claims that she knew this long back – question arises – how?

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