Sushmita Sen recently opened up about the lengthy process she underwent to adopt her daughter, Renee. She spoke about the prolonged court battle and how her father had decided to sign over his assets to demonstrate "financial intent" to support the actress's adopted child.
What's Happening
- In a conversation with Dr Sheen Gurrib on her YouTube channel, Sushmita Sen revealed how the legal battle to adopt her daughter, Renee, continued from when she was 21 until she was 24. She candidly remarked on the constant fear she grappled with, uncertain about which way the court's decision would fall.
- Sushmita Sen shared, "When I legally became an adult at 21, I knew this was what I wanted to do. So, from 21 to 24, the legal battle began. Once it started, at least I had my daughter with me under foster care. But you live with the constant trauma of 'What if the family court does not pass this in my favour? They'll take the child back, and now this child has started calling me Ma.' I had a plan."
- She continued, "I told my dad at the hearing just to keep the car running; he would take her and drive away. 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."
Sushmita Sen On Her Father's Support During Adoption
The actress further spoke about her father, expressing how proud she is of his unwavering support.
Discussing how the court asked her father to show "financial intent" to support her child, Sushmita Sen shared, "I'm so proud of my father. I have my children because of him, in a country that requires either a father or a father figure to adopt a baby. He was told by the court that he had to show financial intent to support my child, and that he had to sign over half of his assets. But my father told the court, 'I am not a very rich man, so if you take half of that, it will be nothing. I have come to sign unconditionally everything I own in her name.'"
Sushmita Sen further mentioned how the court warned her father that, as a single mother, she would never find a suitor. However, the turning point came when her father said he had not raised his daughter to be "someone's wife".
The actress concluded by saying that after the arduous path to adopting her first child, Renee, the process was easier the second time, when she adopted Alisah.
Sushmita Sen On Marriage
Sharing her thoughts on marriage, Sushmita Sen defined it as "companionship".
She explained that having already raised two daughters, there was no need for a man - not for diamonds or properties. According to her, the only thing a man could bring to her life today is companionship.
In A Nutshell
Sushmita Sen spoke about the hurdles she had to overcome to adopt her daughter, Renee, and how her father stood beside her as a pillar of strength. She also shared her views on marriage in today's context.
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