Actress Sushmita Sen has opened up about the terrifying moment she suffered a massive heart attack in February 2023, revealing why she chose to remain fully conscious during her life-saving surgery and how she pushed herself to return to work just 15 days later. Reported by Times Of India.
Speaking on Divya Jain’s podcast, the former Miss Universe shared that she had a 95% blockage in one of her arteries while shooting for Aarya Season 3. Despite the severity of the situation, Sushmita said she stayed alert through the entire heart attack — and even during the medical procedure that followed.
“When you suffer a heart attack and stay conscious through it, you truly understand how close you came to the other side of life,” she said. Surviving the ordeal, she added, changed her outlook completely. “Everything in life is transient — even a heart attack. If I hadn’t survived it, there would be no story. But once you do, there’s no point dwelling on the past.”
Sushmita revealed she insisted on staying awake during the surgery because her “inner control freak” doesn’t like losing consciousness. “It’s also the reason I survived the heart attack. It was a choice — stay conscious and fight, or slip into unconsciousness and risk not waking up.”
Throughout the procedure, she chatted with doctors, urging them to “hurry up” because her Aarya crew was waiting.
She felt a deep sense of responsibility toward the 500-member team whose daily livelihoods depended on the shoot. “They were concerned about me, but I was concerned about them. You can’t shoot without me.”
Despite doctors objecting, she fought for permission to return to set — succeeding after 15 days.
Aarya Season 3 premiered on Disney+ Hotstar in November 2023, with its second part releasing in February 2024.
Sushmita’s story is not just about surviving a life-threatening event — it’s about resilience, leadership, and an unwavering sense of duty.
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