Sushmita Sen is a Bengali, born on 19 November 1975 in Hyderabad, India. Her father is Shubeer Sen who worked as an Indian Air Force Wing Commander. Her mother Subhra Sen is a jewelry designer and also owns a store in Dubai called Renee. She has a brother, Rajeev and a sister, Neelam.
She has lived in Nagpur, Jorhat, and New Delhi. She studied at the Air Force Golden Jubilee Institute and Air Force Silver School in New Delhi. She studied English and also holds a degree in journalism.
Standing tall at 5’10” she entered the Femina Miss India contest. She won the title though Aishwarya Rai was expected to win it. She became the first Indian woman to win the Miss Universe title in 1994.