Sushmita Sen On Surviving Heart Attack: "It Was Meant To Happen"

Sushmita Sen never shies away from talking about her personal and professional challenges. The actress, who survived a heart attack in 2023, recently opened up about how the incident “was meant to happen.” In a chat with Indulge Express, Sushmita shared, “Being fit doesn't necessarily mean that you will not have hiccups, whether they are genetic, or otherwise. In my case, it was genetic because both my parents have a heart condition. Since it's in the family, we've been testing for it long enough. Despite that, it happened. I guess it was meant to happen. That I survived it and healed quickly is a huge blessing, and I wish that upon anyone who suffers the same.”

“It has taught me that life has a pace, and no matter what you are going through or what environment you are in, you have to follow that pace, and you have to be extremely aware of what your body wants —it gives you indications. I always celebrated life, so that hasn't changed. But I have definitely become more aware of my body and its needs,” Sushmita Sen added.

In the same conversation, Sushmita Sen also talked about her post-surgery fitness routine. She said, “My fitness routine has been very slow. This February, I completed a year since the heart attack, and going back to a fitness regimen has been gradual. It's mostly warm-ups and stretches, with a bit of floor exercises. I have been allowed weights now, so weight training has been introduced. I am not entirely allowed to do anything too static, the movements need to be dynamic. I am not allowed to run, but I can pace walk. Also, the medicines have side effects. So, you have to cope with that and listen to your body and what it allows you to do on a given day.”

Earlier, in an interview with Hindustan Times, Sushmita Sen disclosed that she filmed a scene from Aarya 3 (depicted in the trailer) shortly after experiencing the heart attack. The actress expressed, "It was cathartic in a sense because all of the action that you see in the trailer was shot one month after my heart attack. So when Aarya gets shot, falls to the ground and she is gasping for air, in a crazy way it was like reel and real life, finally coming to a beautiful cathartic unison feeling. As dark as that sounds, I think it was a whole new beginning for me. Both personally and for Aarya on screen."

Sushmita Sen's latest project Aarya 3 is streaming on Disney+ Hotstar. The series also features Vikas Kumar, Ila Arun, Vishwajeet Pradhan, and Sikandar Kher in pivotal roles.