Sushmita Sen Recalls legal Battle To Adopt Daughter Renee

In 2000, Sushmita Sen made history by adopting her first daughter, Renee, as a single woman. Though Indian adoption laws allow single women to adopt, Sushmita faced many challenges, especially because of societal bias.

Talking to Dr. Sheen Gurrib on YouTube, Sushmita shared, “From age 21, I knew I wanted to adopt. The legal battle started when I was 24. During that time, Renee was in foster care with me. It was stressful, thinking the court might not approve the adoption. I even joked with my dad to keep the car running in case we had to run away with her.”

Her father, Shubeer Sen, played a big role in supporting her. He told the court he would give everything he owned for Renee, even though he was not very rich. “The judge warned my father that no good boy would want to marry me, but he said I didn’t adopt her to be someone’s wife. That helped the case,” Sushmita said.

Thanks to her father’s support, Sushmita successfully adopted Renee at age 24. Ten years later, in 2010, adopting her second daughter, Alisah, was much easier. “I was meant to be a mother,” Sushmita said proudly.