Former Miss Universe Sushmita Sen on ‘staying conscious’ during cardiac procedure after heart attack: ‘It’s also the reason I survived’

Dubai: Sushmita Sen has opened up again about the terrifying heart attack she suffered in 2023 while filming Aarya 3 — and revealed that she chose to remain fully conscious throughout the cardiac procedure that followed.

Appearing on a podcast with Divya Jain, the former Miss Universe recalled how she refused to be put under.

“I was very impatient with my doctors,” she said. “I didn’t want to be unconscious during the procedure. The control freak in me doesn’t like losing consciousness; it’s also the reason why I survived the heart attack.”

She described the crucial moment in stark detail. “There was a choice — stay conscious and go through the suffering, or lose consciousness and maybe not wake up. I stayed conscious through the heart attack and wanted to be conscious through the procedure as well.”

According to Sen, she didn’t even want the pain numbed. “I was very clear about not numbing anything. I wanted to see what was going on. I kept chatting with the doctors, asking them to hurry up because I needed to get back to set. My entire crew was waiting for me in Jaipur.”

The actor, who headlines the hit series, said the responsibility weighed heavily on her mind even as she recovered. “When you lead a show, it’s not an ordinary job. You carry the onus of a 500-member crew. They’re all kind and concerned, but at the same time, their daily wages depend on you. And you can’t shoot without me.”

Despite the severity of her health scare, Sen was back on the Aarya 3 set just 15 days after the procedure.

“I was okay, and I had done everything I had to. So I had to get on with it. The team was practically shouting at me to slow down,” she laughed.

“It took me 15 days of negotiating, but eventually I was allowed to return and resume filming.”

Sushmita’s candid reflection adds another layer to her journey of resilience — one she has spoken about before, including her earlier admission of being “declared steroid-dependent for life” after a previous health battle.