Sen-sational B'day : Sushmita Turns A Year Older

Being the first Indian woman to win the coveted Miss Universe contest, Sushmita Sen is guaranteed a permanent place in the memories of Indians. This Bengali beauty immediately switched to films after winning the contest and played the role of the victim of an obsessed stalker in Dastak opposite Sharad Kapoor and Mukul Dev.

Though Sushmita Sen did not have as illustrious a Bollywood career as her beauty pageant rival Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the leggy beauty has nevertheless elevated the 'oomph' factor of whichever movie she starred in, most notably being Main Hoon Na, in which she played a college professor.

Sen now owns the rights to send delegates from India to the Miss Universe pageant from 2010 onwards through her project 'I Am She – Miss Universe India.' Here's hoping birthday girl Sushmita Sen eternal beauty and a prosperous professional and personal life.