Nearly four years after their relationship became a major topic of discussion online, Lalit Modi has spoken publicly about the criticism directed at Sushmita Sen following their dating announcement in July 2022. The businessman and former IPL chairman had surprised many people when he shared holiday pictures with Sushmita Sen on social media and revealed that they were in a relationship. The photos quickly spread across the internet and sparked widespread discussion. While many people reacted with curiosity, others questioned the relationship and accused Sushmita of being interested in Modi because of his wealth and public status.
Now, speaking in a conversation with Humans of Bombay, Lalit Modi has strongly rejected those claims. He described Sushmita as one of the most independent and successful women he has known and said the public perception of their relationship was inaccurate.
Talking about Sushmita’s financial success, Lalit said, “Sushmita, please understand, is a very beautiful and a very well-to-do lady. I don’t know if anybody knows this, but she has more diamonds than anybody I know on the planet. And she has earned it herself, and she has diamond stores. So she’s a very wealthy lady. She has done it all on her own. There wasn’t a time I went out with Sushmita that I had to pay for anything. She paid for everything. I was like a kept boyfriend. So Sushmita is a woman that is very proud, and I’m going to say this very happily, and she is the remarkable lady and the self-made lady, self-made lady, and she will never accept anything from anybody.”
Lalit Modi also said that the criticism aimed at Sushmita was unfair from the beginning. According to him, the assumption that she was motivated by money did not match reality. He even joked that if anyone benefited from the relationship, it was him.
He said, “So when somebody says she’s a gold digger, no, Lalit was a diamond digger. It wasn’t she was a gold digger. I was hoping that I was a diamond digger as far as she was concerned, because she was truly a diamond. And as far as I’m concerned, she could have anybody on the planet she wanted. It was never about money. It was never about anything else. And she is extremely well-to-do. I mean, she can buy what she wants and do what she wants and probably buy anybody she wants on the planet, without a doubt.”
When Lalit Modi first announced the relationship in 2022, he referred to Sushmita as his “better half,” which led to speculation that the two had married. He later clarified that they were dating and not married. Despite that clarification, the announcement continued to generate intense discussion online, making it one of the most talked about celebrity relationships of that year.
Just back in london after a whirling global tour #maldives # sardinia with the families – not to mention my #better looking partner @sushmitasen47 – a new beginning a new life finally. Over the moon. . In love does not mean marriage YET. BUT ONE THAT For sure pic.twitter.com/WL8Hab3P6V
— Lalit Kumar Modi (@LalitKModi) July 14, 2022