I was a little girl when I accompanied my mother, an interior designer, to the sites that she was working on. A seed was sown in me as early as when I was a five-year-old, that I would do this work but with a difference. It became my dream.” Her mother could also see her child’s interest in this field from a very young age.
I asked Sussanne Roshan if she believed in dreams and destiny. “I believe in destiny. You manifest everything that comes your way. You send the positive energy out and it becomes the ingredient of your success,” she said with an air of wisdom.
She has been one of the favourite people in social and Bollywood circles, and is also the media’s godchild. “I was strongly influenced by my mother who taught us to believe in ourselves. No one owes you anything just because you are somebody’s daughter or wife. To gain respect, you have to learn and achieve yourself,” she said humbly. Sussanne went to an Art school in Los Angeles for two years, where she learnt that creativity comes from within, understanding the importance of good and hard work.
Her son Hrehaan was born five years ago, and with that she was gifted an energy, which she believes helped her focus on her life as a mother and wife. She started to focus on the dream she always secretly had, but being a private person did not talk much about it.
Then, the last two years, she put in all her energy into making it come real. “That’s the first step. The second step is to make it a roaring success,” she said with a strong will. “All the best artists in the world are successful because they treasure humility and embrace knowledge. The day you think you know it all and become egoistical, is when you will go downhill,” she said.
“The two main people who have taught me the importance of simplicity, perseverance and remaining grounded have been my mother and Hrithik. Despite his success, Hrithik has relentlessly worked hard to better himself everyday. I have been with him for 15 years now and this quality of his has been the real learning experience for me,” she said.
Loving friends who swear by and count on her, surround Sussanne. Recently, at a small dinner, everyone was in a relaxed mood and Sussanne started singing. She has a great voice, matched with perfect rhythm. She laughed when I asked if she would ever sing professionally. “Who knows, but not yet,” she said. We then moved on and discussed Women’s Day and today’s Indian woman.
“Every woman should try and be independent, thereby being confident and earning respect. People around, including your husband, give you more respect. Every woman can do it. One just should not give up on life,” she said. “Each one of us has a quality and we must build on it. Then we make better wives, mothers and friends.”
Sussanne has proven herself and realised her dream. “Nothing is to be taken for granted. I am a humble student who takes pride in learning. I also teach this to my kids and learn what I can. I want to keep learning till I grow old. Humanity and success make a better tomorrow. God has been kind. I feel blessed,” she said with contentment.