Sushmita Sen recalls her father’s emotional words: ‘You see my smile and miss my tears hidden within’; ex-Miss Universe on what lies behind a smile

A smile does not always tell the whole story. Sushmita Sen once opened up about a deeply personal lesson she learnt from her father, one that she understood fully only much later in life. The former Miss Universe recalled how her father connected everyday moments with poetry, music and emotion before sharing words that stayed with her. His message was simple yet profound: what people show on the outside can be very different from what they quietly carry within.

Sushmita Sen recalls her father’s words about hidden emotions

Sushmita Sen, who was crowned Miss Universe 1994, reflected on her relationship with her father and the lessons he passed on to her. Recalling his words, she shared a line that particularly stayed with her: “You see my smile and you miss my tears hidden within.” For Sen, the words captured something she came to understand only later in life. She explained that there can be a distance between what a person expresses outwardly and what they actually feel inside.

According to her, that distance is often covered in “silence”. The video was shared by Drishtikon Assam.

How Sushmita Sen’s father connected everyday moments with learning

Sen also remembered how her parents influenced her relationship with different languages. She said her father spoke to her in Bengali, while her mother wanted her to learn English because she attended a Hindi-medium school. Sen recalled that her Hindi was very good, while her English was weak at the time. Her father, however, found small and memorable ways to connect learning with everyday life. She recalled him asking her to say certain things, teaching her poems and encouraging her to learn music.

The song that came with a lesson

One particular memory stood out for Sen. She recalled her father telling her that if she wanted to go out with her friends, she should first learn a particular song. The condition was simple: once she could sing the entire song, she could go out. Sen listened to him and learnt it. She said she liked the song so much that she followed her father’s advice and eventually understood the meaning behind his words much later in life.

Looking back, she described the lesson as “beautiful”.

The deeper meaning behind her father’s words

The line about a smile hiding tears resonated with Sen because it spoke to something universal. People often see what someone chooses to show them. A smile may suggest happiness, confidence or calmness, but it does not necessarily reveal everything happening beneath the surface. Sen reflected that there is a “journey” or “distance” between what a person expresses externally and what they feel internally. That gap can exist even between people who know each other extremely well.

Why people may hide what they truly feel

Sen’s reflection also points to the complicated nature of human emotions. People do not always express sadness when they are hurting. They may continue smiling, working, talking and interacting normally while keeping difficult emotions private. Sometimes, silence becomes the space where those unspoken feelings remain. That is why Sen’s father’s question stayed with her. Knowing someone well does not necessarily mean knowing everything they feel.

The lesson is not simply about sadness. It is about recognising that every person has an inner world that may not always be visible from the outside.

Sushmita Sen says the distance is covered in silence

For Sen, the most striking part of the lesson was the contrast between outward expression and inner emotion. She said what a person “expresses outside” and what they “feel inside” can be separated by a distance. And, in her words, that distance is covered in “silence”. It is a thought that gives new meaning to the everyday smiles and expressions we see in people around us. Sometimes, what remains unspoken can be just as important as what is said.

Sen’s recollection of her father’s words shows how a seemingly simple line can take on a deeper meaning with age and experience. What she understood only later became a reflection on emotions, silence and the parts of ourselves that others may never see.