Sushmita Sen gets support from ex Vikram Bhatt amid trolling: She's a love digger, not gold digger

Sushmita Sen continues to get support from peers in the film industry. A day after the actress sent out a strong statement to trolls for calling her a gold digger for dating IPL founder Lalit Modi, her ex-boyfriend filmmaker Vikram Bhatt has spoken in her defence.

Bhatt and Sen were a couple in the 1990s when Sen had just been crowned Miss Universe. Bhatt wrote 'Dastak' - Sen's Bollywood debut film released in 1994. The two broke up a few years later. Defending the former beauty queen, Bhatt called her a 'love digger and not a gold digger' as is being projected by some people on social media.

"I think making fun of other people's life is entertainment. Someone’s tragedy is someone’s entertainment, that’s always there. When Kareena (Kapoor)married Saif (Ali Khan), even she was trolled. So, I think it goes with the territory, if you are a celebrity and if there is a decision of yours which seems funny to netizens, they start trolling," the director told India Today.

Recalling the time they were together, Bhatt said that Sen dated him at a time when he directed his first film 'Ghulam' and had no money. He recalled how she made his first trip to the US memorable.

Priyanka Chopra calls Sushmita Sen 'queen' as she slams trolls who labelled her ‘gold digger’

Sushmita is the last person who checks out bank balances before she decides to fall in love with someone. I was penniless. I was directing Ghulam, but I had no money. I will not forget that Sushmita was the person who first took me to the US, and she paid for my trip. I had no money. When we reached Los Angeles and there was a limousine, and I was surprised. She said that she wanted to make my entry in the US very special."

Sen has been facing trolls on social media ever since IPL founder Lalit Modi announced that he was in a relationship with the actress. The two have been subjected to memes and criticism on social media over the past few days. Reacting to the tag of 'gold digger' Sen herself shared a strong statement on Instagram and wrote, "The friends I never had & the acquaintances I’ve never met….all sharing their grand opinions & deep knowledge of my life & character…monetising the ‘Gold Digger’ all the way!!! Ah these geniuses!!! I dig deeper than Gold…and I’ve always (famously) preferred Diamonds!! And yes I still buy them myself."

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Several celebrities have responded in support of the 'Arya' actress. Reacting to Sushmita Sen's heartfelt post, actress Priyanka Chopra wrote, “Tell em Queen!” along with a fire emoji. Ranveer Singh also dropped heart emoticons in the comments section for the actress. Dia Mirza, Manushi Chillar, and Neha Dhupia were among other celebs who hailed the 'Main Hoon Na' star.