Sushmita Sen on being called a gold-digger for dating Lalit Modi: 'If you're calling someone a gold-digger, at least...'

Sushmita Sen and Lalit Modi's relationship announcement was a surprise for many people since nobody saw it coming. The actress and the businessman's relationship was the talk of the town last year when Modi made it official on his social media account himself. Sharing some pictures of Sen, he wrote- ""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."Just days after the announcement, people began to call Sen a gold-digger. And in an interview with Mid-day recently, she responded to the trolls and memes and said, "I just put out one post on Instagram because sometimes I think when people keep quiet, their silence is mistaken for weakness or fear. I just needed to put out one post to let them know I am laughing. After that, I was done with it."The actress added, "I'm enjoying all the memes, but if you're calling someone a golddigger, at least don't monetise her. I like diamonds, not gold. Anyway, that was another experience, another phase, and things happened. And if I was going to marry someone, I'd be married to them. I don't try. I either do or I don't."This is not the first time she has opened up on the criticism that came her way. In an interview with Zoom earlier this year, she was quoted saying "When I finally issued a very long comment on it, there were a lot of people from my fraternity, showing up in interviews which I thought was pretty random anyway saying, ‘We never expected Sushmita Sen to even respond to that. She didn’t even need to."She continued, "The idea is my business, I respond when I want if I want if I don’t want I won’t. But when I believe it is time to speak up or take a stand on something I do so…Problem is in the social media days something happens and here comes the reaction. That’s not how I am built. I take my time absorbing and then I respond to things when I am ready."