Sushmita thrilled with praise from Ashley Judd

Bollywood star Sushmita Sen says she is "floating in the air" after lavish praise from Hollywood actress-activist Ashley Judd.

"I'm floating in thin air. This was the first time that I interacted with an organisation that works so closely with sex workers. Ashley has been working with them for five years. I'm a newly converted novice in front of her," said Sushmita .

Ashley visited India in March as part of the NGO Population Services International to educate sex workers about HIV/AIDS. Sushmita joined her in the campaign and the two visited brothels and interacted with young sex workers.

After going back to the US, Ashley expressed her views on Sushmita on a blog. The Double Jeopardy star says that she admires Sushmita's self-confidence and her unconventional approach towards life.

She wrote: "I was being joined by a stranger to me, but a beloved star to millions of Indians: Sushmita Sen, maverick yet firmly ensconced Bollywood star. We picked her for her willingness to break with convention in her personal and professional life.

She has that remarkable self-belief, answers to the enigmatic questions I don't dare touch on, stuff about being a woman in this world and other things that leave me tongue-tied. She was focused, clear-eyed, intent, attentive, dazzling."

Sushmita admits Ashley has made her feel special with her compliments.

She says: "Yes, she made me feel very special. Here was a woman coming all the way from America. The only common ground we shared was that we were both actors. She was so humane in her approach to me. The very fact that she wrote a blog like that proves how secure she is within her space and how fluently she deals with the world around her."

Related Article: Sushmita on her forthcoming rendezvous with Ashley Judd