By Jilawatan

Sushmita Sen’s careergraph seems to be heading downwards. Whether it is film assignments or ad deals, the beauty queen-turned-actress’ projects are constantly hitting dead-end.

The latest buzz is that Sush has lost her endorsement contract with Pantene shampoo and the company is looking for a ‘young face’ to replace her.

Interestingly, Pantene’s move comes immediately after Sushmita’s dream directorial debut, Rani Lakshmi Bai, was shelved. Last heard, Sush is looking for a new set of investors for her Rs 130-crore film.

“It’s an expensive film and with the industry going through a financial recession, it is not the right time to make a film like that,” said Sush, on the sidelines of an art event in Delhi recently.

But that’s not all. It’s not just her debut venture that has been shelved. Movies starring Sushmita – such as Dulha Mil Gaya and an international project Karma, Confessions and Holi – have also been stuck for several months now.

Her kitty now boasts of just one new project, the Govinda-starrer Do Knot Disturb .

“Sushmita has always been very picky and choosy about her films. But an actress has to stay in the limelight because public memory is very short. She has always been quite a private person,” said ad guru Prahlad Kakkar.

Despite her troubled career, interestingly, Sushmita is quite positive. She promises a solid comeback in 2009.

“I will be back with a bang this year,” she countered.

“I am back with my films and it’s nice to know that my fans missed me.” Her track record, however, tells a different story. Sushmita’s last three projects – Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag, Zindaggi Rocks and Chingaari – failed miserably at the box office.

Her last hit was the Salman Khan-Katrina Kaif starrer Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya in 2005. Reportedly, filmmakers weren’t keen on signing her because of her sudden weight gain.

“Unfortunately, we all go through bad phases. I know I wasn’t visible last year. It was just that my films did not release when they were supposed to and my dad underwent surgery,” she justified.

Coming back to her endorsement deals, Sush is now left with just one ad deal – Olay. According to media monitoring agency Adex India, Sush was swamped with 10 brand endorsements in 2007. But the number came down to four in the first half of last year.

Incidentally, Sush’s brand prospects – just like her counterparts’, including Preity Zinta, Rani Mukherjee and Aishwarya Rai – has also been hit by young guns. Reports are rife that Pantene is planning to approach Asin, of Ghajini fame, to replace Sushmita.

“Most of the audience gets tired of looking at the same old faces. They want fresh faces and that’s the reason why the likes of Katrina Kaif, Kareena Kapoor or Kangana Ranaut are seeing a rise in their careergraphs,” says film trade analyst Taran Adarsh.

Only time will tell if this year is going to mark the end of Sush’s career or if she is going to rise from her ashes.