‘I didn’t disappear. I was busy…’: Malini Sharma on why she quit films. Raaz actress reveals what made her step away from the spotlight

Malini Sharma rose to overnight fame after appearing in the 2002 cult horror drama Raaz. The film, directed by Vikram Bhatt, starred Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea in the lead. Besides Raaz, Malini was also a part of the television show C.A.T.S. as well as the popular song Sawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag. But soon after Raaz’s success, Malini disappeared from the limelight, and now she leads a peaceful and slow farm life in the Sahyadri Hills, Maharashtra. Now, Malini has opened up about why she quit acting and how being an actress was never part of her plan.

For the unversed, Malini Sharma is the founder of The Slow Local farmstay in Village Kumble, Taluka Bhor, in the Sahyadri Hills, about 2 hours from Pune. She often shares updates from her farm life on the stay’s official Instagram handle and even interacts with fans.

Raaz actress Malini Sharma answers fans questions

Malini Sharma’s latest Instagram video has received multiple queries from her followers, asking about her current lifestyle. One individual wrote, ‘Hi ma'am, I am your biggest fan. Please tell me the reason for leaving Bollywood. Ma'am, you are amazing.’ To this, Malini replied that she did not particularly disappear from films as everyone made it out to be. She was actively working behind the camera for a while, before the birth of her children. After that she became busy with motherhood responsibilities.


‘Honestly, I didn’t disappear as it is made out to be. I worked behind the camera for a while, then my children came into my life and I was busy taking care of them,’ noted Malini. While the actress hasn’t revealed any details about her kids, she was previously married to model-actor Priyanshu Chatterjee, who made his film debut with Tum Bin in 2001. The marriage eventually ended in divorce.

More about Malini Sharma

Meanwhile, another fan wanted to know whether Malini would return to the silver screen. For this, the actress had an honest answer: ‘Let’s see, Kismet mein hoga toh (if destiny has it)’. Under another comment, Malini explained how Raaz’s offer came to her. She admitted not having an ambition to become an actress and simply agreed to be a part of Raaz as the movie happened to come to her.

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‘I never had the ambition to become an actor. Raaz just happened and I went with the flow. After the release, having the spotlight so bright on me, I was not sure about my plans. So I decided to slow down,’ revealed Malini. Her venture, The Slow Local, built around local food, crafts, workshops and community experiences, is more than a stay. It also specialises in homemade bread, granola, jams, peanut butter, South Indian coffee and oils.