INSUBCONTINENT EXCLUSIVE:
Recently, yesteryear star Reena Roy expressed her desire to make a comeback to showbiz
Not very long ago Meenakshi Seshadri and Oye Oye girl Sonam too had shared with ETimes that they are very much keen on reviving their acting
80s actresses like Poonam Dhillon and Padmini Kolhapure have already made their comeback in the recently released web series Dil Bekaraar
And there are many more like Mandakini, Mumtaz, Shilpa Shirodkar among others waiting for that one opportunity that puts them back in the
spotlight and accelerates their career in showbiz.As casting director Kunal M Shah tells ETimes, comebacks really work very well in
The fact of the matter is that the stars have already ruled in their heyday, and have been liked and loved and respected and have lots of
accolades to their credit because they are good actors
Sushmita was fantastic in Aarya, Bobby was brilliant in Aashram and people lapped it up
I think this has kind of set a trend for the other actors to come back
Actors also who had quit the industry now are looking at interesting content and are excited to be a part of it because they know they have
seeking out roles that suit their age and OTT platforms offer them the kind of characters and roles that they seek
Given that OTT platforms have a captive audience for nearly every genre of entertainment, myriad roles are being carved out for these
They no longer have to play second fiddle to the hero and in fact, the story revolves around their character
OTT also has been a game changer when it comes to salaries and if the series turns out to be a hit, then there is no looking back for
them leave their career behind, what makes them want to come back to the limelight, what they think about the OTT platforms giving
opportunities to actresses across different age groups and more
Read on.Read AlsoStar kids, body transformation and the never ending obsession of the troll brigade - #BigStoryWhat made them quit
showbiz?As goes for women across various professional streams, most of these yesteryear actresses chose to leave their career behind as they
started a family and wanted to dedicate their time to family and kids
Nahin toh main pagal ho jati
I had the responsibility of my daughter
Being a single mother, you have to take care of your daughter first
I started my career with Akshay Kumar, and my last project released was with Akshay Kumar
I quit because I got married and I had my set of priorities
Nobody has ever stopped me from working after marriage
I wanted to enjoy my family life
I am and I was a good wife, a good mother and a daughter in law
And I'm proud to talk about that
Then I had kids, and then in between, I lost my husband, and they were too small for me to leave them and work
too left showbiz at the peak of her career in 1995
I got married and settled down, I had my sons in 1998 and 2003
Life was completely just about family and handling our own cosmetic manufacturing business of herbal Ayurveda skincare brand
Now that my kids are big enough (24 and 19 years old), I am free to do some selective work just to keep myself occupied
I do miss the camera and times have changed
As did the Oye Oye girl Sonam who had quit films at a very young age after she got married
She restarted my career with television and worked non-stop for 4 years
The first year, I managed but after that it was my priority to join the family and be with Anoushka as she was growing up and in a few years
she was ready to go to university
But to be honest, I still do get plenty of calls and messages for television
But that did not dissuade her from leaving showbiz
I was feeling a bit satiated from what the material world could bring me
I inadvertently turned a seeker, on a spiritual quest, at the start of 1994
The offer of an avant garde film opening at Cannes Film Festival came just then and that ended up being my last film routing international
film festivals in 40 countries
Alongside acting, I was also involved in launching MTV India in 1993 and turning a VJ
And of course I continued to model, even if as a brand ambassador
So there was hardly any time to miss an opportunity
I signed Aashiqui in Jan 1991, it was released in August 1991
I became a household name overnight
Darshan is quite happy to see the yesteryear actresses returning to the screens
Both Reena and Meenakshi had ruled the roost in those days
Reena Roy did Nagin (1975), Jaani Dushman, Aasha, Kaalicharan, Dhanwan, Naseeb, Ghulaami, Naukar Biwi Ka among others and starred opposite
actors like Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna Amitabh Bachchan, Shatrughan Sinha before she quit the scene due to her marriage to
Pakistani cricketer Mohsin Khan
90s by which time Madhuri Dixit and Juhi Chawla geared up as formidable fresh replacements
Meenakshi was pitted opposite Big B in Shahenshah, Ganga Jamuna Saraswati and Akayla, and regularly featured opposite Jackie Shroff (Hero),
Anil Kapoor (Meri Jung, Vijay), Sunny Deol (Intaqaam, Ghayal, Damini - Ghaatak) and made a graceful exit to settle in marital bliss in
It was so heartening to have her over a few days back when she surprisingly dropped in to catch up on her recent trip back in India and even
Star kids choosing entrepreneurship over acting career in Bollywood - #BigStoryDesire to come back with a bangOnce an actor, always an
And it stands true for so many of the long lost actresses who have expressed a desire to return to the limelight
Aisa lag raha hai jaise kuch adhura reh gaya tha
With the kind of work that I have done in the past, I think I'll be able to do any role
definitely do it even if it is on OTT
These days people are glued to their OTT screens as it offers a variety of options
There are such good stories and even reality shows
Even if the role is small, it has to leave a mark, only then will I choose to do it
It has to be a meaty role that can satisfy the artist in me
The 90s was a golden period for us
And now to be connected with the same field makes me feel very happy and emotional
So if i get an amazing opportunity it would be absolutely amazing to start work again
I want to do something along the lines of Baghban and Mother India
These days, I watch more South films that are dubbed in Hindi
Their action and dance are unbelievable
The industry has changed a lot though
There are few things that people still don't know about me
The first question that people ask is if I stay in Mumbai
This is one of the biggest questions in the film industry and everywhere
I would like to clarify that I am very much a Mumbai ki ladki
And the second thing they ask is abhi kaisi dikhti hogi
For them I'm very active on Instagram
keen to meet new people now and work with them
And, I am willing to learn
I want to work with Anurag Kashyap, Neeraj Pandey, Vishal Bhardwaj
I love their style of filmmaking
And I want to do web shows; I love OTT; I consume a lot of content in OTT space
I am a mother to a 29-year old son in real life
So why would I shy away from playing a mother on screen? The role has to be good, though
M Shah admittedly looks for an opportunity to get an actor back somewhere whenever he gets a cast list
plus riding on Bollywood in 2023: Will the wheel of fortune turn for Hindi cinema? - #BigStoryOTT paving the way In the recent past, OTT has
revived the careers of quite a few stars from the 80s and 90s
From Poonam Dhillon to Sushmita Sen, Raveena Tandon to Madhuri Dixit and even Somy Ali, many yesteryear actresses have got a new lease of
Dixit's appearances were lapped up and lauded by their senior fans getting them huge pay-packets in their re-runs
Zeenat Aman (remember her stunning appearance in Raj Kapoor's Satyam Shivam Sundaram and Dev Anand's Hare Rama Hare Krishna) has been making
is good to see so many actresses making a comeback and looking their best at this age also
leading agency looking for roles on OTT and films
And look today, all my colleagues my age are kicking ass and that makes me so proud and happy
Someone did offer me some role in between but then I had to leave for the US
After that nobody got in touch with me
Some actresses like Sarika and Neena Gupta have come back and are doing good work
Shantipriya in a very small but very important role in Dharavi Bank
Suddenly her songs are being played everywhere
So it really worked for the character
I've just finished a show with Karisma Kapoor called Brown directed by Abhinay Deo, and I've also done a show with Urmila Matondkar called
Tiwari which is directed by Saurabh Verma
So there is a lot of curiosity, there's a lot of interest in the shows and people are already talking a lot about them
I think half the battle is won
again rather than coming back as I was laying low
I think when you are a part of showbiz there is hardly any going away or leaving it
And I have all in showbiz, my fans to thank for their well wishes for their prayers
Frankly, my life has always been abnormal throughout
So what course it will follow now in showbiz, is unpredictable
ostracised for making independent choices? - #BigStoryRead AlsoBeyond glitz, glamour and privilege: The rags and riches story of Bollywood
