Remember Malini Sharma, who appeared in Vikram Bhatt’s Raaz in 2002 alongside Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea? At a time when her career appeared to be gaining momentum, Malini chose to step away from the film industry.Her decision meant that she gradually disappeared from the public eye. But while Bollywood audiences stopped seeing her on screen, Malini was busy building an entirely different life.Today, she is associated with The Slow Local and lives on a farm in the Sahyadri Hills, where she has embraced farming, local food and a slower pace of life.
Remember Malini Sharma from Raaz ?
Released in 2002, Raaz became a major box-office success and remains one of the most popular Hindi horror films of its era.While Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea played the lead roles, Malini Sharma also caught the audience’s attention, particularly with her appearance in the popular song Aapke Pyaar Mein.She had already become recognisable through music videos, including Bombay Vikings’ Kya Soorat Hai. She later appeared in Mika Singh’s Saawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag.Malini also worked in television and appeared in CATS, alongside Nafisa Joseph and Kuljeet Randhawa.
Why did Malini Sharma leave Bollywood?
Malini did not make a dramatic public announcement about quitting the industry. Instead, she slowly became less visible.In 2002, she reportedly walked out of the film Encounter just 48 hours before shooting was scheduled to begin. According to India Today, she had started considering work behind the camera after spending years as a model and actor.Around the same period, she married actor Priyanshu Chatterjee, known for his debut in Tum Bin. The marriage ended in divorce a few years later.Eventually, Malini left the Bollywood spotlight behind.
She started The Slow Local
Her next chapter had little to do with films.Malini eventually launched The Slow Local, a venture built around local food, crafts and workshops. It began with pop-ups and events in Versova and featured homemade bread, granola, jams, peanut butter, South Indian coffee and oils, along with storytelling and other activities.The venture eventually took her closer to nature.She now runs a farmstay in the Sahyadris, around two hours from Pune. There, she grows her own vegetables and uses the farm’s produce to prepare meals for guests.
Malini Sharma returns to the camera after 23 years
After staying away from the public eye for years, Malini has recently returned to the camera through The Slow Local Diaries, a video diary documenting her life on the farm.But this comeback looks very different from her Bollywood days.Sharing the first video, she wrote, “Facing the camera again after very long… this time the real me, no makeup, no dialogues, shooting from the heart.”Malini also addressed the question that fans have been asking for years: where did she disappear?“Hi, this is Malini, facing the camera again after 23 years of Raaz. For those of you wondering where I disappeared, well, I am alive. I am here to present The Slow Local Diaries,” she said.
From Bollywood actress to farmstay owner
For those who remember Malini Sharma from the early 2000s, her current life may come as a surprise.The actress who once appeared in Bollywood films, television shows and popular music videos has traded Mumbai’s glamour for the quiet surroundings of the Sahyadris.Today, her days revolve around farming, local food, nature and welcoming guests to her property.
