Bear in mind CATS, the early-2000s tv present that starred Nafisa Joseph, Kuljeet Randhawa and Malini Sharma? Whereas Joseph and Randhawa later died by suicide, Sharma gradually stepped away from the spotlight. In contrast to many actors who disappear from the general public eye, nevertheless, she appears to have discovered a life far faraway from showbiz — one surrounded by timber, farms, homegrown meals and friends. Immediately, Sharma lives within the Sahyadri Hills, the place she runs a farmstay, grows greens, hosts friends and has embraced what she describes as a slower way of life.
Sharma first caught the general public’s consideration as a mannequin when she appeared within the Bombay Vikings music video “Kya Soorat Hai”, which turned an prompt hit. She subsequently featured in Mika Singh’s “Saawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag”, one other music video that continues to stay fashionable.
By the point she landed a task in CATS, Sharma’s modelling profession was already gaining momentum. Her look on the present additionally opened doorways in movies. She went on to play a pivotal position in Vikram Bhatt’s Raaz (2002), alongside Dino Morea and Bipasha Basu.
Malini Sharma in CATS. (Picture: Categorical Archives)
The horror movie turned a significant success and turned its lead forged into family names. Though Sharma had a relatively smaller position, her portrayal left an enduring impression on audiences. Her look within the movie, notably within the track “Aapke Pyaar Mein,” turned one of the crucial recognisable features of her temporary Bollywood profession.
Across the similar interval, Sharma was married to actor Priyanshu Chatterjee, who had made his movie debut with Tum Bin in 2001. The wedding, nevertheless, led to divorce inside a couple of years. Sharma subsequently started shifting away from the limelight.
When Malini Sharma selected to step behind the digital camera
In 2002, Sharma reportedly backed out of the movie Encounter simply 48 hours earlier than it went on the ground. In response to India Immediately, she had realised after years of working as a mannequin and actor that she needed to discover work behind the digital camera. The movie ultimately starred Naseeruddin Shah, Dilip Prabhavalkar and Tara Deshpande.
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Through the years, Sharma largely disappeared from mainstream leisure protection. She didn’t, nevertheless, fully disappear from public life. As an alternative, she constructed one thing of her personal.
From The Sluggish Native to life on a farm
Sharma is energetic on social media, though she doesn’t use her superstar title because the id of her enterprise. As an alternative, she operates underneath the title The Sluggish Native, a venture she started almost a decade in the past and which has developed significantly through the years.
The enterprise initially introduced collectively domestically made meals, crafts, workshops and pop-up occasions in Versova. Sharma has hosted kids’s workshops, together with storytelling classes, and bought home made bread, South Indian espresso, granola, jams, peanut butter and totally different sorts of oils. She has additionally been related to plant exhibitions, handmade ceramics, crochet, decoupage and home made muffins and different meals merchandise.
The Sluggish Native. (Picture: The Sluggish Native/Instagram)
Finally, The Sluggish Native took her to the farm.
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Sharma now runs a farmstay within the Sahyadris, round two hours from Pune, the place she grows greens and prepares meals for friends utilizing produce from the farm. In one in every of her Instagram movies, she spoke concerning the challenges of rising sufficient meals for the property.
“After I began The Sluggish Native Diaries, I confessed I did a shoddy job with the vegetable produce however this yr, the produce has been higher. The problem is to provide sufficient for meal after meal,” she stated.
She has additionally described the situation merely to followers as a small village within the hills, round two hours from Pune.
‘It’s our personal little forest’
The property seems to be surrounded by appreciable greenery, and Sharma has made it clear that she doesn’t intend to disturb the pure habitat round it. Talking concerning the land, she stated: “Now we have largely grown fruit timber on the farm .. the land got here with nice abundance after we purchased it .. a number of arjun and harad timber, we even have a couple of kokum, an historical Palash, shikakai and nonetheless discovering extra.”
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She has additionally stated that lots of the timber and vegetation on the property have medicinal worth, one thing she continues to be studying about. The farm itself is massive sufficient to embody a part of a mountain. Sharma has intentionally left that portion untouched.
“Now we have left the jungle be within the mountain, we don’t need to disturb the habitat. It’s our personal little forest,” she stated.
Her said intention has been to develop natural meals for friends whereas creating an area the place individuals can decelerate and reconnect with nature. Sharma seems to have moved to the farm round 2020. In a 2025 put up about visiting the Kaas Plateau, she wrote that she had first learn concerning the place round 4 years earlier, after shifting to the farm, giving us a timeline of when she moved to the farm.
“Just lately visited the kaas plateau… its a 3.5 hour drive from the farm .. there have been few varieties in bloom however extra will come about because the season progresses.. at all times needed to go to the valley of flowers in uttarakhand as I didn’t learn about kaas .. i examine kaas 4 years again when i moved to the farm .. .lastly noticed it .. would like to go once more earlier than seson ends in Oct,” she wrote.
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She nonetheless interacts with followers — on her personal phrases
Regardless of the curiosity surrounding her disappearance from Bollywood, Sharma has not often addressed the rumours about why she left the business. As an alternative, she often responds to followers within the feedback part of her Instagram posts, the place she has confirmed that she is certainly the Malini Sharma from Raaz and supplied small glimpses into her life.
In a single such change, a fan wrote: “Ma’am mai Muslim hoo lekin apka bahaut bada followers hu!” Sharma replied: “I’m half Muslim too… I’ve married a Pathan.” When the fan subsequently requested whether or not she was married to Priyanshu Chatterjee and whether or not the 2 had been nonetheless in contact, Sharma replied: “By no means.”
On one other event, a fan requested whether or not she regretted leaving Bollywood. “Who stated I left, solely steered away, can steer again and away once more possibly,” she replied. And when one other fan prompt that she ought to create social media profiles underneath her actual title as a result of followers discovered it tough to hint her, Sharma merely responded: “They’ll discover me such as you did.”
‘Dealing with the digital camera once more after 23 years’
Maybe the clearest indication that Sharma has no want to fully erase her previous got here when she launched The Sluggish Native Diaries, a video diary documenting her life on the farm. The launch video marked her return to the digital camera after years away. Within the caption, she wrote: “Dealing with the digital camera once more after very lengthy… this time the actual me, no make-up, no dialogues, taking pictures from the center.”
Within the video, Sharma straight addressed the curiosity surrounding her disappearance.
“Hello, that is Malini, going through the digital camera once more after 23 years of Raaz. For these of you questioning the place I disappeared, properly, I’m alive. I’m right here to current The Sluggish Native Diaries,” she stated. The selection of background music was a nostalgic one — her iconic “Aapke Pyaar Mein” from Raaz.
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A unique sort of work life
Life on the farm hasn’t meant that Sharma has fully stepped away from skilled work. She lately revealed that she has taken up a work-from-home position as a relationship supervisor with a espresso firm.
Alongside this, she sells customised oils. Her farm additionally doubles up as a retreat. Sharma affords her 3BHK villa within the forest for month-to-month leases and hosts packages that embody lodging, meals and classes with psychologists in collaboration with psychological well being professionals. The property additionally has a library and affords what she describes as a slower, quieter expertise — tailored meals, walks and conversations away from the frenzy of metropolis life.
‘I’m right here’
When SCREEN reached out to Sharma for an interview, she made it clear that she wasn’t interetsed in giving interviews. As an alternative, she stated she would talk by way of her Instagram web page every time she felt vital. And maybe that claims extra about her life immediately than any formal interview may.
For somebody who as soon as lived underneath the glare of Bollywood cameras, Sharma now appears content material to be identified for what she is constructing somewhat than what she as soon as was. She hasn’t precisely erased Malini Sharma, the mannequin and actor who appeared in CATS, Raaz and a few of the hottest music movies of her period.
She has merely given herself one other id — one constructed round a farm, meals, timber, espresso, friends and a slower life within the Sahyadris.
