It was in the course of the early 2000s when there was a face that appeared ubiquitous. Making appearances in music movies, TV exhibits, modelling work, and even a debut in Bollywood, the actor-model quickly turned a well-recognized face within the limelight. However simply as her profession began to flourish, she all of a sudden pale into the shadows. The actor in query was none aside from Malini Sharma, who gained prominence by means of her roles in Aapke Pyaar Mein from Raaz and CATS, an Indian TV sequence impressed by Charlie’s Angels. Almost 20 years down the road, she has retired from the glamour world of Bollywood in Mumbai to dwell a extra peaceable existence. So, the place is Malini Sharma now?
From music movies to Bollywood
She first caught the general public’s consideration as a mannequin and thru widespread music movies. From Bombay Vikings’ Kya Soorat Hai to Mika Singh‘s Saawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag, she turned a well-recognized face on tv screens and music channels. She additionally appeared within the TV sequence CATS, which featured Nafisa Joseph and Kuljeet Randhawa.
However it was Vikram Bhatt’s Raaz in 2002 that gave Malini Sharma her greatest break. Starring Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea, the horror movie turned an enormous success, whereas Malini’s look in Aapke Pyaar Mein made her notably memorable to audiences. For a short interval, it appeared like she was on her solution to changing into a daily face in Bollywood.
That, nevertheless, by no means occurred. In 2002, Malini reportedly walked out of Encounter simply 48 hours earlier than capturing was set to start. A number of reviews had steered on the time that the actor wished to work behind the digicam and discover these alternatives.
She was additionally married to Tum Bin actor Priyanshu Chatterjee round this time, however the marriage ultimately resulted in divorce. Quickly after, she started distancing herself from the movie and tv trade, and over time, she merely disappeared from the highlight.
She quietly selected a unique path
Because the years handed, her life took a totally totally different route. That new chapter started with The Gradual Native, a enterprise began by Malini Sharma round native meals, handmade merchandise, crafts and workshops. It started with small pop-ups in Mumbai’s Versova, the place individuals might decide up home made bread, granola, jams, peanut butter, South Indian espresso and oils.
The Gradual Native moved to the countryside, the place she discovered herself constructing a life round nature, good meals, native produce and a slower tempo of residing.
The place is Malini Sharma now?
At this time, she lives within the Sahyadri Hills, about two hours from Pune, the place she runs a farmstay surrounded by greenery. She grows her personal greens and makes use of the produce from the farm to cook dinner for friends. The property is house to arjun, harad, kokum, palash and shikakai timber, with a bit of the pure forest stored untouched. She lovingly calls it their “personal little forest.” Together with working the farmstay, she has additionally reportedly been working from house as a relationship supervisor with a espresso firm.
The video sequence on her web page The Gradual Native provides a glimpse into her life on the farm and her on a regular basis reference to nature. In April 2025, she shared the primary video and wrote: “Dealing with the digicam once more after very lengthy… this time the actual me, no make-up, no dialogues, capturing from the center.”
Speaking concerning the thriller round her disappearance from the highlight, Sharma stated: “Hello, that is Malini, going through the digicam 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 Gradual Native Diaries.”
In her newest video, posted in April 2026, she took viewers nearer to nature as she spoke a few silk cotton tree on the property. She stated, “Let me present you one thing. It is the silk cotton tree, giving me little cotton balls, and I seen that it does so as soon as in 4 years, whereas the leaves shed and the fruit comes, however these little snowballs occurred solely 4 years later, it occurred as soon as after we had come into the farm and now.”
