Bollywood Actor Malini Sharma's Journey: From Stardom

Bollywood actor Malini Sharma, who rose to fame in the early 2000s, has retired from the glamour world of Mumbai and is now living a peaceful existence on her farm. She gained prominence through her roles in Aapke Pyaar Mein from Raaz and CATS, an Indian TV series inspired

In the early 2000s, Malini was a familiar face on television screens and music channels. She appeared in music videos such as Bombay Vikings' Kya Soorat Hai and Mika Singh's Saawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag. Her breakthrough role came when she played Bipasha Basu's love interest in Vikram Bhatt's Raaz in 2002.

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However, Malini reportedly walked out of Encounter just 48 hours before shooting was set to begin in 2002. Several reports suggested at the time that she wanted to work behind the camera and explore other opportunities. She also went through a divorce with actor Priyanshu Chatterjee around this time.

In 2018, Malini started The Slow Local, a venture that began with small pop-ups in Mumbai's Versova. She later moved to the countryside and found herself building a life around nature, good food, local produce, and a slower pace of living.

Today, Malini shares her journey through The Slow Local Diaries, a video series that offers a glimpse into her life on the farm. In her latest video, posted in April 2026, she spoke about a silk cotton tree on the property and shared her connection with nature.

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She shared, “Let me show you something.

It's the silk cotton tree, giving me little cotton balls, and I noticed that it does so once in 4 years, while the leaves shed and the fruit comes, but these little snowballs happened only 4 years later, it happened once when we had come into the farm and now.”

It was during the early 2000s when there was a face that seemed ubiquitous. Making appearances in music videos, TV shows, modelling work, and even a debut in Bollywood, the actor-model soon became a familiar face in the limelight. But just as her career started to flourish, she suddenly faded into the shadows.

The actor in question was none other than Malini Sharma, who gained prominence through her roles in Aapke Pyaar Mein from Raaz and CATS, an Indian TV series inspired Nearly two decades down the line, she has retired from the glamour world of Bollywood in Mumbai to live a more peaceful existence. So, where is Malini Sharma now?From music videos to BollywoodShe first caught the public's attention as a model and through popular music videos.

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From Bombay Vikings' Kya Soorat Hai to Mika Singh's Saawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag, she became a familiar face on television screens and music channels. She also appeared in the TV series CATS, which featured Nafisa Joseph and Kuljeet Randhawa.But it was Vikram Bhatt's Raaz in 2002 that gave Malini Sharma her biggest break.

Starring Bipasha Basu and Dino Morea, the horror film became a huge success, while Malini's appearance in Aapke Pyaar Mein made her particularly memorable to audiences. For a brief period, it looked like she was on her way to becoming a regular face in Bollywood.That, however, never happened.

In 2002, Malini reportedly walked out of Encounter just 48 hours before shooting was set to begin. Several reports had suggested at the time that the actor wanted to work behind the camera and explore those opportunities.She was also married to Tum Bin actor Priyanshu Chatterjee around this time, but the marriage eventually ended in divorce.

Soon after, she began distancing herself from the film and television industry, and over time, she simply disappeared from the spotlight. She quietly chose a different pathAs the years passed, her life took a completely different direction.

That new chapter began with The Slow Local, a venture started It began with small pop-ups in Mumbai’s Versova, where people could pick up homemade bread, granola, jams, peanut butter, South Indian coffee and oils.The Slow Local moved to the countryside, where she found herself building a life around nature, good food, local produce and a slower pace of living.Where is Malini Sharma now?Today, she lives in the Sahyadri Hills, about two hours from Pune, where she runs a farmstay surrounded She grows her own vegetables and uses the produce from the farm to cook for guests. The property is home to arjun, harad, kokum, palash and shikakai trees, with a section of the natural forest kept untouched.

She lovingly calls it their “own little forest.” Along with running the farmstay, she has also reportedly been working from home as a relationship manager with a coffee company.The video series on her page The Slow Local offers a glimpse into her life on the farm and her everyday connection with nature. In April 2025, she shared the first video and wrote: "Facing the camera again after very long...

this time the real me, no makeup, no dialogues, shooting from the heart."Talking about the mystery around her disappearance from the spotlight, Sharma stated: “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.” In her latest video, posted in April 2026, she took viewers closer to nature as she spoke about a silk cotton tree on the property. She stated, “Let me show you something.

It's the silk cotton tree, giving me little cotton balls, and I noticed that it does so once in 4 years, while the leaves shed and the fruit comes, but these little snowballs happened only 4 years later, it happened once when we had come into the farm and now.”