Shilpa Shirodkar, once was a beloved face of 90s Bollywood, she has lived a life that reads like a script full of unexpected twists. After such successful run in films like Khuda Gawah, Aankhen, and Gopi Kishan, she had quietly stepped away from the spotlight in 2000 following her film Gaja Gamini. What she has followed was not another movie role, but it was a journey of self-discovery in a new country, a new career, with a new identity.
After marrying banker Aparesh Ranjit
Shilpa had moved abroad—first to the Netherlands and then to New Zealand. Far away from the glimpse of Mumbai, she found herself in a very quieter life .“To keep myself busy, I did a hairdressing course in New Zealand,” she have shared in a recent podcast with Gauahar Khan. “It was something very close to my acting career—with makeup and all that. She have worked in a salon for almost two months, embracing the world of beauty from behind the chair instead of in front of the camera.
The job wasn’t easy
Newly married, Shilpa have found the salon hours clashing with her husband’s weekend breaks. “We need time to get to know each other,” she said. “I felt like this wasn’t working for us. So i quit. But instead of retreating, she have leaned into the challenge of starting over.
Shilpa asked her husband to help her to make resume
“He asked, ‘What should I put in it?’ I said, ‘Don’t lie—just put the truth, even SSC fail and my film work,’” she recalled. That honesty paid her. She applied for few jobs just for fun and have returned home with two appointment letters in her hand.
She have took up a corporate job as a credit controller at Dun & Bradstreet.
But life had another surprise waiting for her. Feeling constantly tired and dealing with all the acidity, she joked with a friend who suggested her that she might be pregnant. A test confirmed it. “When I told my husband, he jumped with joy,” she said. That moment marked the beginning of a new chapter of motherhood.
Despite of all the health complications during her pregnancy, including the insulin shots and dramatic weight loss, Shilpa have described it as “the best pregnancy ever.” She have eventually chosen to become a full-time mom for her daughter Anushka, have embraced her role with the same grace that once she have brought to the silver screen.
Shilpa’s story is one of resilience, humility, and reinvention.
From once being a Bollywood star to a hairdresser, and then a corporate employee and finally a mother, she have shown that life after fame can be just as meaningful ever even if it includes writing “SSC fail” on your resume. Her journey reminds us that success isn’t always about staying in the spotlight it’s also about owning your truth and wherever it takes you.
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