Neelam Kothari Soni speaks exclusively to mid-day.com about quitting showbiz at the peak of her career and why she hasn’t signed projects on the mainstream Bollywood front
Neelam Kothari Soni
Bollywood actress and entrepreneur Neelam Kothari Soni is back to entertain the audience in the third season of ‘Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives’. Neelam started her career with ‘Jawaani’ in 1984 and rose to fame with films like ‘Love 86’, ‘Khudgarz’, ‘Hatya’, ‘Hum Saath-Saath Hain’, and more. She retired in the early 2000s and shifted her focus to jewellery design. However, two decades later she made a comeback with the reality show and even dabbled into the OTT space for the sake of her craft. Neelam speaks exclusively to mid-day.com about quitting showbiz at the peak of her career and why she hasn’t signed projects on the mainstream Bollywood front.
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What made Neelam Kothari Soni quit Bollywood
Neelam recalls being at the peak of her career but the dip in quality of work offered to her made the actress quit Bollywood altogether. However, she did sign up for a role that went on to be iconic. She states, “I was getting amazing offers and work and working with amazing directors and producers. I just felt that that was dipping. The quality of work that was coming my way was not what I was looking for. And I said, instead of fading away, I'd rather just quit when I'm on the top. A couple of years after I had quit, Sooraj Barjatya called me and said, ‘I'm making this film, 'Hum Saath Saath Hain', and I really want you to be part of this’. And I was like, ‘Sooraj ji, but I've quit now. And I'm not doing it anymore’. He said, ‘This one you have to do for me’, and I couldn't refuse. And I'm so happy that I did it.”
Neelam Kothari Soni is yet to make her big Bollywood comeback
After solidifying her role in ‘Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives’, Neelam featured on shows like ‘Masaba Masaba’ and ‘Made In Heaven 2’. However, she is yet to make her return to mainstream cinema. When asked what’s the status on that, she reveals, “It's not like I've been offered any earth-shattering roles or even series. I have been offered stuff, but not something that makes you say ‘yes’. It's got to be something that interests me. When I did season one, I was in that space. I was very keen to make a comeback and act again. Now my priorities are sort of shifting a little bit because I'm realizing that I am doing a fair bit and my daughter is also growing up. So why not hang with her a little more before she, packs her bags and is off to college?”
‘Fabulous Lives of Bollywood Wives’ season 3 is set to premiere on October 18 on Netflix.
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