Famous Bollywood ‘ghost’ who haunted Bipasha Basu in Raaz, quit films and now lives in a forest
There's a special kind of irony in an actor becoming a ghost story herself. Malini Sharma appeared in Raaz , t he 2002 horror hit built around a vengeful spirit refusing to let go of the living, and then, she went and did the exact opposite. She just stopped being visible, the same way her character's world was haunted by someone who wouldn't stay gone. Mrunal Thakur apologises to Bipasha Basu…
Malini Sharma, the leading lady of the horror film Raaz (2002), once became an enigma in the world of Bollywood. After her performance in the movie, she chose to step away from the limelight, much like the ghost in her character who refused to leave its living companion. For a brief period, she ventured into modelling, music videos, and even a show reminiscent of Charlie's Angels. However, she abruptly left a film called Encounter just two days before its shoot, reportedly seeking privacy.
Post her exit from the entertainment industry, Malini built a life rooted in simplicity. She started a venture named The Slow Local, which initially began as humble stalls in Mumbai's Versova selling homemade bread, granola, jams, nut butters, filter coffee, and oils. Realizing her passion for a more grounded lifestyle, she eventually moved to the countryside, residing in the Sahyadri hills, approximately two hours from Pune.
Here, Malini runs a farmstay, growing her own vegetables and tending to native trees such as arjun, harad, kokum, and palash. Visitors are served food prepared from her homegrown produce, and part of the land remains wild and untouched.
In addition to her farmstay, Malini has reportedly taken on remote work as a relationship manager for a coffee company, a job that appears to be a perfect fit for her newfound lifestyle. She returned to the public eye in April 2025, addressing the disappearance that had puzzled many for years. In a video for The Slow Local, she appeared unpolished and makeup-free, confirming her presence after a 23-year hiatus from her acting career.
In her video, Malini expressed, "Facing the camera again after very long... this time the real me, no makeup, no dialogues, shooting from the heart. 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."
A year later, in April 2026, Malini continued to share her life's journey by pointing out a silk cotton tree on her property, which only bears cottony seed pods once every four years.
Written by urgent.news from Gulf News's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
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