Rajiv Rai’s ex-wife Sonam regrets decision to quit films when she was young: ‘Before my 21st birthday, I was a mother’

Sonam, who is the niece of actor Raza Murad, joined films as a teenager and became known for the films Tridev, Vijay and Vishwatma. She married filmmaker Rajiv Rai in 1991 and had a son Gaurav. The Rais moved abroad in 1997 and after decades, she came back to India. The 50-year-old former actor revealed that she is looking to act again after giving it all up in the early 90s. She also shared that Indian culture is quite hard on women to behave and look a certain way. (Also read: Sangeeta Bijlani recreates Tridev magic with Jackie Shroff on Super Dancer 4)

In 2016, she divorced Rajiv after years of separation. She is now married to an orthopaedic surgeon. Looking back at her acting career, she said that although the period was challenging with no scripts, she got to work with the best actors. The former actor agreed that it was not a good decision to leave her acting career so young.

Speaking to Bombay Times, the former actor shared that she regretted leaving show business when she was so young. She recalled, “But, when I got married, I was very young and I became this obedient wife, who used to listen to everything. Later, I realised I had got into a daily rut and needed to have a mind of my own. Back then, once an actress got married, her career was over. Before my 21st birthday, I was a mother and then, life went into fast-forward mode.”

She also added, “I also feel that our culture is a little hard on women (at least it was). They have to dress a certain way, look a certain way and when they get married, their entire life is supposed to revolve around their husband and kids. I don’t want people to judge women for their choices. Whatever body size you are, you should respect your body. My son Gaurav is the best person in my life because he has taught me patience, kindness and to be strong in every situation.”

Sonam was last seen in the film Insaniyat in 1994. She also lived in Puducherry for nearly three years before returning to Mumbai. She returned to Mumbai in 2015 and lives with her son.