Just a week ago, SCREEN revealed that Raaz actor Malini Sharma has been living a quiet life in the Sahyadri Hills. After stepping away from the spotlight at the peak of her career, she now runs a farm stay in the hills and has built a life around promoting home-cooked food, handmade gifts, bread and other locally made products. The story has sparked renewed interest in Malini, with fans taking to social media to express their affection for the actor.

At the time of publication, she had just 644 followers on Instagram, despite the account being active for nearly a decade. A week later, her follower count has crossed 28,000.

Malini Sharma thanks her fans

Malini Sharma has now released a video thanking people for the overwhelming love and support that came her way after the story about her life went viral. In the video, the former actress says, “Hi, this is Malini with Slow Local Diaries.” Evidently overwhelmed by the response, she adds, “You guys have just done wonders. I wasn’t expecting this at all. Thank you. Gratitude. I am overwhelmed. I actually don’t have any words to say.”

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Following the revelation of her identity and Instagram profile, several people began contacting the business number associated with her farmstay. Addressing the influx of calls, Malini requested people to contact the farmstay only through WhatsApp for bookings.

“Our farmstay is very small and we have been receiving multiple calls at our farmstay number. It is becoming difficult for us to respond to all. I request you all to use the FarmStay number for WhatsApp messages—only for bookings.

“Rest, I am receiving so many messages on Instagram. I will try and reply to all of you. I am the Slow Local, so I will do it slowly. Please bear with me,” she said.

Exclusive – Malini Sharma quit Bollywood after Raaz; now grows food, lives in a farm stay in a jungle

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Malini Sharma rose to fame with Raaz

Malini Sharma rose to fame in the early 2000s through her modelling career and her appearance in the television show C.A.T.S., before landing an unforgettable role in Vikram Bhatt’s 2002 horror film Raaz. The film became a major success and turned its lead cast into household names. Although Sharma had a comparatively smaller role, her performance left a lasting impression on audiences, particularly through the song “Aapke Pyaar Mein.”

In the same year, however, Sharma reportedly decided to back out of the film Encounter just 48 hours before it was scheduled to go on floors as she wanted to explore opportunities behind the camera. She eventually stepped away from the entertainment industry altogether, eventually beginning a new chapter on a farm in the Sahyadri Hills.

Before the farm, she ran The Slow Local in Versova

Years before moving to the farm, Malini Sharma had launched her brand, The Slow Local, in Mumbai’s Versova. The space hosted workshops for children, including storytelling sessions, while also selling homemade bread, South Indian coffee, granola, jams, peanut butter and different varieties of oils.

She was also associated with plant exhibitions and worked with handmade ceramics, crochet, decoupage, homemade cakes and other food products.

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Her love for homemade and organic products eventually took her to a farm in the Sahyadri Hills, which she appears to have acquired around the time of the COVID-19 pandemic. She has now settled there, running a farmstay and growing fruits, vegetables and medicinal plants.

Through her Instagram account, Malini often introduces her followers to the plants grown on the farm and discusses their uses and benefits. At times, she also sells oils made from flowers grown on the property.

After years of choosing a quieter life away from the spotlight, Malini Sharma has suddenly found herself at the centre of attention once again. Only this time, she is being celebrated not for a film role, but for the life she chose to build away from the cameras.