Rimi Sen: ‘Even today, Salman Khan or Shah Rukh Khan rule Bollywood but the heroines who started with them are now doing supporting roles, playing sisters or even mothers. A woman’s lifespan in the film industry is very short.’
Key Points
- Rimi Sen quit showbiz in 2015-2016 after starring in reality shows, Bigg Boss 9 and Jhalak Dhikhhla Jaa 9.
- Rimi Sen has been traced to Dubai, where she works in the real estate sector.
- Rimi Sen has been a part of hits films like Hungama, Garam Masala, Dhoom and Johnny Gaddar.
Where is Rimi Sen?
Rimi Sen, who starred in films like Garam Masala, Dhoom, Phir Hera Pheri and Golmaal, disappeared from the movies.
She was last seen in Tigmanshu Dhulia’s 2011 release Shagird and Anees Bazme’s 2011 release, Thank You, with another appearance in 2015’s Bigg Boss 9.
Now, she has been traced to Dubai, where she works in the real estate sector.
A viral clip of her interview on the Instagram handle Buildcaps Real Estate LLC sees her explaining why Dubai appealed to her.
‘Eighty percent of people in Mumbai are moving to Dubai because there are many things in Dubai that attract people,’ she said.
‘The first and foremost is the stable economy of Dubai. The second big reason is security. Third is the strategic location of the city. From here, travelling to business centres across the world is very easy.’
Rimi also highlighted the financial advantages of investing in property in the UAE: ‘It is better to park your money in Dubai real estate rather than in fixed deposits in India. The returns are very good, you get capital appreciation, and the rental income is also good. Everything about Dubai, in other words, is very good.’
Will Rimi Sen return to Bollywood?
Rimi spoke about her former acting career and said, ‘I am not stressed now that I have to face the camera. I am not in a hurry. At the end of the day, you want to earn money and achieve financial freedom. You can do that by any work whether behind the camera or in front of it. The only thing you should not have in life is stress.’
Addressing her decision to move to Dubai, she said it was both practical and strategic.
‘The time span for an actor is not very long in the film industry, especially for women,’ she said. ‘Even today, Salman Khan or Shah Rukh Khan rule Bollywood but the heroines who started with them are now doing supporting roles, playing sisters or even mothers.
‘A woman’s lifespan in the film industry is very short.’
She then added that she planned her transition early. ‘I had decided that in this short span of my acting career, I would earn as much money as I could through films and events. After that, I wanted to move into film production and I did.’
Just who is Rimi Sen?
Rimi started her career with Priyadarshan’s Hungama, starring Akshaye Khanna, in 2003. She went on to star in many of Priyadarshan’s films, like Garam Masala and Kyon Ki. But she’s probably best remembered for her actioner Dhoom, starring John Abraham, Abhishek Bachchan and Uday Chopra.
Her last films were Tigmanshu Dhulia’s Shagird and Anees Bazmee’s Thank You, both releasing in 2011. After a gap, she was seen as a contestant in Bigg Boss 9 (2015) and Jhalak Dhikhhla Jaa 9 (2016).
Her last project was the film Budhia Singh: Born to Run, which she produced. Directed by Soumendra Padhi and starred Manoj Bajpayee, the film went on to win the National Award for Best Children’s Film in 2016.
In 2017, she joined the BJP to pursue politics, but did not continue for long.
Photograph curated by Manisha Kotian/Rediff
