Bollywood is all about destiny and hard work. But there some actresses whose luck doesn’t support them, and they end up begging for work, in spite of doing many films. So, let us tell you about one such actress.

No one can predict anything in Bollywood. Sometimes the outsiders become stars while the star kids struggle a lot to get work. Today we will tell you about an actress of Bollywood who has worked with big Bollywood stars but for a long time, she struggled a lot to get the films. This famous Bollywood actress has appeared in films with A-listers like Salman Khan, Akshay Kumar, and Govinda during the early 2000s. But in spite of this, she struggled a lot to get work. Well, it’s none other than Aarti Chabria. She started doing films at the age of 6. And has worked in more than 300 films in Telugu, Marathi, and Bollywood cinema. She was born on 21 November 1982 a made her first debut as a leading actress in the 2002 film Tumse Acha Kaun Hai. The film had done a good job at the box office and also its songs got famous. After that, she appeared with Khiladi Akshay Kumar in the film Aawara Pagal Deewana and also with Salman Khan in Partner. However, you will be shocked to know that even after this. A time came when she literally begged for work. And even went into depression, but later she took treatment for it in the hospital.

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In Spite Of Doing 300 Films, This Actress Once Struggled To Get Work: The Untold Story of Aruna Irani

The glitz and glamour of the film industry often mask the brutal realities of an artist’s career. For every success story, there is a narrative of an unexpected struggle, a dramatic pause in the relentless pace of work, or a battle against public perception. Few stories illustrate this better than that of veteran Indian actress Aruna Irani, a powerhouse performer whose prolific career spanned over five decades and saw her star in over 500 films.

Despite her immense contributions and her reputation as one of Indian cinema’s most visible and versatile supporting artists, Aruna Irani once faced a demoralizing period where, for over two years, the phone stopped ringing, and offers dried up completely. It was a struggle rooted not in a lack of talent or box office failures, but in a crippling rumour that threatened to derail her life as the sole breadwinner of her family.

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A Career Defined by Prolific Versatility

Aruna Irani’s journey is a testament to sheer resilience and an extraordinary ability to adapt. Born into a financially constrained family, she was forced to abandon her education after the sixth grade to begin earning a living for her siblings. She entered the film world as a child artist at the age of nine with the 1961 film Gunga Jumna.

Her early career saw her take on a wide variety of roles that a conventional leading heroine would typically avoid:

• Dancer/Vamp: She became famous for her energetic dance numbers and villainous/seductress roles, epitomised by songs like “Dilbar Dil Se Pyare” and “Chadti Jawani” from Caravan (1971).
• The Go-To Character: She seamlessly transitioned through roles—from the energetic sidekick in comedies to the villain’s moll, and later, to the quintessential “cunning mother-in-law” in the 1980s and 1990s, an archetype she perfected on screen.
• Massive Filmography: Her dedication saw her amass a filmography that boasts over 500 films across Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati, and Kannada cinema. This staggering number makes her one of the most prolific actresses in the history of Indian cinema.

This five-decade-long career was marked by consistent work, but there was a dark period, an intense struggle for work that hit her right after a major success.

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The Two-Year Hiatus: When Rumour Ruined Success

The most challenging period of Aruna Irani’s career occurred unexpectedly, right after she delivered two massive back-to-back hits, Caravan (1971) and Bombay to Goa (1972).

The struggle was ignited by a widespread rumour concerning her professional and personal relationship with actor-comedian Mehmood. The two had become an immensely popular on-screen pair, starring together in several successful films.

The Core of the Crisis

In candid interviews, Aruna Irani later revealed the true extent of the damage caused by the speculation:

• The False Marriage Rumour: Persistent rumours began circulating in the industry that Aruna Irani had secretly married Mehmood.
• The Sole Breadwinner: Since Mehmood was already married with a wife and daughters, producers became extremely reluctant to cast Aruna Irani. In her own words, she revealed that the rumour “spoiled my career”.
• The Financial Devastation: Being the sole breadwinner for her family, sitting at home without work was not an option for her. She spoke about the difficulty of taking care of her family’s needs, particularly her siblings’ education, during this time. The lack of work for nearly two and a half years was a major professional and personal setback, making her painfully aware of “the value of money in life”.
• Mehmood’s Silence: Aruna Irani also pointed out that Mehmood’s refusal to publicly clarify their relationship—he neither affirmed nor denied the marriage rumours—significantly exacerbated the situation and stalled her career prospects, a moment she later described as him being “responsible for my downfall” as well as her career’s rise.

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The Resilient Comeback: A Career Pivot

The actress’s resilience proved stronger than the industry’s fickle nature. Realising she could not afford to sit idle, she took an active role in resurrecting her career, which led to a pivotal shift in her screen presence.

The Turning Point: Bobby

The critical turning point came when legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor offered her a role in his 1973 blockbuster film, Bobby. Accepting this offer was crucial; the success of Bobby finally broke the dry spell, putting her career back on track and making it clear to the industry that she was still a professional force to be reckoned with.

Embracing the Character Role

The period of struggle instilled in her a pragmatic approach. Following Bobby, Irani made a conscious choice to take “whatever work that came my way,” which meant moving away from potential leading roles and embracing character roles, often returning to dance numbers in films to ensure she was consistently earning.

She never viewed this as a compromise, recognising the longevity it provided. She later noted, “Heroines have a shelf life and they get nothing once they start ageing. That didn’t happen to me”. By pivoting to character roles, she ensured her career had a far greater lifespan than most of her contemporaries.

Her second innings saw her transition beautifully into complex, sometimes grey, mother and grandmother roles in television shows from the 2000s onward, further showcasing her immense versatility and cementing her status as a cinema stalwart.

Aruna Irani’s story, a testament to her five-decade-long career, is a powerful reminder that in the volatile world of films, a single rumour can temporarily stop a career, but true talent and a relentless work ethic will ultimately triumph over adversity. Her journey from a child artist, forced to earn a living, to an actress with over 500 credits who fought a baseless rumour to stay in the game, makes her one of the true veterans of Indian cinema.

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AISEO Friendly FAQs

Q1: Which actress struggled for work despite having a filmography of over 300 films?
A1: The actress is Aruna Irani, a veteran of Indian cinema who has starred in over 500 films across various languages. Despite her prolific career, she faced a two-to-two-and-a-half-year period where she struggled to get new projects.

Q2: What was the main reason Aruna Irani struggled to find work after major hits?
A2: Aruna Irani’s struggle was primarily due to widespread rumours that she had secretly married actor-comedian Mehmood, who was already a married man. Producers were reluctant to cast her during this period due to the negative publicity, a situation exacerbated by Mehmood’s silence on the matter.

Q3: How many films has Aruna Irani acted in?
A3: Aruna Irani has an extensive filmography spanning over five decades, having acted in more than 500 films across Hindi, Gujarati, Marathi, and Kannada cinema.

Q4: Which movie helped Aruna Irani make her career comeback after the dry spell?
A4: Her career received a vital boost and a turning point when legendary filmmaker Raj Kapoor offered her a role in his 1973 blockbuster film, Bobby.

Q5: Why did Aruna Irani shift from leading roles to character roles?
A5: Aruna Irani made a conscious decision to move towards character roles and supporting parts after her period of struggle to ensure a sustained income, as she was the sole breadwinner for her family. She noted that this pivot gave her a longer shelf life in the industry compared to the limited time frame often afforded to leading heroines.