By Pratishtha Ghosh Last Updated:
Though nowadays it is quite common for actresses to continue with their career in Bollywood as they no longer see the 'married' tag to be detrimental to their careers in any way. However, there was a time in Bollywood when actresses had bid goodbye to films after their marriage due to a number of reasons. Some of them were even at the peak of their career graphs. While some of them had to leave their career to settle with their spouses abroad or due to the pressure from their in-laws, some actresses also did it happily. Bhagyashree, Meenakshi Sheshadri, Sonali Bendre, Madhuri Dixit, Twinkle Khanna, Babita, and Neetu Kapoor are some of the very few names of the actresses, who had left their career in acting after marriage. One such name is of Pooja Bedi, the daughter of very famous actor, Kabir Bedi.
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Pooja Bedi and Farhan Furniturewalla had dated each other for three-and-a-half years before tying the knot on May 6, 1994. The actress had converted to Islam so that their children would not face problems but after twelve years of togetherness, the couple had realised that things were not working out and had decided to part ways. The couple officially got divorced on Valentine's Day in 2003. However, despite their separation, the two share a warm relationship with no hard feelings for each other. A few months back, Pooja had taken to her Instagram handle to share a picture with her ex-husband, Farhan Furniturewalla and her fiance, Maneck Contractor. The actress had captioned the picture as, "Past perfect! Future perfect! With ex hubby Farhan and fiancee @maneckofficial last night." Pooja Bedi and Farhan Furniturewalla have two children - their daughter, Alaya Furniturewalla and son, Omar Furniturewalla.
In a candid interview with Samir Soni on an Instagram Live, Pooja Bedi who had starred in films like Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikander and Vishkanya in the early 90s explained her absence from Bollywood after that. She shared that she had left acting as her ex-husband, Farhan Furniturewalla's family was 'conservative'. The actress said that she did not move away from the film industry because she was 'disillusioned' by it. She said, "Oh, no, not at all! I had great fun while I was there and then I got married. My ex-husband told me, if I was going to get married, I couldn't continue in films, because his family is very conservative. My mother always taught me, 'Whatever you do, you give it your 100 percent or you don't do it.' So I was like 'Okay, if I am going to be housewife and a wife, let me be the best possible one.' So for me it was like I will give up this journey of my life and start with a new one." Actor, Samir Soni also shared the Instagram Live on his account with the caption, "Part 1 - In conversation with the incredibly affable Pooja Bedi @poojabediofficial"
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Although Pooja had chosen to quit acting back then, she revealed that she would have acted differently now if faced with the same situation. She said, "Now when you are are younger, you think differently, right. Today, maybe I will make different choices but the fact is they were the right choices for that time and I am really glad that I did make those choices. So, then I gave up everything for holy matrimony and I became the best wife." Pooja also shared that despite their divorce, they remain 'great friends' and 'hang out' together. She said, "I am great friends with my ex-husband, he got married to a childhood friend of mine and they have a child together. I went for their wedding with the kids. We are great friends. He comes to Goa, we go to each other's homes and hang out. It's really nice." Samir Soni also shared Part 2 of the chat session and captioned it as, "Part 2 - In conversation with Pooja Bedi @poojabediofficial"
Pooja Bedi, who has been a single mother to her daughter, Alaya and son, Omar, has found love again in Maneck Contractor. In an interview with SpotboyE, Pooja had shared that her children, Alaya and Omar are supportive of her relationship with Maneck. She had said, "Just before Maneck Came int my life, Alaya and Omar were chatting about something and they said Mumma you should really get your life together. Look at Papa, he has met Laila aunty and settled down with her. They have had a child together. He has got his life sorted, You should get someone and just get married and settle down."
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What do you think about Pooja Bedi's decision to quit her career after marriage? Let us know!
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