Exclusive! Sangeeta Bijlani Birthday: I would like to make a comeback with a web show

Best known for her roles in films like Qatil, Tridev and Hatim Tai, Sangeeta Bijlani, left her career in movies after she got married to cricketer Mohammad Azharuddin in 1996. The actress often gets papped as she attends events hosted by Salman Khan and his family, setting an example that two exes can be friends for life. In the recent few years she has also started connecting with her fans on social media and inspires many by posting her fitness videos.
As she interacts with Bombay Times, Sangeeta looks back at her film career that she left midway.“No, I don’t regret when I look back. It was a choice I made as I was getting married. Anyway, I had enough as I worked from the age of 15. I began modeling during my school days. I used to be pampered at fashion shows, they would give me chocolates. Some would ask me to stop working and get back to studies. I saw all this at a very early age and thought that I should set myself on a different journey. So, I was pretty happy letting it all go. Showbiz wasn’t well organized the way it is today. I had doubts of how I would be able to strike a balance between my personal and professional life,” she says.
The actress says that times have changed in Bollywood and actresses today are working not only even after getting married but also after turning mothers. She says, “It’s fantastic that women are able to do that today. During my time even if you had an affair with someone, or you confirmed that you had a boyfriend then filmmakers would stop approaching you for movies. They worried, ‘What if she gets married half way through the movie and leaves the project?’ Today Bollywood has become much more organized and professional. There is such amazing content coming up too. Also, newer avenues are opening up like the web shows.”
Ask her, if over the years she kept in touch with her former colleagues and she opens up saying, “I met Namrata Shirodkar when I went to Hyderabad. Once in a while I met Urmila Matondkar. I haven’t been in touch-touch as such but yes I bump into a lot of people from the industry.”
And how has she managed to stay in touch with her former boyfriend Salman over the years? “Connections don’t break. Connections never go away. The love between your partners, school friends never go away. People will come and go. Nobody will be permanent in life. That does not mean you feel bitter or angry. At one point you evolve. There was a point in time of my life where I was childish and stupid, but I am a grown up now. Life is full of experiences.”
With the advent of digital space, Sangeeta says that she would definitely like to make a comeback through the new medium. She signs off saying, “I would like to explore web shows. I will take an offer if it appeals to my sensibilities. I am not happy with what I am getting. I am excited to see the kind of work the new directors are presenting the audience with. I want to do something deep and interesting, not the regular, run-of-the-mill kind of stuff.”