Mandana Karimi: ‘I was homeless, Mumbai isn’t a cheap city to live in’

Mandana Karimi, who will be making a return to acting with the Zee5 show The Casino this week, has said that when things were at their worst, she was rendered homeless. In an interview to Zoom, she said that she was out of work for two years, and relied on friends’ support to get through it.

“Every single day in this industry, you have a new challenge. Every single day, there are thousands of Indians or there are people from outside, who want to be a part of the industry because it is a glamourous place. Everybody is replaceable. I feel, the moment you take that break, it becomes difficult to come back, especially when you are not from India,” she said.

Mandana, who has appeared in the reality show Bigg Boss and the film Kya Kool Hain Hum 3, said that after the release of the film, she didn’t get any offers for years. She said, “I am trying to survive. It is really tough to stay in Mumbai, it is not a cheap city and suddenly overnight, I was homeless. Overnight, everything went down the drain for me. What kept me going was my determination and great family and friends that I have around me and people who have been there for me.”

But she said that she sees it as a sign that the industry is welcoming her back. “To go back to movies, because of a couple of experiences that I had, which were bad experiences, I kind of tried to run away from the movies and the industry. But I think when the industry is taking you back, that means this is what I am supposed to do,” she said.

The Casino will be released on June 12, and also stars Karanvir Bohra and Sudhanshu Pande.

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