Aruna Irani recalls 3 years without work post hit films: ‘From Amitabh Bachchan’s heroine, I was doing lavani for ₹2500'

Aruna Irani recalls her career struggles on a reality show and her revival through a Marathi film, emphasising the importance of perseverance.

Veteran actor Aruna Irani recently appeared on Rajeev Khandelwal's reality show Tum Ho Naa – Ghar Ka Superstar. During the show, Aruna reflected on her early journey in the film industry. She revealed that despite delivering two superhit films and working with Amitabh Bachchan, she went without work for three years. She also shared how a dance performance in a Marathi film helped revive her career.

Aruna Irani recalls why Rekha got her removed from Mangal Sutra.

Aruna Irani talks about not having work after superhit films

Aruna became emotional after hearing the struggle story of one of the contestants on the show. Speaking about how no work is small, she recalled a difficult phase in her own career.

She said, "Jab maine ek ‘Bombay to Goa’ film ki, ‘Caravan’ film ki, dono pictures superhit thi. Super Cinema mein jubilee aur Dreamland mein jubilee. (When I did Bombay to Goa and Caravan, both movies were blockbusters and ran for years in Super Cinema and Dreamland theatres) Aur phir achanak se 3 saal tak mere paas koi kaam nahin tha. Aur jab maine kaam shuru kiya, toh kya shuru kiya… ek lavani kari Marathi picture mein ki. Aur maine yeh himmat se kiya, ‘nahin, mujhe jaana hai, mujhe dekhana hai ki main zinda hoon.' (When I did Bombay to Goa and Caravan, both films were huge hits and enjoyed long successful runs at theatres like Super Cinema and Dreamland. Then, all of a sudden, I had no work for three years. And when I finally started working again, I took on a Lavani performance in a Marathi film. I did it with courage because I felt I had to move forward and show people that I was still here, that I was still alive in the industry)."

She added, "Bas studio aise toh jaa ke baith nahin sakti ki bhai, main hoon, aap mujhe lo.’ Toh ek bahaana mil gaya, Bhagwan ne mujhe de diya woh Marathi picture, Dada Kondke ki Aandhla Marto Dola. Toh mujhe apne din yaad aa gaye ki maine bhi uss waqt socha hota ki yeh kaam toh pata nahi kaise karoongi… Main kahan heroine aayi Amitabh ji ke saath aur aaj main lavani kar rahi hoon 2500 rupaye mein. Par maine kaha apne aap se, nahin, jaana hai (I couldn’t just go and sit in a studio and say, ‘Here I am, please cast me.’ So, I got an opportunity — God gave me that Marathi film, Aandhla Marto Dola by Dada Kondke. It reminded me of those difficult days when I could have easily thought, ‘I don’t know how I’ll do this kind of work.’ I had been a heroine opposite Amitabh ji, and now I was doing a Lavani performance for ₹2,500. But I told myself, ‘No, I have to go and do it’)."

Aruna revealed that accepting the Marathi film turned out to be a life-changing decision. She shared that she met Raj Kohli during the project, and from there, work started coming her way again.

About Aruna Irani

Aruna Irani began her acting career as a child artiste in the 1960s and has worked across Hindi, Marathi, Gujarati and several other regional film industries for more than six decades. Known for films such as Caravan, Bobby, Beta, Raja Babu and Bombay to Goa, she went on to become one of Bollywood's most recognisable character actors, appearing in more than 500 films. She earned critical acclaim for several supporting roles and later made a successful transition to television, featuring in shows such as Des Mein Niklla Hoga Chand, Mehndi Tere Naam Ki and Jhansi Ki Rani.