'NRI proposals, blood-written letters and loneliness': Amrita Rao opens up about life after Vivah's success

Amrita Rao, once inundated with marriage proposals after Vivah, shares her struggles with industry pressures and emotional isolation before marrying RJ Anmol.

After the resounding success of Vivah (2006), Amrita Rao became a household name. She was admired for her simplicity, innocence, and on-screen grace. But behind the fairytale was a reality filled with unsolicited marriage proposals, unsettling fan behaviour, and a personal career crossroads that left the star feeling emotionally isolated and creatively stifled.

Amrita Rao in a still from Sooraj Barjatya's 2006 film Vivah, which also starred Shahid Kapoor.

Amrita opens up about her after Vivah's success

In a conversation with Ranveer Allahbadia, Amrita opened up about the unusual attention she received after Vivah's massive success.

“After Vivah, I used to get NRI proposals with family photos, people standing next to their car and dog, saying ‘mujhse shaadi karlo’ (please marry me). And not just one or two… I got many! I used to laugh and wonder, ‘Kya log hain yeh!’ (What kind of people are they?) Some even wrote letters. Once, I received a letter written in blood, and that was very scary. There was this guy who would stand at the telephone booth outside my house, and my mom or dad would have to pick up the phone. It got a little much,” Amrita recalled.

Beyond the unwanted attention, Amrita said she was also going through an internal battle. Despite being part of several superhits and enjoying genuine adulation from audiences, she felt artistically stuck. Amrita revealed how this phase of her life made her retreat from the industry’s social circuit.

“I met my husband (RJ Anmol) when I was at a very critical point in my life. Even with all the superhit films and love from the audience, I felt stuck. The kind of films I wanted to do weren’t coming to me. The offers were big but came with conditions like, ‘There’s a kissing scene,’ and I would think, ‘Why do I only get offers with a glitch?’ People would say all kinds of things to demotivate me. I didn’t want to attend parties, award shows or be seen. I just wanted to do my work and come home. I was in a lonely space.”

It was during this difficult phase that she met RJ Anmol, who later became her husband. Their relationship grounded her and helped her navigate through the emotional and professional chaos. After dating for seven years, Amrita tied the knot with Anmol Sood on 15 May 2016, in a private ceremony in Mumbai. The couple welcomed their son, Veer, on 1 November 2020.

Amrita's latest project

After a hiatus from mainstream cinema, Amrita Rao makes a notable return with Jolly LLB 3, marking her re-entry into the big screen after her last appearance in Thackeray (2019). In this third instalment of the franchise, she reprises her role as Sandhya, the wife of Arshad Warsi’s character from the original Jolly LLB (2013).