Rahul Dev says industry ‘forgot me’ as he returned from a 4-year break after his wife’s death: ‘I wasn’t getting work’

Actor Rahul Dev took a break from the film industry to raise his son after his wife's death. Upon returning, he faced challenges finding work.

Actor Rahul Dev stepped away from the film industry to focus on raising his son after his wife, Rina Dev, died of cancer. In a recent podcast with Hindi Rush, Rahul recalled that when he returned to work after four and a half years, he struggled to find opportunities as people in the film industry had “forgotten him”.

Rahul Dev recalls getting no work after a 4-year break.

Rahul Dev had no work after 4 years break

Rahul shared that he was unprepared for the challenges of single parenting after his wife’s death and credited his spiritual guru for helping him navigate the difficult phase in his life. Describing the period as extremely challenging, Rahul recalled how his guru convinced him to send his son to London for further studies and also encouraged him to resume work.

He revealed, “When the call for Bigg Boss came, I didn’t think I would do it. But guruji told me, ‘Go, you have to start somewhere.’ That’s how things slowly began again. When I came back, I wasn’t getting work. I had done 80-81 films, but after four-and-a-half years away, it felt like nobody even knew me anymore. People had forgotten me.”

However, Rahul said that he does not hold any bitterness about the experience. He added, “I can’t blame anyone because times change. I never liked blaming people. I always feel the important thing is to learn from experiences. I’m not bitter that I did so much for the industry and this happened. The industry has also given me a lot. Leaving was my choice because of the circumstances, and I have no regrets.”

Rahul Dev’s personal life

Rahul married Rina Dev in 1998, and the couple welcomed their son, Siddharth. However, after 11 years of marriage, Rahul’s life changed when Rina died of cancer in 2009. This led him to step away from acting for nearly four years to focus on raising his son.

Rahul is currently in a relationship with model-actor Mugdha Godse. The two reportedly began dating in 2013 and have been in a long-term live-in relationship since then. Last year, Rahul also suffered another personal loss when his brother, actor Mukul Dev, died in Delhi at the age of 54.

Rahul Dev’s upcoming work

Rahul will next be seen in the Punjabi film Mor Sab Da Banuga. Helmed by Ashish Kumar, the film also stars Prince Kanwaljit Singh in a key role. Backed by SNH Productions, the film is scheduled to release in theatres on October 2, 2026.

He also has Welcome To The Jungle in the pipeline. The film stars Akshay Kumar, Suniel Shetty, Sanjay Dutt, Paresh Rawal, and Arshad Warsi, among others, in pivotal roles. The film is scheduled to release in theatres on June 26.