Shilpa Shirodkar on leaving films, becoming hairdresser abroad: ‘Even put SSC fail in my resume’

After stepping away from acting, Shilpa Shirodkar embraced motherhood and a new life abroad, revealing her unexpected career shift and challenges faced.

Shilpa Shirodkar lit up the screen in the ’90s with hits like Hum, Aankhen, and Pehchaan, but after her 2000 film Gaja Gamini, the star quietly stepped away from the spotlight. Now, after years of living a life far from the film industry, Shilpa has opened up about her unconventional journey.

Shlipa Shirodkar opened up about life after Bollywood in a recent interview.

Shilpa Shirodkar talks about life after marriage

Speaking on Gauahar Khan’s podcast, MaaaNoranjan, Shilpa offered a candid look at how she transitioned from cinema to a quiet life abroad after marrying banker Aparesh Ranjit. The couple initially moved to the Netherlands, eventually settling in New Zealand. “To keep myself busy, I did a hairdressing course in New Zealand. It felt connected to acting in some way—with makeup and beauty and all that,” Shilpa said.

She even worked in a salon for two months, but the demanding hours clashed with her newlywed life. What came next could easily be mistaken for a film script. With no corporate experience, Shilpa decided to try something unexpected. She told her husband to make her resume.

From hairdressing to a corporate job

“I told him, ‘Make my resume.’ He asked, ‘What should I put in it?’ I said, ‘Don’t lie—just put the truth, even SSC fail and my film work',” she recalled with a laugh. What started as a fun experiment turned into a turning point. She landed two job offers in a single day. She took up a position as a credit controller at Dun & Bradstreet, stepping into a completely new world.

But life had other plans. Soon after she joined, she started feeling tired all the time. A friend joked that she might be pregnant. She took a test, and surprisingly, it came back positive. Her pregnancy came with challenges, including insulin injections and weight loss, but she embraced it all with optimism. Shilpa eventually chose to focus fully on motherhood, welcoming daughter Anushka and stepping even further away from the spotlight.