This 90s’ star was once bigger than Karisma, Kajol, and Raveena, but a spate of flops and an accident changed her life
The 1990s were an interesting time for Hindi cinema. The existing stars were giving way to a newer generation of actors. Already, actresses like Madhuri Dixit and Sridevi had staked claim to be in the top tier of stars, while Aamir Khan and Salman Khan were doing the same for male stars. Amid this, a film released in 1990 that gave two new stars to Bollywood. The smash hit catapulted these young actors to superstardom overnight. But alas, neither of them was able to capitalise on this start.
The actress who became a superstar with debut film
Mahesh Bhatt directed the romantic musical Aashiqui in 1990. The film starred two newcomers – Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal – alongside Deepak Tijori, Reema Lagoo, Tom Alter, and others in supporting roles. The film was a huge success, particularly its music. The two young stars also became sensations overnight. Yet, for Anu Aggarwal, this was the zenith of her career. She appeared in big films like King Uncle, Khal-Naaikaa, and The Return of Jewel Thief, but none of them succeeded at the box office. At one point, Anu was considered a bigger prospect than her contemporaries like Kajol, Karisma Kapoor, Raveena Tandon, and even juniors such as Aishwarya Rai. But by 1996, she was done with her film career.
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Anu Aggarwal today
Anu Aggarwal’s life after her Bollywood career
In 1997, Anu joined a yoga school and stayed there as a yogini (monk) for two years. In 1999, she returned to Mumbai to relocate permanently. The actress met a serious car accident there, which sent her into a coma for 29 days. After recovering, Anu lost all her memories up till that point. Following this, she stayed in Mumbai, living a simple life and practising yoga. She has stayed away from films since 1996.
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