Namrata Shirodkar was offered ‘many bold roles’ before marrying Mahesh Babu: ‘I’m not desperate’

Namrata Shirodkar retired after marrying Telugu superstar Mahesh Babu. However, the actress was a popular star in Bollywood. She even made her mark in Hollywood, starring in Bride and Prejudice as Aishwarya Rai Bachchan. The actress was also in talks with Gurinder Chadha for Mistress Of Spices but it didn’t come to fruition. Around the time of Bride and Prejudice, Namrata revealed that she was offered “a lot” of “bold roles”.

However, the actress refused because she was not comfortable with the scenes. Speaking to Rediff in 2004, Namrata revealed: “I’m not comfortable with this sort of thing. I wouldn’t kiss or have sex on screen. I’m not desperate. Thanks to the Almighty, I come from a wealthy background.

Namrata had also limited regular signing roles at the time. “I received several offers, but I refused most of them. I make a conscious effort to ensure that my acting potential is harnessed in every project I do. I would love to do just one film a year. If you see my career graph, you will see that I have never exceeded two films in a year. So why now?

Eventually, Namrata left cinema in 2005. In an interview, Namrata had mentioned that she left cinema because Mahesh did not want a working wife. Speaking to Telugu YouTube channel, Prema – the Reporter in 2022, Namrata said that his desire had nothing to do with the film industry. She added that if she worked at a company, he would have asked her to quit her job.

Namrata was last seen in Rok Sako To Rok Lo, which starred Sunny Deol in the lead. The film was released in 2004. The actress bid adieu to Mumbai and Bollywood and moved to Hyderabad. She moved away from the film industry. However, she became a producer for Major in 2022.