In the 1990s, Anu Aggarwal created a sensation in Bollywood with her memorable debut in ‘Aashiqui’. This romantic musical blockbuster film made the model and video jockey an overnight star. Anu is not conventional by Bollywood beauty standards. But her rawness brought freshness to the screen and the industry. She acted in several films, but cut her career short after she realized that acting was not her forte. She was drawn to yoga, gradually fading away from the glitz and glamor of showbiz. While the popularity of ‘Aashi’ kept her alive in the hearts of the audience, Anu Agarwal’s life took an unexpected and unfortunate turn that changed everything for her. Now, 25 years later, she says her positive mindset has kept her alive.

In 1999, 30-year-old Anu met with a serious car accident while returning home from a party in Mumbai. She fell into a coma for 29 days with multiple broken bones. When she finally wakes up, she has no memory of her past life. Half of her body was paralyzed and it took her years to fully recover. After 2001, Anu chose the monastic life for the next six years. She discovered the wonders of yoga, self-love and self-awareness. Today at the age of 55, she is once again drawn to acting.

In this Health Shots She Slays interview, Anu Aggarwal opens up about her childhood, her rebirth in the 1990s and life in her 50s.

Childhood Diaries of Anu Agarwal

Adult tendencies are most evident when he or she is young. The same happened in the case of Anu. “As a little girl of 3, I was already carrying my mother’s bag (bigger than mine) and walking alone on the road. The uncle who helped me saw me struggling to cross the road and asked, ‘Where are you going?’ I, like an adult, said ‘to shop’! A humanitarian, he luckily brought me home safely. By then, my mother’s heart had stopped beating,” explained Anu. It was her first step towards doing the unexpected, being fearless and stepping out of her comfort zone for the rest of her life.

A tryst with Bollywood

Stepping into Bollywood was also accidental. Her modeling assignments in India and abroad led her on this path. Despite the taste of success, she has always been open that she never felt she belonged in the film industry. Anu lives alone in Mumbai and faces her own struggles while juggling her life as an actor. In her book, Anusual: Memoir of a Girl Who Came Back from the Dead, she refers to her film career as an “unhappy time” in her life.

“I’ve always been grateful for the sudden stardom, I wasn’t prepared for its intensity. However, the combination of my acting prowess and the immense success of the film made me take it seriously in the industry. My unhappiness at that time was more about the dark side of Bollywood than my personal struggles,” Anu says in retrospect.

She went against the prevailing stereotypes in Bollywood. “Excessive and loud acting, hideous costumes and fashion sense, extreme white over-the-top make-up, ‘heroines’ wearing false words in loud and greasy item numbers and so on, presentation and acting. Had I seen ‘Art of Filmmaking’, I would have been fine with the appalling illiteracy rate that makes a large number of members of the film fraternity cry. It is deeply lacking. I think creativity, costumes, acting and style are a boon to the entertainment business. But filmmaking (then) didn’t seem to have it. Aashiqui’s look is a raw and edgy style,” she says without mincing her words.

Why did Anu Agarwal leave the entertainment industry?

“When people taste success, it’s easy to get caught up in the spiral of stardom. But I broke away from it and, more than ever, I needed to know myself better. I wanted to know the ‘me’ beyond my role as an actor. I found solace in yoga and this is to awaken as many people as possible to this idea of ​​living life. My effort for the day,” she adds.

Also Read: Yoga is the secret of Rakul Preet Singh’s intelligence!

The world changed more for her after her fatal accident. She was left with severe injuries, including fractures and extensive facial damage, and slipped into a coma. Before the accident, Anu lived in an ashram where she had a spiritual name. When she wakes up from her coma, she says she knows nothing but her spiritual name.

“I began a journey from self-made to self-healing. When my body broke down after the accident, I dove deep into the realms of spirit and felt deep compassion for others. I realized that we are all interconnected, part of one universal family – Vasudev’s family. My recovery Despite formidable obstacles in the way, I was determined. Today, I stand as a living testimony to the miraculous power of resilience and faith against all odds,” she said.

Life as a hermit

In 2001, she took sanyas in the mountains and shaved her head. She lived with a bag, in humble surroundings, studying the mind and human psychology. She remembers the time she learned from Adi Shankaracharya’s teachings as “very calm”. A big lesson was to let go of attachments to material things and focus on gaining knowledge and managing the mind, a fundamental aspect of sanyasa that resonated deeply with her.

“Living a simple life with minimal possessions and desires reveals the true value of the things we often admire in city life. Now, when I speak at health conferences and share my yoga program Anuphun, I am driven by the desire to give back to society the value I learned as a monk. This sense of giving gives me satisfaction and motivates me to do my best,” she says.

Yoga has proven to be therapeutic when dealing with trauma after an incident. It marked a profound change in her life — a “complete 360-degree turn” in Anu’s life trajectory, leading her to self-discovery.

It played a key role in building a positive relationship with her body. When asked about her advice to people struggling with body image issues, she said, “First and foremost, you have to accept yourself the way you are and that’s what I did. Until we fully embrace our worth, sensuality, sexuality and faith, we cannot live life to its fullest, no matter how rich we are. In addition, cultivating a positive mindset not only reduces the risk of stress and depression but also extends lifespan, improves coping mechanisms, and increases psychological and spiritual well-being.

Anu Agarwal on the power of positive thinking

She emphasized that positive thinking can make dreams come true. She witnessed firsthand when minor mishaps took place on the sets during the shoot. “I persevered and never took a day off because of my unwavering belief in my recovery. Today, I credit my positive attitude for my continued well-being,” she adds.

She hopes to once again return to acting – something she has always been passionate about.

“I have a deep passion for acting, rooted in my identity as an artist in the entertainment world. Although some have labeled me India’s first supermodel, I never aimed for that title. Something inside me, fate or karma, keeps pulling me towards glory. I didn’t have to struggle to look glamorous, it just came naturally. Regardless of my acting prowess, I changed the definition of a heroine because I was tall, very dusky and a supermodel (supermodels were not welcome in Bollywood at that time). But I felt there was more to explore beyond stardom, so I studied yoga and naturopathy and even became a monk.

Now is the perfect time to come back!

“The comeback took longer and was harder than I expected, but I’m over it now. It’s no wonder I’m drawn back to modeling and acting where I started. With changing times, it feels like the right moment to be refreshed and ready for my second chance since 1999, ” she adds.