For many actors, starring in a mainstream Bollywood film is a dream they spend years trying to achieve. For Sandali Sinha, that dream came true soon after she made her Bollywood debut with Tum Bin in 2001. She quickly became popular among youngsters and was considered a national crush of sorts at the time. However, her stint in Hindi films was short-lived, and she eventually stepped away from the industry.
Here’s a look at Sandali Sinha’s journey, from becoming an overnight sensation with Tum Bin to leaving films and building a business with her husband.
Sandali Sinha’s journey in Bollywood
As per reports, Sandali hails from Bihar but moved to Delhi with her mother and sister after her father’s death. During her time in Delhi, she developed an interest in acting and eventually moved to Mumbai in search of better opportunities.
She started her career as a model, which led to appearances in short films and advertisements. In 1997, she made her television debut with a role in the TV series Tanha. Her breakthrough came with the music video Kon Hai Wo Ladki from Sonu Nigam’s album Deewana in the 90s.
After the song became popular, Bollywood came calling for Sandali when she was cast in Tum Bin in 2001. She became a known face after the film’s release, especially as its popular song Tum Bin Jiya Jaye Kaise became a chartbuster.
However, after Tum Bin, Sandali struggled to find lead roles and went on to appear in smaller parts in projects such as Om (2001), Pinjar (2003) and Ab Tumhare Hawale Watan Saathiyo (2004). She made her Telugu debut with Orey Pandu in 2005. However, after her films failed to make a mark at the box office, she eventually quit the film industry and decided to focus on her family life.
Got married just three years after making Bollywood debut
In an old interaction with HT City in 2021, Sandali spoke about deciding to settle down after marrying her husband, Kiran Salaskar. She said, “I’m from Delhi, so I kept going back there, my family needed me. I did sign a couple of projects in that much time. I got married fairly soon within three years (after making my debut), met my husband, we decided to settle down and that was it. There wasn’t any planning put into it, the film naturally happened. Same way, life unfolded naturally after that.”
Sandali married Kiran in November 2005 and shifted her focus towards her family and entrepreneurship.
Sandali helped husband build dessert brand
After stepping away from films, Sandali became a mother of two and, alongside her husband, helped build the dessert brand Country of Origin (COO), an artisanal bakery and patisserie brand based in Mumbai. The brand currently has three outlets in upscale Mumbai localities.
Apart from being the founder of COO, Kiran is also the co-founder of other hospitality and food and beverage businesses. As per reports, his net worth is estimated to be around ₹150 crore. However, this figure could not be independently verified.