Meet Aamir Khan’s heroine, who once had no money for food, then became top actress, suddenly quit acting, went into depression, decided to end…

At the peak of her career, this actress decided to quit films due to an excessive workload, which had begun to take a toll on her mental and physical health.

Today we will talk about an actress who made a name for herself in 2000s with roles in various TV shows and films, including Mann, Ansh, Dhoom Dadakka, Baalveer, Yeh Meri Life Hai, and Maya: Slave of Her Desires. She built a successful career in cinema but abruptly left the industry. She shared that relentless workload severely impacted her mental health. The actress faced depression and even attempted suicide during the difficult time. We are talking about Shama Sikandar.

Born on August 4, 1981, into a lower middle class family, Shama once revealed that during childhood, she saw her family going through financial difficulties. In fact, she even heard her parents admit there was no money in their house to buy food. When Shama was nine, her family moved to Mumbai for better work opportunities. After completing studies, she made her acting debut in Bollywood with the film Prem Aggan(1995)

In 1999, renowned director, Indra Kumar cast Shama in Mann alongside Aamir Khan and Manisha Koirala. It was a breakthrough moment for her and started receiving notable work post-that. Not just in Bollywood, Shama Sikander proved the mettle of her acting in television as well. She made a successful debut with the show, Yeh Meri Life Hai, in which she played the character, ‘Pooja’, that received widespread love from the audience. Later, she appeared in television shows including including C.I.D., Kaajjal, Man Mein Hai Visshwas, Seven, Baal Veer, and many more.

At the peak of her career, Shama decided to quit acting forever. Once in an old interview with Pinkvilla, Shama shared that she was doing continuous work in 2000s without any break. The tight schedule and workload took a toll on her mental and physical health. There came a point in her life when she stopped meeting people and slumped into depression.

Luckily, during this tough phase, Shama’s parents stood by her till the end of recovery. For the uninitiated, Shama’s last film was Bypass Road (2019), while her last television show was Baal-Veer (2014), and the last time she was seen in a music was Hawa Karda (2021); after which she has been inactive in terms of acting.

Talking about her personal life, Shama got engaged to American businessman James Milliron in Dubai, UAE, in 2016. In March 2022, the couple married in a traditional Christian ceremony.