The entertainment industry is the most volatile industry in the world. Be it Bollywood or Hollywood, trends change faster than seasons in these industries. If you are an Indian, you will notice how fast the era of Ranbir Kapoor and Ranveer Singh gave way to that of Ayushmann Khurana and Vicky Kaushal. With every change in Bollywood “era”, certain prominent actors and actresses start taking a backseat. Some just lose popularity, while others opt out of the industry.

Over the years, many actresses have joined the latter category. These actresses, after marriage, chose to opt out of their successful Bollywood career and invest time in their families. People say that married women aren’t liked by the audience, but look at how well Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Kareena Kapoor Khan are doing! However, these women that I am about to talk of personally chose to give up acting. Even though they were at the top of their career graph, they chose to sacrifice it for their families. And here is a list of the top 10 actresses who took this courageous step-

Twinkle Khanna

The eldest daughter of Rajesh Khanna and Dimple Kapadia, this beautiful actress was the talk of the town in the 1990s. She starred in some blockbuster movies like Mela and Jodi No.1. However, after her love marriage with Akshay Kumar in 2001, she gave up her career as an actress. She did not end her association with movies and worked as a co-producer in movies like Thank You, Tees Maar Khan and Khiladi 786. But she never starred in a movie after 2001. Today, Twinkle Khanna is a successful author, newspaper columnist and interior designer, and the proud mom of two children.

Asin Thottumkal

Fondly known as Asin, Asin Thottumkal started her career in the South Indian Film Industry. But Bollywood soon accepted her as one of its gems after she starred in the blockbuster movie “Ghajini”. After this, she was at the peak of her career with a string of successful movies like “Ready”, “Housefull 2” and “Bol Bachchan”. However, she too took a backseat after her marriage with Micromax co-founder Rahul Sharma in 2016. Now she is a proud homemaker in Mumbai with a beautiful daughter Arin.

Genelia D Souza

Genelia D’ Souza was a favorite with both Bollywood and the South Indian film industry for over a decade. Ever since her debut in “Tujhe Meri Kasam” in 2003, her career graph has only gone up. In the course of her Bollywood career, she appeared in many hits like “Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na” and “Force”. She met Ritesh Deshmukh on the sets of “Tere Naal Love Ho Gaya”, and love actually happened. They married in 2012, and ever since Genelia’s acting career took a backseat until she stopped appearing in movies completely. Apart from a few cameo appearances in movies, she has cut ties with the film industry. Genelia is now the brand ambassador of popular brands like LG, Fanta and Fastrack, and a proud homemaker with two children.

Sonali Bendre

She was another popular actress back in the 90s, with an endless string of successful movies with some of the most prominent actors in the industry. Sonali Bendre has appeared in more than 40 Bollywood movies, both as a lead and as a supporting actress. She has delivered amazing performances in timeless hits like “Sarfarosh” and “Hum Saath Saath Hain”. But after her marriage with film director Goldie Behl, she stopped appearing in movies. She didn’t completely cut ties with the entertainment industry and appeared in many reality shows like India’s Got Talent and India’s Best Dramebaaz. But after her 10-year leave from the film industry and a brief comeback with “Once Upon A Time In Mumbai: Dobara”, she chose to go lowkey. Now, Sonali is a devoted wife and a devoted mother to her 13-year-old son Ranveer.

Ayesha Takia

The beautiful actress made her debut with the movie “Taarzan: The Wonder Car” in 2004. Ever since she became one of Bollywood’s pet actresses and gave hits after hits. Ayesha established herself as a versatile actress in the 2000s. She has starred in many blockbuster movies like “Salaam-E-Ishq”, “Dor”, “Wanted”, and “Paathshala”. But she too, like many of her contemporaries, chose to give up her acting career in favor of homemaking. After her marriage with Farhan Azmi in 2009, she only appeared in two movies and faded away. Now apart from a few appearances in advertisements and her activity on social media, Ayesha Takia has gone completely lowkey.

Isha Koppikar

Isha Koppikar is well-known for doing movies with unconventional plots. She has starred in a number of blockbuster movies like “Kya Kool Hain Hum”, “36 China Town”, “Hum Tum” and “Krishna Cottage”. Along with this, she has also done movies like “Darling” and “Shabri” in which her performance was critically acclaimed. Isha married hotelier Timmy Narang in 2009, and apart from two more Hindi film releases, she cut ties with Bollywood. She does appear occasionally in Kannada and Telugu movies, but apart from that, Isha Koppikar has vanished into thin air.

Minissha Lamba

This Punjabi beauty was as renowned for her acting skills in Bollywood as she was for her beauty and bubbly nature. Minissha Lamba won many hearts in the course of her decade-old acting career. During this time, she delivered flawless performances in many hits like “Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd.”, “Bachna Ae Haseeno”, “Kidnap” and “Bheja Fry 2”. But right after her last movie “Double Trouble” in 2014, she married her longtime boyfriend Ryan Tham. Ever since, even though she got movie offers, she chose to devote time to her family instead. Minissha is a proud homemaker and has cut ties with the entertainment industry apart from cameo appearances in reality TV shows.

Kim Sharma

Kim Michelle Sharma is yet another actress of the 2000s who gave up acting in favor of homemaking. She is best known for her performance in blockbuster movies like “Mohabbatein”, “Fida”, and “Nehle Pe Dehla”. Although she wasn’t as successful or popular as her contemporaries, she still had a fairly successful Bollywood career. But after her marriage with Kenyan business tycoon Ali Punjani, she took a backseat. Kim never appeared in a movie again. And now although the couple has split, Kim chooses to stay away from Bollywood and is working as a brand strategist in Mumbai.

Udita Goswami

The former model gave some immemorable performances in Bollywood films like “Zeher”, “Aksar”, and “Aggar”. Udita’s was an interesting Bollywood career with many highs and lows and endless controversies. But as popular as she was in the 2000s, she became even more lowkey following her marriage with Mohit Suri in 2013. Udita Goswami’s last movie “The Diary Of A Butterfly” was in 2012, and that was the last time Bollywood ever heard of her. People were sad to see her go, but she is happier being a homemaker and a proud mother of two.

All these actresses were successful, but they chose to give up their career for their family. Kudos to these women for taking such a brave step. We admire your courage and we miss you!