The year 2022 has been quite special for Ayesha Jhulka. The ’90s heroine, who shared screen space with Aamir Khan, Salman Khan and Akshay Kumar, among others, went missing from the scene, but she made a comeback in recent years. She is now enjoying being a part of OTT shows and wants to do a lot more work now. In an interview, the actress talks about why filmmakers were sceptical about approaching her back then, her new inning in the digital space and her decision to not have kids. Excerpts:

I was out there for quite a long time and did around 70 films, some of which did well, some didn’t, and a few of them did not release at all. I was too young to understand a lot of things.

At one point, I cut down on work because I didn’t want to do films that didn’t satisfy me as an actor. It was a conscious decision. I would literally pick up one film out of the 10 films that came my way. There were big banners reaching out to me too, but I wasn’t keen. Producers felt offended that I was simply turning them down. Gradually, they stopped approaching me. Then there came a time when a lot of television shows came my way. Some of them were really good, but I was wary of the shooting schedules in the television industry. Their contracts also used to make me nervous. It is very difficult to say no, especially when you see that you are being offered good money and TV also gives you a lot of exposure. People used to be surprised knowing that I said no to some TV shows, but at the end of it, I couldn’t see myself working like a machine.

I always felt that my potential as an actor was not fully tapped. But now it is exciting to see directors coming up with roles that combine the old image of Ayesha with the Ayesha of today’s times. Back then, for us, it was more about the pretty face and dancing well. Today, more than the looks, the focus is on your performance and that is what I wanted.

Yes, it did affect my journey, as there were actresses who were ready to do these scenes. But I look at it in a positive way, as I feel that in spite of having so many conditions, I still got so much work. For me, my ethics were very important. A lot of people feared that. I remember my secretary telling me ki log darte hain aap se. Times have changed; today, everything is so professional. You have a bound script in hand. Pehle log bolte kuch aur the aur karte kuch aur the.

I think we have to accept certain things. All my former co-stars look so good even now and continue to have so many fans. So why not? They have worked hard and deserve to be there. Filmmakers are still casting them and the young girls who they team up with are getting great opportunities ahead. Why should we crib? Earlier, heroines were expected to fade out after a few films, especially after they got married. The good part is, now we are also getting our due slowly.

I had actually decided to not get married. I felt that I could do so many things if I was not married. Maybe, because I was in a bad relationship and that had an impact on me. I had told my folks also about my decision and they were kind of okay with it. However, one fine day my mom and sister met Sameer at a meditation class. They thought he was good for me. They introduced us and we hit it off from then.

I had gone through too many emotional ups and downs in life. So, when I told my husband about what I thought, he was fine with it. After Sameer and I got married, we adopted two villages in Gujarat. We take care of the food and schooling of 160 kids there. Talking about motherhood, I can’t take care of 160 kids by bringing them home to Mumbai, so I enjoy that feeling by going to that village. This is the choice that we made for ourselves, and we are very content with it.