Meet actress who debuted with Shah Rukh, won National Award, quit Bollywood at her peak, swept floors, now runs salon

In 2007, when Shah Rukh came out with Chak De India, it was a break from the kind of films he usually did at the time. Being the biggest star of the country, Shah Rukh excelled in romances and dramas and worked with the biggest heroines in Bollywood. But Chak De India was a sports film with almost no romance, and all the heroines were newcomers. While many of the Chak De girls did go on to have successful film careers, one of them quit Bollywood soon after, and for a rather surprising career choice.

Anaitha Nair, Chak De India’s Aliya Bose

Anaitha Nair played Aliya Bose, one of the hockey players in coach Kabir Khan’s team in Chak De India. This was Anaitha’s first major film having done a special appearance in a Malayalam film two years earlier. The success of Chak De India saw many films come Anaitha’s way, including Mumbai Calling, Dum Maaro Dum, and Force. Her 2010 film Well Done Abba, which also starred Boman Irani and Minissha Lamba, won the National Award for Best Film on Social Issues. However despite such success, the 2011 release Force was her last film. Anaitha was just 27 when the film released.

 

 

 

 

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A post shared by Anaitha Nair (@anaithanair)

When Anaitha quit Bollywood to become a hairstylist

In 2011, Anaitha married Akhil Nair and moved away from films. The couple has a daughter and Anaitha now lives away from the filmy award. The former actress is now a hairstylist and runs a salon in Hong Kong. A news report from a couple of years ago described her as the ‘best hairstylist in Hong Kong’. Her salon Hair By Anaitha is called one of the most popular ones in all of Hong Kong. In an Instagram post, Anaitha described the struggle she faced while setting up her business a decade ago, a time when she would sweep the floors of her salon herself to a day when she is feted as among the best in the business,

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