Former supermodel and actress Anu Aggarwal has impressed the audience in 90s with her versatile and memorable performances in Aashiqui, The Glass Door, Khal-Naaikaa, King Uncle and others. In an exclusive interview with Firstpost, the multi-talented personality opened up about her comeback on the silver screen, mental health and more. Edited excerpts from the interview:

When can we see you back on the silver screen as many fans demanding on social media to witness your presence in the cinema?

Oh, goodness, I’m so glad you asked me this. Because, first of all, thanks a lot for for like following up with me and liking me and supporting me because I think fans support is the biggest support I’ve always had, and I really value it. So, what do I feel? I think that just the reactions of fans when they’re saying we want to see you back. That is what has actually pushed me forward to say, Yes, I am. Because I’ve been very involved with my foundation work, I can’t sit idle, I was like fully occupied with my yoga and my foundation. And then I said, Oh my God, I’m doing social work. So, is this not social work that I should go in, like  respond to my fans and have you on screen so they can see me? Right? So, I said, I’ve just got to do it. I’ve got to act, and when you say when will you see me? So, I have started the process and the gap has been long, right? And a lot of changes have also happened in the industry. So, I am just taking it all in and see which best way because I want to give the best to my fans. I want to come out with some really exciting artistic work, and not just anything. So, but the good thing is that yes, I was away from acting and I am back now.

It’s God’s will.  I’m a firm believer today that nothing’s happened happens unless the almighty wishes that rise.

With strong prominent women-centric roles and films in today’s time, do you wish to make a comeback with the same trajectory? 

I would like to remind you that even in the 90s whether it is starting with
Aashiqui
, whether it is doing a Khal-Naaikaa or doing a King Uncle, The Cloud Door, all these films had very strong female characters. So, I am I think that I’m really fortunate and I’ve also been very strong about strong-willed, I will not do anything subordinate I will not do anything, whereas a girl who has no character

So I have like I said that I was daunted, even in India, especially,how it was then it was like, women centers rules are not really the call of the day. But somehow the other directors did see me in the specific role, because all these roles that I did, directors have called me themselves and said you are going to this role is for you. So, I, so, yes, so coming back to what you had said that today and I anyway, it’s it’s really heartening to see that there are a lot, many more women centric roles, there are strong roles of women that women are paying. But at the same time, I do also understand that that gap of the, and that the women actors,  there are complaints about how it’s not exactly,  they’re not on par with the male actors. So I don’t really know, I’m not in the scenes yet. But once I get into the business, like, pick it with a no, the thick and thin of the business as it is operating today. Like I said to you, it’s been a long time since I’ve been in wellness, and a lot has changed. And I look forward to seeing the changes that have happened today.

In recent times, people including celebs are talking about mental health open but a decade before, there were apprehensions about it.

You are so right on that, in fact, when I launched my module on yoga in 2014 and when people ask me, what is this for? I would say it is for mental health. And I would get such negative reactions and even NGOs surprisingly not even just the common man. Even in the NGO sector, there were people who told me, what are you talking about, you’re not going to get any funds or any grants nothing for it and also how you want to run it? And I said, Well, I’m, I’m determined that this is what it is. And I will see how it goes,  but, of course, I’ll tell you, the major, major, major differences happen. And I find that after 2020, because of the problems that everybody went through, and are still going through, in a certain sense, people started to understand, and also because the outside activity now, when they were locked down, people stayed at home. So the outside activity, kind of, like, was stuck for for for some time, when people actually when you sit at home and when you’re not going outside, then you start thinking about your mind. Right. So, that’s sort of given a big boost to people now saying that mental health is important. And therefore, we see that there are so many people around the world, not just in India, around the world, people are coming out openly. But I would still say not very openly because the stigma still there, but a lot more fondly than before because depression and anxiety and these kinds of interviews have always been there is not now. But it’s just that, like you rightly said, people have been very quiet about it. But then why have people been quiet? Main reason is because the society did not accept it, like us, you’d like to say that they thought there’s something wrong with this process, people will lose their jobs. But then today, there is today, you’ll find a lot much more acceptance to the fact that there is something, anyone just understanding that there is something with health is not just your body, people think health is just the body, even healthcare, they start talking about the body I’ve had a lot of conversations, there was a an American company that was coming down and starting this health care thing two years ago, in India, and when I started talking to them, and starts talking to them, by the mind, there’s a no, no, there’s just about the levels of the body and how it operates. I said, Do you not understand to the body or face the way it does, because the mind the way the mind functions? Anyways, I think that there’s still a lot of education so as to say to make people understand that how the functionality of the body and the mind is connected.

Now, we are seeing the term pan-India and crossovers of Bollywood and south cinema but in 90s, you acted in Tamil and international movies along with Bollywood. How you see today it being a huge trend?

Ah, I don’t know, why did I sound like egoistic or I’m just being say that I’ve just been ahead of the times. And let me tell you, that has always come with its own problems and own difficulties, which I had to deal with. Because a lot of people around me, for instance, are not understanding at that time. You know, people not as appreciated. In fact, when I did the
Cannes Film Festival
, 99% of Indians did not know what comps was. So when I said Can’t invoke yeah, here you only have like a bunch of like, the 1% elitist club, who traveled and, international, how many he was traveled internationally 30 years ago, not many, right? So the thing is that in 95, I’m talking 90-95 People did not know what comes worse 99% 1% was there the who knew because they had they had the money and they had the etc the religious stuff right? The rest of them. So, I mean, again, so, that again, we have come a long way since then, I was there then forget this, when I was modeling, I became a supermodel and I was intercity bus before ICT, right? There was they did not know anything about Indian designers when I used to say I have friends who do designing in India, they were like this looks so we go really Oh you do design I said you should see Indian trend. India is a place of natural fashion. Every village has its own fashion where the people are wearing different clothes. Rajasthani people wear different clothes bring all people wear different clothes, different colors, different styles. We are a country we have a natural sense of fashion. But they never understood it. They would say oh, we don’t know. India. Oh god, there’s a third world country. So today if you see did I was there dance? Now if you see today, let me tell you the differences in mental health. This difference is going to escalate because people are suffering. Yes, your mind is not working properly. Let’s see a simple thing if you don’t sleep well. Right? Your day screwed. Your Mantis Cruz. Your life is proof if you’re not sleeping well every night. Your energy levels are compromised. Right? So all these things now I’m teaching yoga nidra. I’ve been I before the one person in in 1997 Guruji who said you can go out and teach yoga nidra I was one of the five people in the entire class who was given the mandate. And I’ll tell you something. When I talk to people have no understanding that sleep apnea can be prevented, that you can get good sleep, you get it. So, I am a trendsetter today, I was a trendsetter, then of a girl  wearing short skirts and focusing and getting out there, being independent being self made, that will offend them. Today, the trend health, you just see it, I’m setting that trend, I was recently invited by Ministry of our Health Ayush in Delhi in their yoga to give a lecture on cells and supercell. And they will standing ovation, you should see that lecture there. A little bit of there is on YouTube. So the thing is, that hasn’t changed is what I’m trying to tell you that I’m still a trendsetter, but in a different way. Because the needs of society. Today, we need help more than anything else.

Your life mantra

I always keep saying, firstly, self love. Just learn to love yourself. I think that is so important. And believe in yourself, I think self worth of knowing that you are here because this is a gift. This life is a gift. I understood that by losing it. So This live is the biggest gift we have and let’s be grateful gratitude is amazing how it works and even things like kindness, being kind to people, who are going through problems being being appreciative of other people’s strengths and their success. The more you give out love and goodwill to the world that much more it comes right back to you. So, start with that.