'My roles have been chopped off so many times': Aarti Chabria looks back at being sidelined during her Bollywood career

Actor Aarti Chabria recently spoke candidly about the less-discussed side of Bollywood, revealing how several of her performances were trimmed or removed altogether. Sharing her experience on the AlphaTalk podcast, she highlighted that such situations were not unusual in her career, and were part of the unpredictability actors often face while working on big film projects.Talking about her struggles, Aarti shared with News18, “My roles have been chopped off or reduced so many times. Despite playing the title role, I didn’t seem to appear in the film at all. There were so many films where my scenes were cut, and songs were removed after they were shot.” She recalled a specific instance from 'Milenge Milenge', where she had filmed a complete song with Shahid Kapoor that was eventually removed.She further explained that this wasn’t limited to just one project. “That was not the only film; there were so many films where my role was cut due to several reasons. In 'Partner', my role was not originally what it was supposed to be; it was a cameo, but bigger than what made to the final cut,” she said, adding that such decisions are often beyond an actor’s control.Despite these experiences, Aarti maintained a balanced perspective. “You don’t know why these decisions are taken. We actors always respect the producer’s decision, and there is no regret,” she shared, underlining the importance of trusting the filmmaking process even when outcomes don’t align with expectations. The actor pointed out that similar situations occurred in films like 'Shootout At Lokhandwala' and 'Awara Paagal Deewana'. “The good thing is that the film was a hit; I have no regrets. What matters is that the film did well at the end of the day,” she added, emphasising that the overall success of a project mattered more to her than individual screen time. Over the years, Aarti has been a part of several Bollywood films including 'Shaadi No. 1' and 'Heyy Babyy'. After her appearance in 'Milenge Milenge', she gradually stepped away from the industry. In 2019, she got married to an Australia-based chartered accountant and chose to focus on her personal life, embracing a new phase that now also includes motherhood.