Ritu Shivpuri: I thank my stars that I didn’t marry an actor

Actress Ritu Shivpuri — daughter of actress Sudha and the late actor, Om Shivpuri — who’s been missing in action for almost a decade, is set to return to television.
“I started with films. Later, when I took up a TV show in 2006, I ended up shooting 18 to 20 hours a day. My husband would be asleep by the time I got back home. That’s when I realised I was neglecting my family and hence, gave up acting,” she says.
Also, life wasn’t easy when her husband Hari was detected with a tumour in his spine, which rendered him bedridden at 36. “It was a difficult phase, but he fought it and recovered in a couple of years. He considers me his backbone and derives his strength from me,” she smiles.
So, what has prompted her to return to the small screen now? “My kids are seven. They are busy and so is my husband. I started acting at 17 and honestly, I miss it terribly. So, I decided to get back to work,” she says. Bring to her notice how producers today prefer younger artistes for prominent roles and she shoots back, “You can’t make a show without distinctive characters. Everybody gets a second chance and so will I. Like my mother (Sudha), who is known as ‘Jagat baa’, I hope I get a long-running show, too.”
About her short-lived career in Bollywood, she says, “Only actresses who were seeing the main heroes, ended up bagging films with them. I, too, have had my share of relationships (three relationships), but it was never to propagate my career. That’s where I lagged behind. I don’t regret it or else, I wouldn’t have married Hari, after dating a few weird people. Men can be strange and my friends used to be worried about me during that phase of my life. I thank my stars that I didn’t marry an actor. Honesty is of prime importance for me in any relationship and the guys, I was involved with, were dishonest. Hari and I are honest with each other. If I find a guy cute, I can tell him.”
Ask her about her mother and she says, “Mom is retired and enjoying her time with her grandchildren. She was unwell in between, but is fine now.”