Actress Mandana Karimi has decided to leave India, bidding farewell to her 'second home' after nearly 16 years. She shared the news on her Instagram Stories during an Ask Me Anything (AMA) session with her followers.
When a user asked, 'Have you left Mumbai for good? Do you miss the city?' Mandana responded with a video from the airport, saying, 'I never could imagine or believe that I could say, but Goodbye India.' She added, 'This is going to be hard. But after almost 16 years in India, it's finally... leaving behind my second home... and here it is to new beginnings. New country, new home, new everything.'
Earlier, in a media interaction, Mandana had confirmed her plans to leave India due to security concerns. In March, she disclosed that she would not return to Iran as she had been banned there a decade ago. While leaving India, she emphasized she would not go back to Iran.
Born and raised in Iran, Mandana moved to India in her early twenties to pursue modeling. She made her Bollywood debut as a lead in the film 'Bhaag Johnny' and gained widespread recognition as a contestant on the ninth season of the reality show 'Bigg Boss', where she finished as the second runner-up in 2015. She later appeared in another reality show, 'Lock Upp', in 2022.
Her last on-screen appearance was in the 2022 Netflix film 'Thar', co-starring Anil Kapoor and Harsh Varrdhan Kapoor. Mandana's departure marks the end of a significant chapter in her life, as she embarks on a new journey in an undisclosed country.
