Mamta Kulkarni returns to India after 25 years following acquittal in drug smuggling case

Former actress was accused of links to a $241.43M cartel allegedly through her husband, Vicky Goswami.

Listen to article

Bollywood actress Mamta Kulkarni, best known for her iconic roles in films like Karan Arjun and Baazi, has made an emotional return to India after 25 years.

On Wednesday, she shared a video on her Instagram account, revealing her feelings as she landed in Mumbai, marking her first visit to the country since she moved abroad in 2000.

In the video, Mamta, visibly emotional, explained how overwhelmed she felt upon seeing India from her flight window for the first time in over two decades. "I became emotional when the flight was about to land. I saw my country from above for the first time in 24 years, and I had tears in my eyes," she said, as nostalgia and emotion took over her.

 

 

 

 

View this post on Instagram

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A post shared by Mamta Kulkarni 🔵 (@mamtakulkarniofficial____)

The actress, who gained fame in the 1990s for her roles opposite Bollywood stars like Shah Rukh Khan, Salman Khan, and Aamir Khan, moved away from the limelight and Bollywood in the early 2000s.

She now returns to India in 2024, expressing gratitude for her homeland. In her post's caption, Mamta wrote: "Back to my motherland after 25 years. Attended Kumbh Mela in 2012 after 12 years of austerity, and now I’m back exactly after 12 years for another Maha Kumbh in 2025."

In the early 2000s, Mamta distanced herself from the film industry and moved abroad, leading a life away from the public eye.

Her comeback follows a turbulent chapter linked to a major drug trafficking case that made headlines in 2015. Authorities had accused her of being involved in a $241.43 million international drug cartel, allegedly connected with her husband, Vicky Goswami.

Despite the gravity of the allegations, Mamta always denied any involvement in the crime and was never arrested. In a turn of events, the Bombay High Court recently cleared her name, canceling the FIR against her and giving her a clean chit.