Former MTV VJ Maria Goretti has opened up about stepping away from a successful television career after marrying actor Arshad Warsi, admitting that while she sometimes misses earning her own money and the appreciation that came with her work, she has no regrets about choosing motherhood.Appearing on The Aditi Govitrikar Show, Maria reflected on the decision to put her career on hold after becoming a mother, saying it was a conscious choice that she continues to cherish despite its challenges.
‘I miss making my own money’
Speaking candidly about leaving behind a thriving career, Maria admitted that financial independence is something she occasionally longs for.“Let me put that very honestly. It’s like the kind of money I commanded at one point in time. I took a different route, but I also feel that when I worked and when I was an MTV VJ, there was so much appreciation, and I got so much that I was actually satiated,” she said.Although she misses that phase of life, Maria stressed that raising her children was a decision she made willingly.“When I had the kids, I wanted to sit. Today, when I am at home and I’m knocking on teenagers’ doors, I sometimes feel, ‘Why am I at home for this?’ But no, the fact of the matter is that I had a great time,” she shared.
‘I realised I was actually quite an introvert’
Maria also revealed that quitting television helped her discover a side of herself she hadn’t noticed during her years as an MTV VJ.She explained that while audiences saw her as outgoing and confident, much of that confidence came from being in front of the camera.“I realised I became very brave when I had a camera next to me, and I was far more friendly and open because I think it came with the job. If I have to do an interview, I would make friends with everyone here, but I realised without that I couldn’t make friends, and I was actually quite an introvert,” she said.
Maria Goretti recalls Arshad Warsi’s career highs and lows
During the conversation, Maria also spoke about witnessing the ups and downs of husband Arshad Warsi’s Bollywood journey, saying those experiences helped keep them grounded.She recalled how the actor’s popularity could be measured by something as simple as the number of bouquets arriving on his birthday.“The gauge was how many flowers were coming in for his birthday. So some years there would be so many that there would be no place in the house, and then there’d be none,” she revealed.Maria remembered a difficult phase in Arshad’s career when, despite his popularity, he struggled to find the kind of roles he truly wanted.“He was really, really popular, and he went to the time when he was just not getting the kind of work that he wanted, and I kept telling him, ‘Don’t do stuff that you don’t like to do because that’s going to really break your heart,’” she said.She added that those years taught her one of the biggest lessons of her life.“Those were really tough years, but what I also remember of those years is that it never made him a bitter person. He holds no grudges. I learnt a lot from watching Arshad. We have seen the lowest of the lows, so when you know that is possible, what are you gloating about?” she said. Maria Goretti and Arshad Warsi first met in 1991, when the actor was invited to judge a college dance competition in which Maria was participating. The couple tied the knot in 1996 and are parents to two children, son Zeke Warsi and daughter Zene Zoe Warsi.
