Investment, retirement planning, and long-term goals are some of the key concerns everyone faces as they age out of their careers. Even some of the most glorious names of their times, from talk show hosts to directors, lose relevance with time and search for alternate careers. Ruby Bhatia is one such name whose journey is nothing short of a juxtaposition of situations. India’s first video jockey (VJ), who was once crowned Miss India Canada, has hit a fate no one would have imagined.
Her social media posts, already a subject of scrutiny, accompanied an array of theories from bad investment decisions or a draining marriage. However, she didn’t disappear. She may not be interviewing Amitabh Bachchan on TV, but she rebuilt her life after we walked away from show business at 30.
A resurfaced video from 2024 shows Ruby Bhatia in conversation with Siddharth Kanan. She shared, “I help with weight loss. I help with personality development. Happiness. Personal issues.” In a recent video uploaded on X (formerly Twitter), the 90s icon was seen urging women who were looking for someone to talk to call her up. With a wide smile on her face, Bhatia shared about her ’24/7 women’s helpline.’” Personality development, weight loss, fear, anxiety, depression, panic attacks, whatever I can help you with, I’m there for you. Fee Rs 1000 – unlimited. It’s my little start-up, little side business.”
Who is the new Ruby Bhatia?
Speaking to Kanan, Ruby Bhatia shared that she was born in Canada to Indian parents. She was adopted by her aunt and uncle, and growing up, life wasn’t easy. “It was not as easy. Plus, growing up in Canada was not easy. I faced racism,” she recalled. “I was the only Indian in a completely white school. Whenever I wore ethnic clothes on Diwali, kids would troll me. But all of this helped me grow.”
Bhatia, briefly tried her luck with TV and appeared in Kasautii Zindagii Kay, films like Chori Chori Chupke Chupke, Main Prem Ki Deewani Hoon, and Halla Bol. “I was 28 and playing a 25-year-old’s mother. Balaji did that with everyone,” she commented on the work she got then.
When life diverted her towards the beauty pageant life, she had no intention of entering the entertainment industry then. “I had no idea what VJing was,” she laughed. “I went for an MTV audition and got selected,” she explained how she became India’s first video jockey, before content creation and podcasting was a thing. During her Channel V days, Ruby met her first husband, singer Nitin Bali. The marriage, however, lasted barely two years. “We were very young—20 and 22. It was a Bollywood dream, but a lot didn’t match. Our parents pushed us into marriage. We eventually parted ways.”
It was nearly a decade later, after a hiatus from relationships, that she met Ajith at an ashram. “He is now my guru, my husband, and the father of my children. I am extremely thankful for him,” she said. Today, Ruby homeschools her two sons, creates motivational content online, and lives a grounded life in Mumbai. “I am very happy to be out of the limelight,” she said. “I love helping people.”
