Ruchita Jadhav turns 100-plus bungalows into rentals

A television actor walking away from the camera is not new. What is less common is what Ruchita Jadhav says she built after that, a rental stay business with more than 100 bungalows across Maharashtra’s favourite weekend spots.

Jadhav, known to Marathi TV viewers from shows like Love Lagna Locha and Yek Number, has spent the past few years away from regular acting work. In a recent interview, she said her focus has shifted to real estate, hospitality, and turning idle family properties into income.

Her story also says something larger about India’s weekend economy. For many urban families, a rented villa with a pool has become the new resort room.

From television sets to villas

Jadhav married Mumbai businessman Anand Mane in May 2021, at a small ceremony in Panchgani. After marriage, she slowly stepped back from acting.

She said Mane, who works in real estate, gifted her a company. That company became the base for her new business.

The idea was simple. Mane’s real estate projects often included weekend homes. In some projects, the family kept one bungalow for itself. Over time, these properties added up.

Jadhav said her parents also owned hostels and rented shops in Pune. When she looked at the family’s wider property base, she saw a business sitting in plain sight.

The business model is simple

Jadhav said she asked one basic question. If these bungalows already exist, why not rent them out?

That question turned into a formal company. The business now furnishes bungalows, adds comforts, and rents them to travellers looking for short stays.

She said the properties include seven or eight bungalows in Mahabaleshwar. The portfolio also covers Karjat, Lonavala, and Alibag.

Across these locations, Jadhav said the number of bungalows is now above 100. Many have been upgraded with furniture, basic services, and features such as swimming pools.

For customers, this is not a complicated pitch. A family from Mumbai or Pune wants privacy, space, and a quick drive. A villa solves that better than two hotel rooms.

For the owner, the maths can work well if occupancy stays steady. A property that lies locked most weekends earns nothing. A rented one starts paying for staff, upkeep, and perhaps more expansion.

Why weekend homes are booming

This business sits inside a trend many city families already understand. Weekend travel has changed after the pandemic.

People now prefer small groups, private spaces, and homes where they control the schedule. For many young professionals, a villa trip has replaced the old hotel getaway.

The locations matter too. Mahabaleshwar, Lonavala, Karjat, and Alibag are not random choices. They are familiar, drivable, and already popular with Mumbai and Pune travellers.

A bungalow also gives the host more pricing power than a plain apartment. Add a pool, clean interiors, food tie-ups, and quick booking support, and the stay feels premium.

But this business also demands discipline. Holiday homes need constant repairs. Guests expect hotel-like cleanliness, even when they rent a private property.

That means local workers, caretakers, cleaners, cooks, gardeners, and maintenance teams become part of the real business. The glamour is on Instagram. The hard work happens before check-in.

An app could change the scale

Jadhav said the company started small, but has grown over time. She also said an app is planned.

That detail matters. Once a rental business moves to an app, it stops being only a property operation. It becomes a customer business.

The app can help with bookings, payments, availability, photos, reviews, and repeat customers. It can also reduce dependence on middlemen.

Still, an app alone does not fix everything. In hospitality, one poor stay can hurt trust faster than ten good posts can build it.

The next test for Jadhav’s company will be service quality. If a guest pays premium villa rates, they will expect fast responses and clean rooms. They will also expect the pool to look like the photos.

Acting fame meets property income

Jadhav’s acting career gave her public visibility. She played Kavya in Love Lagna Locha, appeared in Yek Number, and worked in Maziya Priyala Preet Kalena.

She also played Soyarabai Bhosale in the Hindi historical show Veer Shivaji. Her Marathi film work includes Manus Ek Mati and Bhutacha Honeymoon.

That recognition can help a rental brand in its early years. A known face builds curiosity. Social media can bring the first layer of attention.

But property businesses do not survive on fame. They survive on location, pricing, trust, and repeat bookings.

That is why Jadhav’s move is interesting. She has not only shifted from acting to business. She has moved into a sector where India’s growing middle class spends real money.

She recently changed her Instagram name from Ruchita Jadhav to Ruchita Anand Mane. Public image and business identity now seem to be moving together.

For ordinary readers, the larger lesson is not that everyone needs 100 bungalows. It is that unused assets can become businesses if managed properly. India’s weekend travel market is hungry, but unforgiving. The winners will be those who offer comfort, clarity, and consistency, long after the first social media buzz fades.