After Thug Life, Blast has put Abhirami back in the spotlight, with audiences praising her intense action scenes and noticeable physical transformation in the recently released film. But long before her latest comeback grabbed attention, the actress had already surprised fans with a major life decision. At the peak of her acting career, Abhirami walked away from cinema, moved to the United States for higher studies, built a successful corporate career there and eventually left that life behind too, all to return to acting once again.From successful actress to student in the USAbhirami, whose real name is Divya Gopikumar, became a familiar face in South Indian cinema through films like Virumaandi and Maharaja. At a time when her film career was steadily growing across multiple languages, the actress made the unexpected decision to step away from the industry in 2004.In an old interview with Mathrubhumi, Abhirami recalled that she had been thinking seriously about pursuing higher education while working on Virumaandi. She applied for a Psychology and Communications course at the College of Wooster in Ohio and hoped to strengthen her application with recommendation letters from people she respected in the film industry.According to the actress, acclaimed filmmaker Adoor Gopalakrishnan agreed to support her and provided a recommendation letter. However, things took a different turn when she approached her Virumaandi co-star Kamal Haasan with the same request.You Might Also Like:Why Kamal Haasan refused to write the letterAbhirami revealed that Kamal Haasan politely refused to give her a recommendation letter. But his reason, she said, was not out of disagreement or anger. She said, "When I asked Kamal sir for a recommendation letter, he said no. Instead, he told me, ‘You’re not someone who should leave this industry. You have a bright future in cinema.'"His response stayed with her, especially because it came during an important phase of her career.Still, despite his advice, Abhirami decided to go ahead with her plans. She explained that moving abroad was not a sudden emotional decision but something she had thought about carefully for nearly a year. Once Virumaandi was completed and her admission was confirmed, she moved to the United States to continue her education.Abhirami also spoke about the support she received from her parents during that phase. According to her, they stood by her decisions both when she entered the film industry at a young age and later when she chose to leave a flourishing acting career behind for studies abroad.You Might Also Like:Corporate success and eventual return to cinemaAfter relocating to the US, Abhirami built a life outside cinema and reportedly worked as a Marketing Director at a multinational corporation. For many years, she stayed away from films and focused on her education, professional growth and personal life.However, cinema eventually found its way back into her life. Over the last few years, the actress has slowly rebuilt her screen presence with performances in films like Maara and Vettaiyan.Now, with Blast, Abhirami is entering a fresh phase in her acting journey. Her transformation for the film and willingness to experiment with action-heavy roles have once again brought her into conversations among movie audiences. Meanwhile, Blast is currently running in theatres. It released on May 28.