For Malvika Sitlani, Dubai is not exactly a new city. She was born here, spent part of her childhood here and has now returned after living most of her life in India. But this time, she says, Dubai feels completely different. Around one and a half years into her new chapter, Sitlani says the move has changed her personally, giving her a fresh perspective on life, people and what she wants next. In a candid conversation with Curly Tales Middle East, she opened up about her Dubai childhood, leaving behind the life she had built in India and why she chose to start over in a city she already knew.
“Dubai Has Been Life-Changing For Me”
Our Senior Anchor and Producer Bianca asked Sitlani how Dubai has been treating her, and the answer comes with a laugh: “It’s been a roller coaster.” But beneath the ups and downs, she says the move has had a bigger impact on her than she expected.
“Dubai has been kind of life-changing for me, personality-wise,” she says. “I feel like I’ve become a different person.” She credits the city’s multicultural nature as one of the things she enjoys most. Having spent so many years in India, moving to Dubai gave her the chance to meet people from different backgrounds and experience a completely different social environment.
“I love seeing a melting pot of a lot of cultures,” she says.
She Was Born In Dubai
There is an interesting full-circle moment behind Sitlani’s move. Dubai is actually where she was born.
She moved to India when she was in second grade, but some of her earliest memories are rooted in the UAE. She remembers playing cricket and football in the scorching heat of Dubai and growing up in a city that looked nothing like the one she returned to years later.
Back then, she recalls fewer high-rise buildings and more open spaces. Her childhood memories include playing around the older buildings in Satwa, with sand-filled play areas and a very different cityscape.
Today, the skyline is almost unrecognisable compared to the Dubai she remembers.
Why Did Malvika Sitlani Leave India?
Sitlani is clear that leaving India was not about disliking the life she had built there. In fact, she says she loved her life in India and feels the country gave her everything she could have asked for.
But after spending almost her entire life there, she felt ready for a change.
“I’ve lived in India my whole life,” she says. “Now I just want to see other places in the world.”
For Sitlani, the move was about growth, experiencing life elsewhere and stepping outside what had become familiar.
Moving countries, of course, came with its own practical headaches, from shifting banks to dealing with the paperwork that comes with starting life somewhere new. But despite all of that, she says the change has been worth it.
Why Dubai, Though?
There are plenty of cities around the world that could have been an option. But Dubai had something the others did not: a connection that started in childhood. Today, Sitlani says she would still choose Dubai during this phase of her life, even if she were living here alone. That says a lot about how her relationship with the city has evolved.
If you want to know more about the beauty influencer’s life in Dubai with her daughter, go watch the video now!
Cover Image Courtesy: Internal
FAQs
What is Malvika Sitlani known for?
Malvika Sitlani is an Indian content creator, beauty influencer and entrepreneur.
Is Malvika Sitlani a mother?
Yes, she has a daughter named Abigail, whom she welcomed in 2020.
What kind of content does Malvika Sitlani create?
Her content covers beauty, fashion, lifestyle, motherhood and personal experiences
