Mandakini (actress): Difference between revisions

What links here Related changes Page information Get shortened URL
Created by 157.45.248.98
Last edited March 24, 2026
← Older edit
VisualWikitext
->GreenC bot
Reformat 1 archive link. Wayback Medic 2.5
No edit summary
 
Line 1: Line 1:
{{Short description|Indian actress}}
{{short description|Indian former actress}}
 
{{pp-blp|small=yes}}
{{distinguish|Mandakini river}}
{{Use Indian English|date=August 2014}}
{{EngvarB|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2014}}
{{Infobox person
{{Infobox person
| name               = Mandakini
| name = Mandakini
| image              = Mandakini01.jpg
| image              = Mandakini01.jpg
| caption            = Mandakini in Dec 2012
| caption            = Mandakini in 2012
| image_size         =  
| birth_name         = Yasmeen Joseph
| birth_date        = {{birth date and age|df=yes|1963|07|30}}
| birth_date        =  
| birth_place        = [[Meerut]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], [[India]]
| birth_place        = [[Meerut]], [[Uttar Pradesh]], India
| occupation        = Actress
| yearsactive        = 1985–1996
| yearsactive        = 1985–1996
| occupation        = Actress
| spouse            = Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur
| birth_name        = Yasmeen Joseph
| children          = 2
| spouse            = Dr Kagyur T Rinpoche Thakur
| other_names        = Mandakini Joseph Thakur
| othername          = Mandakini Joseph Thakur
| notable_works      = ''[[Ram Teri Ganga Maili]]'', ''[[Dance Dance (film)|Dance Dance]]'', ''[[Commando (1988 film)|Commando]]'', ''[[Pyar Ke Naam Qurbaan]]'', ''[[Jeete Hain Shaan Se]]''
| website            =  
| website            =  
}}
}}


'''Mandakini''' (born '''Yasmeen Joseph''' 30 July 1963) is a former [[Bollywood]] actress. She is best remembered for her role in the 1985 movie ''[[Ram Teri Ganga Maili]]''.
'''Yasmeen Joseph Thakur''' ([[née]] '''Joseph'''), professionally credited as '''Mandakini''', is an Indian former actress. She is best remembered for her lead role in the 1985 popular film ''[[Ram Teri Ganga Maili]]''. She has been part of many blockbusters and was credited for her on-screen chemistry with actor [[Mithun Chakraborty]].


==Early life==
==Early life==
Mandakini was born in an [[Anglo Indian]] family in [[Meerut]]. Her father, Joseph<ref>{{cite web|title=Actress Mandakini with Husband and Daughter at Durga Jasraj's Daughter's Wedding|url=http://www.pinkvilla.com/entertainment/photos/actress-mandakini-husband-daughter-durga-jasrajs-daughters-wedding|publisher=Pink Villa|access-date=10 November 2013}}</ref> is British.
Mandakini was born in [[Meerut]] as Yasmeen Joseph to a British father and a Himachali mother.{{Citation needed|date=June 2022}} At the young age of 16, she was discovered by film producer-director [[Raj Kapoor]] and given the screen name "Mandakini".<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/happy-birthday-mandakini-7-lesser-known-facts-about-the-ram-teri-ganga-maili-actor/story-yh913ZwrBRWRqjGCIpcTUO.html |title=Happy Birthday Mandakini 7 lesser-known facts about the Ram Teri Ganga Maili actor|access-date=23 March 2022|date=30 July 2017}}</ref>
 
==Career==
===Early career===
Starting off as an unknown girl from Meerut, Yasmin was rejected by at least three film makers before Ranjit Virk changed her name to Mandakini and signed her up for ''Mazloom''. Before the film could take off, [[Raj Kapoor]] discovered her at age 22 and cast her in a lead role in the 1985 movie ''[[Ram Teri Ganga Maili]]'' with the screen name "Mandakini" opposite his youngest son, [[Rajiv Kapoor]]. The movie was a blockbuster, and it earned Mandakini a [[Filmfare]] nomination as Best Actress.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf |title=Filmfare Awards |access-date=14 September 2008 |page=71}}</ref> She caused a stir after she was seen partially nude in two sequences of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://photogallery.indiatimes.com/celebs/celeb-themes/top-10-hottest-waterfall-women-in-bwood/articleshow/15819543.cms?from=mdr|title=Top 10 hottest waterfall women in B'wood!}}</ref> She then acted in a few more successful films, such as ''[[Dance Dance (1987 film)|Dance Dance]]'' with [[Mithun Chakraborty]], ''[[Kahan Hai Kanoon]]'' with [[Aditya Pancholi]] and ''[[Pyaar Karke Dekho]]'' with [[Govinda (actor)|Govinda]], but could not recreate the success of her first movie.
 
===The Dawood connection===
After 1989, Mandakini mysteriously stopped signing films, though she had several film releases in 1990 and eventually faded from Bollywood.
 
In the early '90s, photographs began circulating of Mandakini in the presence of dreaded gangster [[Dawood Ibrahim]]. There were reports doing the rounds that the two were having an affair, and the photos only served to fuel them. One of the theories put forward was that Ibrahim, who was known to have a keen interest in Bollywood and had financed movies, had pressured Rajiv Kapoor into casting Mandakini, and she was Ibrahim's mistress. Later, it was alleged that she had moved to [[Dubai]] to be with him.<ref name="hindu">{{cite news |first=V |last=Gangadhar |title=The price of fortune |url=http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/11/01/stories/2002110101220300.htm |work=[[The Hindu]] |publisher=N. Ram |date=1 November 2002 |access-date=15 September 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100117145835/http://www.hinduonnet.com/thehindu/fr/2002/11/01/stories/2002110101220300.htm |archive-date=17 January 2010 |url-status=usurped }}</ref>
 
Mandakini vehemently denied the reports linking her to Dawood.<ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/articleshow/1030652.cms I'm not Dawood's moll: Mandakini]. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (24 February 2005). Retrieved on 2 September 2012.</ref> While she admitted to knowing and being on friendly terms with him, she claimed that they did not know each other personally, saying that "I know Dawood but I'm not his woman".<ref name="times">{{cite news |first=Nona |last=Walia |title=Mandakini: 'I know Dawood but I'm not his woman'}}</ref>


===Later career===
==Film career==
Mandakini's career suffered a serious setback. She quit movies after ''[[Zordaar]]'' in 1996 and has lived in [[Mumbai]] with her husband and children. Since then, she has made attempts to reinvent herself. She released two pop music albums – ''No Vacancy'' and ''Shambala'' – neither of which was a success.
Mandakini got her first movie in the Hindi film industry when she was cast in the lead role in the 1985 movie ''[[Ram Teri Ganga Maili]]'' by [[Raj Kapoor]] opposite his youngest son [[Rajiv Kapoor]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.hindustantimes.com/bollywood/happy-birthday-mandakini-7-lesser-known-facts-about-the-ram-teri-ganga-maili-actor/story-yh913ZwrBRWRqjGCIpcTUO.html |title=Happy Birthday Mandakini 7 lesser-known facts about the Ram Teri Ganga Maili actor|access-date=23 March 2022|date=30 July 2017}}</ref> The film was a blockbuster, and it earned Mandakini a [[Filmfare]] nomination as Best Actress.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf |title=Filmfare Awards |access-date=14 September 2008 |page=71 |archive-date=12 June 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090612065210/http://deep750.googlepages.com/FilmfareAwards.pdf |url-status=dead }}</ref> She caused a stir after she was seen partially nude in two sequences of the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://photogallery.indiatimes.com/celebs/celeb-themes/top-10-hottest-waterfall-women-in-bwood/articleshow/15819543.cms?from=mdr|title=Top 10 hottest waterfall women in B'wood!}}</ref>


Currently, she runs classes in [[Tibet]]an [[yoga]] and is a follower of the [[Dalai Lama]]. With her husband, she runs a centre for Tibetan medicine, which is commonly known as the Tibetan Herbal Centre in the area.<ref>[http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Meet-Mandakini-the-spiritual-guide/articleshow/1294154.cms Meet Mandakini, the spiritual guide]. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (14 November 2005). Retrieved on 2 September 2012. Currently she lives in Guest House in south Delhi.</ref>
She then acted in a few more successful films, such as ''[[Dance Dance (1987 film)|Dance Dance]]'' with [[Mithun Chakraborty]], ''[[Kahan Hai Kanoon]]'' with [[Aditya Pancholi]] and ''[[Pyaar Karke Dekho]]'' with [[Govinda (actor)|Govinda]], but could not recreate the success of her first movie. The actress decided to bid adieu to the Bollywood industry after her 1996 film [[Zordaar]].<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.indiatvnews.com/entertainment/celebrities/remember-rajiv-kapoor-s-ram-teri-ganga-maili-co-actor-mandakini-here-s-what-she-has-been-upto-683775 |title= Mandakini the Ram Teri Ganga Maili actor|access-date=23 March 2022|date=30 July 2017}}</ref>


==Personal life==
== Personal life ==
In 1990, Mandakini married a former Buddhist monk, Dr. Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur, and embraced [[Buddhism]].<ref>{{Cite web|last=Ramachandran|first=Sanskriti|date=2021-08-02|title=Mandakini to make a comeback|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/020821/mandakini-to-make-a-comeback.html|access-date=2021-08-11|website=Deccan Chronicle|language=en}}</ref> Thakur gained fame in childhood as the baby featured in [[Murphy Radio]] advertisements in the 1970s and 1980s. They have a son named Rabbil and a daughter Rabze Innaya Mandakini.
Mandakini married a former Buddhist monk, Dr. Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur, and embraced [[Buddhism]].<ref>{{cite web|last=Ramachandran|first=Sanskriti|date=2021-08-02|title=Mandakini to make a comeback|url=https://www.deccanchronicle.com/entertainment/bollywood/020821/mandakini-to-make-a-comeback.html|access-date=2021-08-11|website=Deccan Chronicle|language=en}}</ref> Her husband had gained fame in childhood as the baby featured in [[Murphy Radio]] advertisements in the 1970s and 1980s. The couple have a son named Rabbil and a daughter Rabze Innaya. After embracing Buddhism and becoming a follower of the [[Dalai Lama]], Mandakini started running classes in [[Tibet]]an [[yoga]], while her husband runs a Tibetan Herbal Centre.<ref>{{cite news|title=Meet Mandakini, the spiritual guide|url=https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/mumbai/Meet-Mandakini-the-spiritual-guide/articleshow/1294154.cms|access-date=2021-08-11|newspaper=The Times of India|date=14 November 2005 }}</ref>


==Filmography==
==Filmography==
Line 49: Line 37:
! Year !! Title !! Role!!Other notes
! Year !! Title !! Role!!Other notes
|-
|-
| rowspan="2" |1985||''[[Mera Saathi]]''||Shanti  
| rowspan="2" |1985||''[[Mera Saathi]]''||Shanti||
|-
|-
|''[[Ram Teri Ganga Maili]]''||Ganga ||
|''[[Ram Teri Ganga Maili]]''||Ganga ||
|-
|-
| rowspan="6" |1986||''[[Simhasanam (1986 film)|Simhasanam]]''||Visha Kanya||Telugu film
| rowspan="6" |1986||''[[Simhasanam (1986 film)|Simhasanam]]''/''[[Singhasan]]''||Visha Kanya||Bilingual film; [[Multiple-language version|Simultaneously shot]] in Telugu and Hindi
|-
|-
|''[[Om (1986 film)|Om]]''|| ||
| ''Om''|| || Unreleased
|-
|-
|''[[Jeeva (1986 film)|Jeeva]]''||Nalini||
|''[[Jeeva (1986 film)|Jeeva]]''||Nalini||
Line 83: Line 71:
|''[[Jeete Hain Shaan Se]]''||Julie ||
|''[[Jeete Hain Shaan Se]]''||Julie ||
|-
|-
|''Shoorveer''||Meena ||
|''[[Shoorveer]]''||Meena ||
|-
|-
|''[[Commando (1988 film)|Commando]]''||Asha Malhotra||
|''[[Commando (1988 film)|Commando]]''||Asha Malhotra||
Line 113: Line 101:
|''Ladaai''||Geeta Verma ||
|''Ladaai''||Geeta Verma ||
|-
|-
| rowspan="8" |1990||''[[Sheshnaag (film) |sheshnaag]]''|| ||
| rowspan="8" |1990||''[[Sheshnaag (film)|Sheshnaag]]''|| ||
|-
|-
|''Shandaar''||Anita Chaurasia ||
|''Shandaar''||Anita Chaurasia ||
Line 127: Line 115:
|''[[Taqdeer Ka Tamasha]]'' || Rajni ||
|''[[Taqdeer Ka Tamasha]]'' || Rajni ||
|-
|-
|''[[Andha Bichar]]''||Special||Bengali film with Mithun
|''[[Andha Bichar]]''||Special||Bengali film  
|-
| rowspan="2" |1991||''[[Antarer Bhalobasha]]''||Jhilik||Bengali film
|-
|''[[Deshwasi]]'' || Maryada Shivpal Singh ||
|-
|-
| rowspan="2" |1991||''[[Antarer Bhalobasha]]''||Jhilik||Bengali film with [[Tapas Paul]]
| rowspan="2" |1992||''Pyaar Ka Saudagar''||Shalini Arun Verma ||
|-
|-
|''Deshwasi'' || Maryada Shivpal Singh ||
|''[[Naach Govinda Naach]]''|| ||
|-
|-
|1992||Pyaar Ka Saudagar||Shalini Arun Verma ||
|1993
|''[[Mayadari Mosagadu]]''
|
|Telugu film
|-
|-
|1996 ||''[[Zordaar]]'' ||Neha||
|1996 ||''[[Zordaar]]'' ||Neha||
Line 149: Line 144:


{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandakini}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandakini}}
[[Category:Actresses from Uttar Pradesh]]
[[Category:1969 births]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:People from Meerut]]
[[Category:Indian Buddhists]]
[[Category:Buddhist activists]]
[[Category:21st-century Buddhists]]
[[Category:Indian film actresses]]
[[Category:Indian film actresses]]
[[Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses in Hindi cinema]]
[[Category:Actresses from Meerut]]
[[Category:Buddhist activists]]
[[Category:Anglo-Indian people]]
[[Category:Indian people of English descent]]
[[Category:Tibetan Buddhists from India]]
[[Category:Year of birth missing (living people)]]
[[Category:Converts to Buddhism from Hinduism]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian Buddhists]]
[[Category:21st-century Indian Buddhists]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:20th-century Indian actresses]]
[[Category:Anglo-Indian people]]

Latest revision as of 02:32, 24 March 2026

Mandakini
Mandakini in 2012
Born
Yasmeen Joseph

Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
Other namesMandakini Joseph Thakur
OccupationActress
Years active1985–1996
Notable work
Ram Teri Ganga Maili, Dance Dance, Commando, Pyar Ke Naam Qurbaan, Jeete Hain Shaan Se
Spouse(s)Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur
Children2

Yasmeen Joseph Thakur (née Joseph), professionally credited as Mandakini, is an Indian former actress. She is best remembered for her lead role in the 1985 popular film Ram Teri Ganga Maili. She has been part of many blockbusters and was credited for her on-screen chemistry with actor Mithun Chakraborty.

Early life[edit | edit source]

Mandakini was born in Meerut as Yasmeen Joseph to a British father and a Himachali mother.[citation needed] At the young age of 16, she was discovered by film producer-director Raj Kapoor and given the screen name "Mandakini".[1]

Film career[edit | edit source]

Mandakini got her first movie in the Hindi film industry when she was cast in the lead role in the 1985 movie Ram Teri Ganga Maili by Raj Kapoor opposite his youngest son Rajiv Kapoor.[2] The film was a blockbuster, and it earned Mandakini a Filmfare nomination as Best Actress.[3] She caused a stir after she was seen partially nude in two sequences of the film.[4]

She then acted in a few more successful films, such as Dance Dance with Mithun Chakraborty, Kahan Hai Kanoon with Aditya Pancholi and Pyaar Karke Dekho with Govinda, but could not recreate the success of her first movie. The actress decided to bid adieu to the Bollywood industry after her 1996 film Zordaar.[5]

Personal life[edit | edit source]

Mandakini married a former Buddhist monk, Dr. Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur, and embraced Buddhism.[6] Her husband had gained fame in childhood as the baby featured in Murphy Radio advertisements in the 1970s and 1980s. The couple have a son named Rabbil and a daughter Rabze Innaya. After embracing Buddhism and becoming a follower of the Dalai Lama, Mandakini started running classes in Tibetan yoga, while her husband runs a Tibetan Herbal Centre.[7]

Filmography[edit | edit source]

Year Title Role Other notes
1985 Mera Saathi Shanti
Ram Teri Ganga Maili Ganga
1986 Simhasanam/Singhasan Visha Kanya Bilingual film; Simultaneously shot in Telugu and Hindi
Om Unreleased
Jeeva Nalini
Aag Aur Shola Usha
Jaal Madhu
Mazloom Meena
1987 Apne Apne Ila
Loha Seema
Pyaar Karke Dekho Urvashi
Bhargava Ramudu Roja Telugu
Dance Dance Janita
Hawalaat Leela
Param Dharam Bijli
1988 Pyaar Mohabbat
Jeete Hain Shaan Se Julie
Shoorveer Meena
Commando Asha Malhotra
Hum To Chale Pardes
Maar Dhaad
Maalamaal Honey
Tezaab Nikita (special appearance)
Agnee Ayushi
1989 Naag Nagin Ichchadhari Nagin Chandni
Kahan Hai Kanoon
Aakhri Baazi Rita
Jung Baaz Sangeeta Mathur/Neena Ninjo
Na-Insaafi Kamli
Hisaab Khoon Ka Preet K. Kaushal
Desh Ke Dushman Anita Madan
Ladaai Geeta Verma
1990 Sheshnaag
Shandaar Anita Chaurasia
Naya Khoon Dr. Seema
Jaan-E-Wafa
Dushman Laxmi
Pyar Ke Naam Qurbaan Gauri
Taqdeer Ka Tamasha Rajni
Andha Bichar Special Bengali film
1991 Antarer Bhalobasha Jhilik Bengali film
Deshwasi Maryada Shivpal Singh
1992 Pyaar Ka Saudagar Shalini Arun Verma
Naach Govinda Naach
1993 Mayadari Mosagadu Telugu film
1996 Zordaar Neha

References[edit | edit source]

  1. ↑ "Happy Birthday Mandakini 7 lesser-known facts about the Ram Teri Ganga Maili actor". 30 July 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  2. ↑ "Happy Birthday Mandakini 7 lesser-known facts about the Ram Teri Ganga Maili actor". 30 July 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  3. ↑ "Filmfare Awards" (PDF). p. 71. Archived from the original (PDF) on 12 June 2009. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  4. ↑ "Top 10 hottest waterfall women in B'wood!".
  5. ↑ "Mandakini the Ram Teri Ganga Maili actor". 30 July 2017. Retrieved 23 March 2022.
  6. ↑ Ramachandran, Sanskriti (2 August 2021). "Mandakini to make a comeback". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 11 August 2021.
  7. ↑ "Meet Mandakini, the spiritual guide". The Times of India. 14 November 2005. Retrieved 11 August 2021.

External links[edit | edit source]

Retrieved from "https://en.bharatpedia.org/w/index.php?title=Mandakini_(actress)&oldid=455361"
Discover more