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Mandakini (actress)
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Mandakini | |
|---|---|
 Mandakini in Dec 2012 | |
| Born | Yasmeen Joseph 30 July 1963 |
| Other names | Mandakini Joseph Thakur |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1985–1996 |
| Spouse(s) | Dr Kagyur T Rinpoche Thakur |
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.
Early life[edit]
Mandakini was born in an Anglo Indian family in Meerut. Her father, Joseph[1] is British.
Career[edit]
Early career[edit]
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.[2] She caused a stir after she was seen partially nude in two sequences of the film.[3] 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 Dawood connection[edit]
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.[4]
Mandakini vehemently denied the reports linking her to Dawood.[5] 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".[6]
Later career[edit]
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.
Currently, she runs classes in Tibetan 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.[7]
Personal life[edit]
In 1990, Mandakini married a former Buddhist monk, Dr. Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur, and embraced Buddhism.[8] 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.
Filmography[edit]
| Year | Title | Role | Other notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1985 | Mera Saathi | Shanti | |
| Ram Teri Ganga Maili | Ganga | ||
| 1986 | Simhasanam | Visha Kanya | Telugu film |
| Om | |||
| 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 with Mithun | |
| 1991 | Antarer Bhalobasha | Jhilik | Bengali film with Tapas Paul |
| Deshwasi | Maryada Shivpal Singh | ||
| 1992 | Pyaar Ka Saudagar | Shalini Arun Verma | |
| 1996 | Zordaar | Neha |
References[edit]
- ↑ "Actress Mandakini with Husband and Daughter at Durga Jasraj's Daughter's Wedding". Pink Villa. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
- ↑ "Filmfare Awards" (PDF). p. 71. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
- ↑ "Top 10 hottest waterfall women in B'wood!".
- ↑ Gangadhar, V (1 November 2002). "The price of fortune". The Hindu. N. Ram. Archived from the original on 17 January 2010. Retrieved 15 September 2008.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link) - ↑ I'm not Dawood's moll: Mandakini. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (24 February 2005). Retrieved on 2 September 2012.
- ↑ Walia, Nona. "Mandakini: 'I know Dawood but I'm not his woman'".
- ↑ 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.
- ↑ Ramachandran, Sanskriti (2 August 2021). "Mandakini to make a comeback". Deccan Chronicle. Retrieved 11 August 2021.