Mandakini (actress)

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.

Mandakini
Mandakini in Dec 2012
Born
Yasmeen Joseph

(1963-07-30) 30 July 1963
Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India
Other namesMandakini Joseph Thakur
OccupationActress
Years active1985–1996
Spouse(s)Dr. Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur (1990–present)

Early life

Mandakini was born in an Anglo Indian family in Meerut. Her father, Joseph[1] is British and her mother is hindu.

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.[2] She caused a stir after she was seen partially nude in two sequences of the film. [3] Mandakini 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 never recreated 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 nineties, photographs began circulating of Mandakini in the presence of dreaded gangster Dawood Ibrahim. Rumours had already been 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 his mistress. Later, it was alleged that she had moved to Dubai to be with him.[4]

Mandakini vehemently denied all rumours linking her relation to Dawood. She was extremely famous during this time.[5] While she admitted to knowing and being on friendly terms with him, she claimed that they did not know each other personally, let alone be a couple.[6]

Later 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.

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

In 1990, Mandakini married a former Buddhist monk, Dr. Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur. 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
YearTitleRoleOther notes
1985Mera SaathiShanti
1985Aar Paar
1985Ram Teri Ganga MailiGanga
1986SimhasanamVisha KanyaTelugu film
1986Om
1986JeevaNalini
1986Aag Aur SholaUsha
1986JaalMadhu
1986MazloomMeena
1987Apne ApneIla
1987LohaSeema
1987Pyaar Karke DekhoUrvashi
1987Bhargava RamuduRojaTelugu
1987Dance DanceJanita
1987HawalaatLeela
1987Param DharamBijli
1988Pyaar Mohabbat
1988Jeete Hain Shaan SeJulie
1988ShoorveerMeena
1988CommandoAsha Malhotra
1988Hum To Chale Pardes
1988Maar Dhaad
1988MaalamaalHoney
1988TezaabNikita (special appearance)
1988AgneeAyushi
1989Naag NaginIchchadhari Nagin Chandni
1989Kahan Hai Kanoon
1989Aakhri BaaziRita
1989Jung BaazSangeeta Mathur/Neena Ninjo
1989Na-InsaafiKamli
1989Hisaab Khoon KaPreet K. Kaushal
1989Desh Ke DushmanAnita Madan
1989LadaaiGeeta Verma
1990sheshnaag
1990ShandaarAnita Chaurasia
1990Naya KhoonDr. Seema
1990Jaan-E-Wafa
1990DushmanLaxmi
1990Pyar Ke Naam QurbaanGauri
1990Taqdeer Ka TamashaRajni
1990Andha BicharSpecialBengali film with Mithun
1991Antarer BhalobashaJhilikBengali film with Tapas Paul
1991DeshwasiMaryada Shivpal Singh
1992Pyaar Ka SaudagarShalini Arun Verma
1996ZordaarNeha
gollark: This is the (better) GTech™ base (mostly).
gollark: Also, the lower plank yield is just annoying.
gollark: Furnaces cost compressed cobblestone and coal and such, and this really seems pointless.
gollark: I'm also playing E2E, and while it's generally interesting I must say that some changes annoy me.
gollark: 2028.

References
  1. "Actress Mandakini with Husband and Daughter at Durga Jasraj's Daughter's Wedding". Pink Villa. Retrieved 10 November 2013.
  2. "Filmfare Awards" (PDF). p. 71. Retrieved 14 September 2008.
  3. http://m.photos.timesofindia.com/celebs/celeb-themes/celebs/celeb-themes/top-10-hottest-waterfall-women-in-bwood/articleshow/15819543.cms. Missing or empty |title= (help)
  4. 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.
  5. I'm not Dawood's moll: Mandakini. Timesofindia.indiatimes.com (24 February 2005). Retrieved on 2 September 2012.
  6. Walia, Nona. "Mandakini: 'I know Dawood but I'm not his woman'".
  7. 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.
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