Mandakini
Encyclopedia
Mandakini is a former Bollywood
actress. She had a brief, controversial career in Hindi movies and was rumoured to have a relationship with gangster Dawood Ibrahim
.
family in Meerut. Her father is British
and her mother is a Kashmiri Muslim
's 1985 movie, Ram Teri Ganga Maili
opposite his youngest son, Rajiv Kapoor
. The movie was a hit, and it earned Mandakini a Filmfare
nomination as Best Actress. The film also caused a stir because of two scenes: one in which Mandakini bathes in a waterfall wearing only a flimsy white saree through which her breasts were clearly visible and another in which she was shown breast-feeding a child. Some critics claimed that the scenes were vulgar and exploitative, and were used to get around the Indian Film Censor Board's stringent rules against nudity
. Kapoor, as usual, defended the inclusion of the scenes stating that they were tasteful.
Mandakini acted in a few more successful films, such as Dance Dance
, with Mithun Chakraborty
and Pyaar Karke Dekho
with Govinda
, but never managed to recreate the success of her first movie.
. 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 Rishi Kapoor into casting Mandakini, and she was his mistress. Later, it was alleged that she had moved to Dubai
to be with him.
Mandakini vehemently denied all rumours linking her to Dawood. 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.
Andheri since 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 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.
In January 2010 her husband confirmed that Mandakini would be co-directing an English film with him.
Bollywood
Bollywood is the informal term popularly used for the Hindi-language film industry based in Mumbai , Maharashtra, India. The term is often incorrectly used to refer to the whole of Indian cinema; it is only a part of the total Indian film industry, which includes other production centers producing...
actress. She had a brief, controversial career in Hindi movies and was rumoured to have a relationship with gangster Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
.
Early life
Mandakini was born in an IndianIndia
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
family in Meerut. Her father is British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
and her mother is a Kashmiri Muslim
Kashmiri Muslims
Kashmiri Muslims are Kashmiri people who are Muslims, currently living in Kashmir or those originally with Kashmiri kinship and descent living in Pakistan. Kashmiris are ethinically and culturally closer to central asian culture than Indian or Pakistani culture with significant influence of the...
Early career
At 16, pet name Sana Anjum she was cast in the lead role in Raj KapoorRaj Kapoor
Known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor Rāj Kapūr, 14 December 1924 – 2 June 1988), also known as The Show-Man, was an Indian film actor, producer and director of Hindi cinema. He was the winner of nine Filmfare Awards, while his films Awaara and Boot Polish were nominated for the Palme d'Or at the...
's 1985 movie, Ram Teri Ganga Maili
Ram Teri Ganga Maili
Ram Teri Ganga Maili was a hit 1985 Bollywood movie directed by the legend, Raj Kapoor. This movie stars Mandakini and Rajiv Kapoor, son of the director-producer Raj Kapoor. It was Raj Kapoor's last film. The songs of the films were of high meolody...
opposite his youngest son, Rajiv Kapoor
Rajiv Kapoor
Rajiv Kapoor is an Indian film actor, producer, director and a member of the famous Kapoor Family.-Career:He had a short stint in the Hindi film industry, acting in only 13 films. His first film was Ek jaan hain hum , with Divya Rana, Shammi Kapoor, Pran, and Gulshan Grover...
. The movie was a hit, and it earned Mandakini a Filmfare
Filmfare
Filmfare is an English-language tabloid-sized magazine about Indian cinema. Published by The Times Group, India's largest media services conglomerate, in Mumbai , it highlights the doings of the Bollywood film scene...
nomination as Best Actress. The film also caused a stir because of two scenes: one in which Mandakini bathes in a waterfall wearing only a flimsy white saree through which her breasts were clearly visible and another in which she was shown breast-feeding a child. Some critics claimed that the scenes were vulgar and exploitative, and were used to get around the Indian Film Censor Board's stringent rules against nudity
Nudity
Nudity is the state of wearing no clothing. The wearing of clothing is exclusively a human characteristic. The amount of clothing worn depends on functional considerations and social considerations...
. Kapoor, as usual, defended the inclusion of the scenes stating that they were tasteful.
Mandakini acted in a few more successful films, such as Dance Dance
Dance Dance (film)
Dance Dance is an Indian Bollywood movie released on 29 May 1987, directed and produced by Babbar Subhash. The film is a musical and stars Mithun Chakraborty, Smita Patil and Mandakini in lead roles. It also stars Amrish Puri, Shakti Kapoor and Om Shivpuri in supporting roles...
, with Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty
Mithun Chakraborty is an Indian film actor, social activist, and entrepreneur, who has won three National Film Awards. He made his acting debut with the arthouse drama Mrigaya , for which he won his first National Film Award for Best Actor....
and Pyaar Karke Dekho
Pyaar Karke Dekho
-Cast:*Govinda - Ravi Kumar*Mandakini - Urvashi*Kader Khan - Sampat Srivastav*Aruna Irani - Sampat's wife*Nirupa Roy - Lilavati*Om Shivpuri - Thakur*Vikas Anand - All India Talent Association's Director...
with Govinda
Govinda (actor)
Govinda is a Filmfare award-winning Indian actor and politician. He has appeared in over 120 Hindi language films. At the start of his career, his acting and dancing skills gained him widespread attention among film viewers. He later gained worldwide fame as a Bollywood icon through comedy films...
, but never managed to recreate the success of her first movie.
The Dawood connection
In 1994, photographs began circulating of Mandakini in the presence of dreaded gangster Dawood IbrahimDawood Ibrahim
Dawood Ibrahim , also known as Dawood Ebrahim, and Sheikh Dawood Hassan, is the head of the organized crime syndicate [[D-Company]] in Mumbai. He is currently on the wanted list of Interpol for organised crime and counterfeiting. He was No. 4 on the Forbes' World's Top 10 most dreaded criminals...
. 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 Rishi Kapoor into casting Mandakini, and she was his mistress. Later, it was alleged that she had moved to Dubai
Dubai
Dubai is a city and emirate in the United Arab Emirates . The emirate is located south of the Persian Gulf on the Arabian Peninsula and has the largest population with the second-largest land territory by area of all the emirates, after Abu Dhabi...
to be with him.
Mandakini vehemently denied all rumours linking her to Dawood. 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.
Later career
Mandakini's career suffered a serious setback. She quit movies after Zordaar in 1996 and has lived in MumbaiMumbai
Mumbai , formerly known as Bombay in English, is the capital of the Indian state of Maharashtra. It is the most populous city in India, and the fourth most populous city in the world, with a total metropolitan area population of approximately 20.5 million...
Andheri since 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 Tibet
Tibet
Tibet is a plateau region in Asia, north-east of the Himalayas. It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people as well as some other ethnic groups such as Monpas, Qiang, and Lhobas, and is now also inhabited by considerable numbers of Han and Hui people...
an yoga
Yoga
Yoga is a physical, mental, and spiritual discipline, originating in ancient India. The goal of yoga, or of the person practicing yoga, is the attainment of a state of perfect spiritual insight and tranquility while meditating on Supersoul...
and is a follower of the Dalai Lama
Dalai Lama
The Dalai Lama is a high lama in the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" branch of Tibetan Buddhism. The name is a combination of the Mongolian word далай meaning "Ocean" and the Tibetan word bla-ma meaning "teacher"...
. With her husband, she runs a centre for Tibetan medicine, which is commonly known as the Tibetan Herbal Centre in the area.
In January 2010 her husband confirmed that Mandakini would be co-directing an English film with him.