Mandakini (actress)
 |
Mandakini Thakur | |
|---|---|
| Born | Yasmeen Joseph July 30, 1969 Meerut, Uttar Pradesh, India |
| Other names | Mandakini Joseph Thakur |
| Occupation | Actress |
| Years active | 1985–1999 |
Mandakini (Hindi: मंदाकिनी [mənd̪aːkiːni]; born 30 July 1969, as Yasmeen Joseph) 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.[1]
Early life
Mandakini was born in an Indian family in Meerut. Her father is British and her mother is a Kashmiri Muslim
Career
Early career
At 16, pet name Sana Anjum she was cast in the lead role in Raj Kapoor'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.[2] 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.
The Dawood connection
In 1994, 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 Rishi Kapoor into casting Mandakini, and she was his mistress. Later, it was alleged that she had moved to Dubai to be with him.[1]
Mandakini vehemently denied all ru|last=Walia |authorlink= |coauthors= |title=Mandakini: ‘I know Dawood but I’m not his woman’ |url=http://movies.indiatimes.com/articleshow/msid-1031865,prtpage-1.cms |work=Indiatimes Movies |publisher=Times of India |date=2005-02-25 |accessdate=2008-09-15 }}</ref>
Later career
Mandakini's career suffered a serious setback. She quit movies after Zordaar in 1996 and has lived in Mumbai 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 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.[3]
In January 2010 her husband confirmed that Mandakini would be co-directing an English film with him.[4]
Personal life
As of 1990, Mandakini is married to a Buddhist monk, Dr. Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur with children.[5]
References
- ^ a b Gangadhar, V (2002-11-01). "The price of fortune". The Hindu. N. Ram. Retrieved 2008-09-15.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|coauthors=(help) - ^ "Filmfare Awards" (PDF). p. 71. Retrieved 2008-09-14.
- ^ Meet Mandakini, the spiritual guide
- ^ Mandakini makes a come back to Bollywood as a Director, January 27, 2010: "Actress Mandakini who gained fame with film “Ram Teri Ganga Maili” and later on for having an affair with underworld Don Dawood Ibrahim is trying her luck to enter bollywood.
The former actress is now ready to co-direct an English film with her husband, Dr. Kagyur Rinpoche. Incidentally, Rinpoche, who was earlier a close associate of the Dalai Lama, was a monk for a major part of his life before he got married to Mandakini. The film titled “The Lost Country” is based on the current issues between China and Tibet. While the casting is still not finalised the couple has spoken to Hollywood superstar Richard Gere to star in it.
Confirming the news, Dr. Kagyur Rinpoche said "Yes, we are directing the film. My wife Mandakini has worked extensively in Bollywood and done 40-odd films so she has loads of experience which helped us put this project together. We have been working on the film for two years now and will start shooting as soon as we get the dates of all the actors. We have spoken to a couple of actors in Mumbai and Korea for our film. We will also have some Hollywood actors including Richard Gere, who loved the subject when we met him at Bodhgaya, Patna a few months ago. He is currently going through the final draft and we are waiting for his dates to be confirmed. Officials from the Tibetan Government have also heard the subject and are with us. The Dalai Lama too has given me his blessings and support for the film.
Apart from being made in English, The Lost Country will also be dubbed in Hindi, Chinese, Korean, Spanish and Japanese. The film is written by Salim Bijnoi and Aryan Singh. Mandakani all set to direct film! - ^ It's in the past now: Mandakini