Mandakini (born Yasmeen Joseph; 30 July 1963) is an Indian former actress. She is best remembered for her lead role in the 1985 popular film ''

Ram Teri Ganga Maili ''Ram Teri Ganga Maili'' () is a 1985 Indian Hindi-language romantic drama film directed by Raj Kapoor. The film stars Mandakini and Rajiv Kapoor in lead roles. Music director Ravindra Jain received a Filmfare Award for this film. The film ge ...

''.

Early life

Mandakini was born on July 30, 1963, in

Meerut Meerut (, IAST: ''Meraṭh'') is a city in Meerut district of the western part of the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. The city lies northeast of the national capital New Delhi, within the National Capital Region and west of the state capi ...

as Yasmeen Joseph to a British father and a Kashmiri mother. At the young age of 22, she was discovered by legendary film director

Raj Kapoor Raj Kapoor (pronunciation: �aːd͡ʒ kəpuːɾ born Shrishti Nath Kapoor; also known as Ranbir Raj Kapoor; 14 December 1924 2 June 1988) was an Indian actor, film director and producer, who worked in Hindi cinema. He is considered one of ...

and given the screen name "Mandakini".

Film career

Mandakini got her first movie in the Hindi film industry when she was cast in the lead role in the 1985 movie ''

'' by film producer-director

opposite his youngest son

Rajiv Kapoor Rajiv Raj Kapoor (25 August 1962 9 February 2021) was an Indian actor, film producer, film director and a member of the Kapoor family, best known for his lead role in '' Ram Teri Ganga Maili''. He was the youngest son of Raj Kapoor, the legen ...

. The film was a blockbuster, and it earned Mandakini a

Filmfare ''Filmfare'' is an Indian English-language fortnightly magazine published by Worldwide Media. Acknowledged as one of Indian most popular entertainment magazines, it publishes pieces involving news, interviews, photos, videos, reviews, events, a ...

nomination as Best Actress. She caused a stir after she was seen partially nude in two sequences of the film. She then acted in a few more successful films, such as '' Dance Dance'' with

Mithun Chakraborty Mithun Chakraborty (born Gouranga Chakraborty; 16 June 1950) is an Indian actor, producer and politician who predominantly worked in Hindi and Bengali language films. He is a former Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament. He is the recipient of three ...

, '' Kahan Hai Kanoon'' with

Aditya Pancholi Aditya Pancholi (born 4 January 1965) is an Indian actor, producer and playback singer working in Hindi cinema. Acting career 1985–87: Television movies and serials He was signed for a few television video films produced by Hiba, which ...

and '' Pyaar Karke Dekho'' with

Govinda Govinda (), also rendered Govind and Gobind, is an epithet of Vishnu which is also used for his avatars such as Krishna. The name appears as the 187th and the 539th name of Vishnu in '' Vishnu Sahasranama''. The name is also popularly addresse ...

, 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.

Controversy

In the early '90s, she was briefly linked to gangster

Dawood Ibrahim Dawood Ibrahim (; born 26 December 1955) is an Indian mafia gangster, drug kingpin, and wanted terrorist from Dongri, Mumbai. He reportedly heads the Indian organised crime syndicate D-Company, which he founded in Mumbai in the 1970s. Ibrahim ...

, when she was seen with the gangster in Dubai. While she admitted to meeting him, Mandakini strongly denied the rumours of any affair with him".

Embracing Buddhism & Yoga

In 1990, Mandakini married a former Buddhist monk, Dr. Kagyur T. Rinpoche Thakur, and embraced

Buddhism Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

. Her husband had gained fame in childhood as the baby featured in

Murphy Radio Murphy Radio was a British manufacturer of radios and televisions based in Welwyn Garden City, England. Murphy Radio was founded in 1929 by Frank Murphy and E.J. Power as a volume manufacturer of home radio sets. Its factories were in the H ...

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 Dalai Lama (, ; ) is a title given by the Tibetan people to the foremost spiritual leader of the Gelug or "Yellow Hat" school of Tibetan Buddhism, the newest and most dominant of the four major schools of Tibetan Buddhism. The 14th and current Dal ...

, Mandakini started running classes in

Tibet Tibet (; ''Böd''; ) is a region in East Asia, covering much of the Tibetan Plateau and spanning about . It is the traditional homeland of the Tibetan people. Also resident on the plateau are some other ethnic groups such as Monpa people, ...

yoga Yoga (; sa, योग, lit=yoke' or 'union ) is a group of physical, mental, and spiritual practices or disciplines which originated in ancient India and aim to control (yoke) and still the mind, recognizing a detached witness-conscio ...

, while her husband runs a Tibetan Herbal Centre.

Filmography

References

External links

*
Mandakini's profile on Facebook
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mandakini Actresses from Uttar Pradesh 1969 births Living people People from Meerut Indian Buddhists Buddhist activists 21st-century Buddhists Indian film actresses Actresses in Hindi cinema 20th-century Indian actresses Anglo-Indian people