Meenakshi Seshadri gained stardom in a very short span of time and became one of the leading stars in Bollywood. She is known for many iconic roles and among them is Rajkumar Santoshi’s Damini (1993). While her performance is still remembered widely, her experience shooting the film was not entirely pleasant. The actress revealed that she was ousted from the film after she refused Rajkumar Santoshi’s marriage proposal and also praised how other actresses came in support of her.
Speaking to Zoom, Meenakshi said, “Santoshi ji and I decided not to talk about it. It is water under the bridge. But the courage to stand up was important because nobody should be told they aren’t required anymore. It had several implications for rules in the workforce and beyond. I dealt with it by keeping quiet. I just said that I will choose not to comment on this as it is below my dignity to turn this into a fight. This is not a fight.”
She added, “I stood up for what I believe in, and if things were going to work out, we would work together as a team. That was the message I wanted to give to the film fraternity and the audience. I was there to make a great film, and Damini was definitely going to be that.”
She also revealed that when she was ousted from the film, the role went to several big actresses in Bollywood that time, however, each one of them turned it down saying, “Something is wrong. Either she will continue or we’ll not replace her.” She mentioned that she is sure that Madhuri Dixit turned down the offer and that she was pleased to see the unity among the actresses.
Meenakshi Seshadri left film industry at the peak of her career and moved to US with her husband after marriage. She got married Harish Mysore in 1995. The couple has two children, a daughter and a son. Rajkumar Santoshi also found love elsewhere, marrying Manila, and they became parents to Ram and Tanisha.
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