‘Everybody loved Sunny Deol, but I appreciated Rishi Kapoor more in Damini’: Meenakshi Seshadri shares unpopular opinion

Meenakshi Seshadri opened up about the film Damini and stressed on the importance of Rishi Kapoor's role in the film.

New Delhi | September 30, 2023 03:35 PM IST

Rajkumar Santoshi's Damini, starring Rishi Kapoor, Meenakshi Seshadri and Sunny Deol, released 30 years ago. (Photo: Express Archives)

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Rajkumar Santoshi’s 1983 film Damini starred Rishi Kapoor and Meenakshi Seshadri in lead roles. Surprisingly, it was Sunny Deol who stole the spotlight, despite appearing only in a guest role. Meenakshi has now said that Rishi stood his ground despite not having big moments in the film, for which she appreciates him.

In an interview with Radio Nasha, Meenakshi said, “Sab log Sunny ko bohot maante hai Damini mein, but main Chintu ji ko maanti hoon. I feel that when you are not given major lines in a movie and the rest of the characters are given those lines and you still hold your ground… He has fleshed out that part, hats off to him. Only he could have done it, creating meaning in a role which was not author-backed. The industry took it very well and people thought I will do challenging roles like this.”

In the movie Damini, Meenakshi plays a woman who fights for her housemaid, Urmi, after she’s sexually assaulted by her husband’s brother. Even if it means going against her own family, Damini is determined to get justice for Urmi. Rishi plays Damini’s husband, caught in a difficult position.

Also read | When Rishi Kapoor felt Sunny Deol ‘took all the credit’ for Damini even though he was the hero: ‘He was the loud character’

Rishi had opened up about the same in his memoir Khullam Khulla. He wrote, “Although I was supposed to be the hero of the film and Sunny had a guest appearance in it, in the end he walked away with the accolades and the applause. Underplaying a character and still standing out is a tough act to pull off. Perhaps, Sunny was better than me, perhaps his role resonated more with the audience, but my character was more difficult to essay.”

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