Meenakshi Seshadri recalls being ousted from Damini after she refused Rajkumar Santoshi’s marriage proposal: ‘It was below my dignity’

Meenakshi Seshadri revealed that she was ousted from Damini after she refused Rajkumar Santoshi's proposal of marriage. She recounted how she kept silent about the situation.

Apart from Damini, Meenakshi Seshadri and Rajkumar Santoshi worked together in Ghayal and Ghatak. (Pic: IMDB, Varinder Chawla)

Veteran actor Meenakshi Seshadri is known for many iconic roles, among them is Rajkumar Santoshi’s Damini (1993). While she is still remembered for her stellar performance in the film, her experience shooting it was not entirely pleasant. In a recent interaction, Meenakshi revealed that she was ousted from the film after she refused Santoshi’s romantic advances and proposal of marriage. She recounted how she kept silent about the situation and was ultimately asked to rejoin the film, thanks to the support from the Producers Guild.

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 audiences. I was there to make a great film, and Damini was definitely going to be that.”

Sharing how the whole Producers Guild supported her, she said, “I respect all the people involved with the film, especially Santoshi ji because his vision was tremendous. Ultimately, they say action speaks louder than words, so the Producers Guild, the Artists Guild, all came together to make it happen.”

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Later, Meenakshi 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. Meenakshi and Rajkumar Santoshi’s first film together was Ghayal (1990). After Damini, they collaborated again for Ghatak in 1996.

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