Meenakshi Seshadri reveals Rajkumar Santoshi refused to work with her in Damini after she declined his marriage proposal: ‘They started looking for new heroine’

When Meenakshi was asked if she will do a film with Rajkumar Santoshi today, the actress quickly said, “Absolutely, I will jump at it. Provided, there is a good role for me.”

She further explained, “We didn’t have awkwardness while shooting Damini despite all the controversy, then I don’t think we will have any awkwardness today.”

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In an interview with Times Of India, Meenakshi said, “When all this news broke out and whatever supposed problems happened, Mr Yash Chopra and Mr Amjad Khan intervened to put Damini back on track. Mr Santoshi and I also and make Damini as the best film. Whatever personal talks took place, from this side or that, we decided that we won’t comment.”

She added, “And it was the most dignified thing to do. Plus, it was the right thing to do. I went on to marry and lead a respectable life and he too went on to marry and did the same. Yes, we did Ghatak together. But that’s what I said na? We had decided to continue working professionally.”

In another interview with Zoom, she said, “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.”

Rajkumar Santoshi and Meenakshi’s first film together was Ghayal (1990), marking the filmmaker’s directorial debut. In 1993, they made the film Damini amid various controversies. The actor-director duo once again reunited for the 1996 film Ghatak, which released a year after Meenakshi’s wedding with Harish Mysore in 1995.

Later, Rajkumar Santoshi too tied the knot with Manila, who predominantly worked in Bollywood.