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Отправлено: 04.12.09 01:21. Заголовок: Очередные крохи. Me..
Очередные крохи.
Meet Mandakini, the spiritual guide
Bhaarati K Dubey & Soumittra S Bose, 14 November 2005
MUMBAI: Of all the gangsters' molls we've written about in the past couple of days, possibly the most famous was Mandakini, who scorched the screen
with her wet and white sari in Raj Kapoor's Ram Teri Ganga Maili. That was in the 1985.
In the years that followed, she came to be known more as Dawood Ibrahim's girl, reportedly keeping him company for several years. But in the past few years, there's no sight or sound of her. Rumour had it she was living in Bangalore.
Fact is, she is in this city, at Yari Road in the western suburb of Andheri, married to Dr Kagyur T Rinpoche Thakur, a Buddhist actively involved with the Tibetan cause. The one-time actress can often be spotted at a well-known Chinese eatery on Andheri Link Road, enjoying a meal with her family.
But she is more than just a housewife. Along with her husband, she runs a centre for Tibetan medicine, which is commonly known as the Tibetan Herbal Centre in the area.
After remaining away from the spotlight for years, Mandakini made her first public appearance in July 1998 along with her husband at a meeting to felicitate the Dalai Lama in the city. Clad in a cream sari with a red border, the actress looked every inch the devoted home-maker.
But she was not keen to talk to the media. Cut to 2005, and it is a slightly different story. The face is the same. Chubby, innocent and glowing
with happiness. Sitting next to her husband, she comes across as relaxed and talkative.
"Soon we will be starting classes in Tibetan yoga and other spiritual ways of living. I have benefited from it myself," she told TOI recently, pointing around her quaintly decorated clinic.
"I was initiated into Tibetan yoga years ago when I was seeking solace from the rigours of the film industry. My teacher was my husband, who is deeply into spirituality," she adds.
Elaborating on her future plans, Mandakini said: "The knowledge that we would be imparting at the sessions here has been handed down by the great Tibetan gurus and scholars over centuries."
If the happiness she radiates is anything to go by, the classes are bound to be successful.
Тоже ничего особенного. По слухам живёт в Бангалоре на улице Яри роад в пригороде Андхери, часто её вместе с семьёй видят в китайском кафе. Первый выход в свет после долого отсутствия состоялся в июле 1998 на празднике в честь Далай ламы. Актриса была в кремовом сари с красной каймой. Выглядела счастливой. С журналистами разговаривать не собиралась. До 2005 года: лицо такое же-невинное и счастливое. Дальше Манди говорит немного про йогу. Вообщем, ничего особенного. Фоток нет.
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Отправлено: 13.03.10 13:48. Заголовок: Нашла старую статью ..
Нашла старую статью из журнала CineBlitz в печатном виде. Изините, если было
Mandakini’s torment
You know her as Mandakini, Raj Kapoor's latest screen goddess. With the bewitching .smile and body that can set a million hearts pulsating. But she is also Baby, the golden goose of her parents. With access to more fame and riches than they've ever seen. And they want both. She is the co-star of Aman Wirk in Mazloom. With the kind of relationship he wants from her, to extract as much as he can, till he finally discards her. And he hasn't promised her anything in return.
And she is 'Mandy' to a lover, whom her parents have barred her from catching so much as a glimpse of. With a love for Ashish Chenana, like he cannot stop thirsting for, the pressure is mounting for the lovely 'Ganga'. Something is very wrong...
Last month, we scheduled Mandakini Tor a photography session. An idea, simple enough to execute. But as I set about it, I found myself witnessing a scene that I could not erase from my mind. Could a family really treat their own flesh and blood, the way Mandakini's parents were treating her?
It all started when...
I met Aman Wirk, also on his way to Mandakini's. The door was opened to us by her flustered sister, Parveen, who was undecided about what she should do. In a flash, Joseph, Mandakini's father bolted the door leading to the bedroom. Parveen, left us standing there gaping and followed him inside. We walked in only to hear screams that were being smothered. Obviously, we had walked right into the middle of a heated family argument. Suddenly, there was silence. And a pale Parveen, returned to inform us that no one was home. Then what about her father, the two female voices arguing, the sound of a slap and the scream? It was an awkward moment, so we left. Once outside, Aman laughed at my being upset. "Hey, it's nothing new. With this family, it happens all the time." I probed and he clammed up with a "No comment." We left it at that.
When I met her the next day, things appeared normal. I looked at her curiously and asked if everything was all right. She gave me a resigned look and her parents appeared before she could answer. I started discussing the photo session, with her father hanging on my every word. When he got up to answer the door bell, I wrote out my phone number. But as I was handing it over to her, her father snatched it away. This put an end to any further conversation between us.
A few days later, sensational news that Mandakini had been shot dead by a member of her family, made the rounds. I rushed to meet her and was informed that she was shooting at Versova for Ravindra Peepat's film. I greeted her warmly, pleased to see that she was alive. I told her of the rumour, in the presence of her mother. She was not amused. And once again, just before Mandakini could say a word, her mother butted in with, "Chalo accha hai, meri beti ki umar badhee." And reacting strongly to other rumours, she continued with, "How dare people say she's our 'sone ki murgi'? What do they expect? That she earns and gives the money to them? Do they know what we've been through just to provide baby with everything? We sold off all we had before coming to Bombay. The bungalow, the gaadis, all for her. We have invested all we had. Now it's her duty to repay us. Jo lagaya hai woh to vasul hona chahiye." I was shocked. Is that how parents are supposed to be? How could anyone be so businesslike about their child?
Callously, the mother asked me, "How did you like our new house?" Instead of answering, I commented upon the beautiful bungalow in which the shooting was taking place. And told her that one day she may own one. Her excitement knows no bounds, "Tere muh mein ghee shakkar. Yes we are moving on to a higher status." And continued to rant about their progress from a one room apartment to the new house. I interrupted her with, what if Mandakini gets married? She stared at me, mouth agape in mid-sentence, and proceeded with clenched teeth, "Marriage? She is too young to get married. She doesn't know her mind as yet. I keep telling her that a girl should never marry before 30. And after all, what is married life? It's dreadful. She may as well enjoy life while she's at her parents’ house. Once you get married, all that you do is dance to your husband's tune. I have told her that she'll be very unhappy if she thinks of marrying now."
But couldn't she fall in love? "Huh! love," she scoffed. "Arre, I know what you are getting at. We are talking about the kal ka chokra, Ashish. Just because he is a bade baap ka beta, it doesn't mean a thing. I know how such freaks think. Zara se ache cheez dekhi aur bus, haath dhoke peeche pad gaya. What is he anyway? You know what he does? He falls at her feet, weeps, pleads and begs desperately for her love. Tell me, what can a young, immature girl like her do, when this chokra gets into his act? He doesn't know how to behave. And she doesn't know to handle the situation. Maybe she thinks she's in love with him, but we don't like him one bit. We'll never let it happen! In fact, we see to it that he doesn't come anywhere near her. Enough is enough."
I had to probe further. So I asked her if this attitude was adopted towards others as well. "No. This boy Aman comes over very often to see her. Now he is a very sensible boy. We don't mind her seeing him at all. We know that he doesn't have any foolish ideas like Ashish. He doesn't mean harm, and is a good friend to her. We are very protective towards her. Everybody is trying to teach her all the wrong things. They tell her that she should be independent. We fear for her because she may get influenced and do the wrong thing. We keep telling her that everybody is waiting to exploit her. And that she should not listen to what they say. Due to this, we don't let her associate with anyone."
I felt sorry for Mandakini. Virtually a prisoner, she is not allowed to talk to anyone. After further unsuccessful attempts to get her alone, I realized that it was futile as long as her parents were around. So I decided to meet the two men in Mandakini's life- Aman and Ashish.
It's obvious that the family is all for Aman. But Ashish is the one Mandakini loves. It's him she longs to be with, but it's Aman that she sees every day.
Aman is afraid of controversies. He did not want to discuss his relationship with Mandakini. But, once I threw the accusations and facts at him, he decided to defend himself.
"I am very close to Mandakini and care for her a lot. I see her every day. She keeps calling me at my office from wherever she is shooting. She discusses even her most intimate problems with me." But does she reciprocate your feelings? I asked. He gave me a thoughtful look and countered, "What's a guy to think when a girl says that she loves him?" Then where does Ashish fit into this picture? "That's something I wouldn't like to speculate upon. Maybe she cares for him. I think she's the only person who could comment on it."
Aren't you aware of her relationship with Ashish? "I have caught her talking to him on the phone. When I confronted her she stammered that it was not her fault if Ashish called her up and refused to disconnect. I know for a fact that she is not seeing him nowadays. She has only made me promise that if ever I were to confront Ashish, I should take her along."
But weren't you and Ashish friends before this? "Oh yeah, we were. In fact, when he first met Mandakini he wanted my opinion on her because we had started Mazbom before Aag Aur Shola. Very frankly, I feel Ashish is using her. His film carries bad reports. And he is trying to get whatever publicity he can from this affair. He wants to cash in on her popularity. And anyway, what is he without her by his side?"
Isn't it you who has signed two films with her? Reportedly, Mandakini is not allowed to sign any film with Ashish. So how could he benefit?
"He is treated like a dog by her family. Baby's mother was most insulting whenever he was around. I myself have witnessed such scenes. The guy is desperate to marry her and this has triggered off a fear in the family."
Since the family is all for you, do you feel they are pushing you and Mandakini together intentionally?
"Even though I am welcomed very warmly in that house, I have made one thing very clear to them. I have no intentions of marrying her. I care for her. But marriage? No way."
Reportedly, her family beats her up if she does anything against their wishes. Being so close to them surely you know what's happening. "A lot is happening, though I wouldn't want to go into detail. What is most evident is that they are too money-minded. They guard her well. I hope I am not being used by Mandakini or her family. One thing that I will not stand for is being taken for a ride."
It seemed to me that Aman is exactly where he wants to be. He has managed to win over the family. He enjoys proclaiming that he is the man in Mandakini's life. And yet, he can walk out whenever he wants to-it's a no-strings attachment.
Ashish, on the other hand, is very clear about what he wants. It's not hard to see that he is genuinely in love with Mandakini. Initially, he tried to appear indifferent about not having seen his 'Mandy' for a long time. But once I insisted on knowing his stand, he confessed, "I have not seen her for over a month. Her family won't let me. They are dead against our relationship. She used to come over to my place on the sly, but she can't do that anymore. She is virtually under house arrest."
I told him that I could not understand how he had managed to antagonize the family to such an extent. "The thing is, her family is very money-minded. They are scared that if we ever get married, I will be taking away their golden goose. They have been against this relationship from the very beginning. I knew that once it was out in the open there would be a lot of trouble. I was right. I had told Mandy to be discreet about things, but she said, “the way things are with my family, what more can happen?' I tried to stop her from declaring our love for each other, but didn't succeed. She is too childish about such things. Now look what has happened. I can't even see her."
According to Aman, her family has been very rude and insulting with you. "That is true. Her mother is very uncouth. I have been tolerant to date. I have kept my temper in check, only because of Mandy. I am aware of the fact that whatever grievances they have against me, it's Mandy who is at the receiving end. I know that they beat her up. At present, there's not much I can do about it. For her sake, I am tolerating a lot of their nonsense."
Aman has gone on record to say that Mandakini is in love with him.
"Bullshit. Mandy is not a girl of double standards. It can never be true. I know her only too well to believe this. Aman is nothing but a publicity hound. And if he is so desperate for it, he should think up something better. Otherwise, he'll end up a laughing stock."
I reminded him that her family keeps throwing the two together. He retorted bitterly, "I know what their game is. They are encouraging Aman to meet her in the hope that she forgets me. It used to happen even when I was seeing her. Whenever Aman and I were present, Mandy's mother would insult me, and be all praise for Aman. In front of me, she would literally encourage their romance. I don't know how I controlled myself."
It appears that you have not signed any more films with her. Hasn't that affected your career? "They are not letting her sign a single film with me. They don't even let her ring me up. And I keep waiting for a phone call all day long. It's terrible. Their attitude about us working together will affect my career to a certain extent. But what can be done about it? I am very sure of our love for each other. I know that if I ask her to give up everything and come away with me, she'll do it. But the thing is, we don't intend to elope."
But then what is your alternative? "This is too personal a thing to talk about. It's too early to say whether we'll be able to wait for six months or three years. I still have to set myself up. However, when I think of doing something I know I'll have to build a Great Wall Of China around her. I want her all to myself. I will not let anything come in our way. And I'm willing to wait."
Don't you feel that if things carry on this way, you may slowly drift apart? "It could happen. That's what they are hoping for. I don't want to let her stay in that kind of atmosphere anymore."
I knew exactly what he meant by atmosphere. It's the way the people around her behave. The crudity, the language, their very attitude towards life. And adding to it all, the tremendous workload she has.
"Mandy works more than 11 hours a day," Ashish continued. "I have seen her dead tired, but her parents keep pushing her. All they see is money. They forget the person working so damn hard for it."
To her family, she is nothing but the access to riches. To Aman, she is a stepping stone. To Ashish, she is his life.
And among all these people lies a girl, who happens to be the common factor. In their own selfish ways, have they forgotten all about Mandakini? And what she might be going through?
Her parents, probably acting out of a natural protective instinct, do not realise that they are driving her towards a sheer dead end.
Aman, who feels he is doing the right thing, has probably forgotten in that reality, he is only playing on a girl's emotions.
Ashish too, in his own way, has made it all the more difficult for her. Because if their love is as he claims it to be, then Mandakini must be a very tortured girl today.
Where will Mandakini's loyalties lie? Especially when everything is looking up professionally. She is too young to make such major decisions. And one can only hope that she comes through it all, doing exactly what she wants to do. After all, even 'Ganga' had a happy end...
SANTOSH SUD
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