- Meenakshi Sheshadri was a leading 1980s actress known for films like Ghayal and Damini
- She was rumored to have an affair with singer Kumar Sanu, which he has denied
- Director Rajkumar Santoshi proposed to her, but she declined and faced film backlash
Reigning actress of the '80s, Meenakshi Sheshadri has many monikers to her rampant popularity - pageant winner, classical dancer and avid scholar. She can easily be called one of the most sought-after actresses of her time, with a slew of memorable titles in her filmography - Meri Jung, Swati, Shahenshah, Jurm and, most importantly, Raj Kumar Santoshi's much-revered trio Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak.
In her early 30s, she was given the title of the "Ice Maiden". In conversation with Filmfare, the actress said it was because she was "shy and introverted" and did not feel the need to have a man in her life.
But then came murmurs of her affair with singer Kumar Sanu at the peak of her career. She was also linked to director Rajkumar Santoshi, who had reportedly proposed to her, but she politely declined. She eventually chose to step away from the limelight and embraced a quiet life in Texas. She married US-based investment banker Harish Mysore in 1995 and turned to teaching classical dance.
As time passed, one of the most scandalous rumours surrounding Meenakshi Sheshadri, the highly successful heroine of the 1980s with acclaimed work to her credit, continued to resurface.
The Kumar Sanu Affair
Back in the 1990s, speculation about Meenakshi Sheshadri and Kumar Sanu began making the rounds.
Things heated up further when the singer's then-secretary confirmed to a leading tabloid, "Kumar has many 'girlfriends' and, for now, he is dating the popular actress Meenakshi Seshadri. But the actress married investment banker Harish Mysore."
Reports also mentioned how about the same time, Kumar Sanu separated from his first wife Rita Bhattacharya, and divorced in 1994. When asked about the rumours that it was because of his alleged affair with an actress, Kumar Sanu responded in a conversation with Siddharth Kannan, "Shaadi tooti woh aapsi maamla tha."
Years later, Kumar Sanu completely dismissed the speculation in a conversation with Shubhankar Mishra on his podcast. In fact, this was the most recent one, from just last month. Kumar Sanu steadfastly said that he had "never met Meenakshi Sheshadri."
When the podcaster expressed surprise at the endless reports of their affair, he also referred to the popular track Jab Koi Baat Bigad Jaye from the film Jurm, sung by him as a professing of love for Meenakshi Sheshadri. Interestingly, rumours suggested that the two met at the premiere of the film, which starred the actress opposite Vinod Khanna.
Kumar Sanu said, "Bilkul nahi. Sabse badi baat, unse kabhi mulaaqat hi nahi hui. Isko create kiya gaya tha. Ye isliye kiya gaya tha kyunki kisi ko bachna hai, toh kisi ko dost deke hi bach sakte hain. Sawaal hi nahi hai, na miley kabhi, na dekha usko. Abhi Dubai mein kuch show tha, usmein mulaqat hui. Itne saal, 40 saal baad. (Absolutely not. The biggest point is, I never even met him. This was created. It was done because if someone has to be saved, they can only be saved by giving them a friend. There's no question of it — never met him, never saw him. Just recently, there was a show in Dubai where we met. After so many years, after 40 years.)"
Meenakshi Sheshadri, on the other hand, chose dignified silence over public statements and never commented on her rumoured relationship with Kumar Sanu.
But what became a bigger controversy was a proposal from filmmaker Rajkumar Santoshi, who fell head over heels in love with the actress while working on three of her most acclaimed films - Ghayal, Damini and Ghatak.
The Rajkumar Santoshi Fallout
Rajkumar Santoshi was completely smitten by Meenakshi Sheshadri's beauty and openly expressed his desire to marry her. He proposed to her, but she declined.
With a bruised ego and broken heart, Rajkumar Santoshi said in an interview, as quoted by Bollywood Shaadis, "I was in love with Meenakshi, but she rejected me. I wanted to marry her."
Their 1993 film Damini was a superhit, but reports suggested that Meenakshi Sheshadri was almost ousted from the film for rejecting his proposal.
It was only after the intervention of the Cine Workers Association that she was recast.
This proposal, which became a huge deal, was publicly addressed, and Meenakshi Sheshadri did recall how she stood up for herself.
She told Zoom, "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 are not 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."
Meenakshi Sheshadri 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."
Reflecting on the support she received from the Producers Guild, 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."
Interestingly, despite this fallout, Meenakshi Sheshadri worked with Rajkumar Santoshi again in the 1996 film Ghatak, which was also a blockbuster, but the film had been signed before everything transpired. Their strained relationship is said to be a prelude to why Meenakshi Sheshadri left Bollywood, but there is no confirmation of this.
In an interview with ETimes, Meenakshi Sheshadri shared how Yash Chopra and Amjad Khan intervened to put Damini back on track when the problems seemed to keep escalating.
She said, "Mr Yash Chopra and Mr Amjad Khan intervened to put Damini back on track. Mr Santoshi and I also decided that we would put everything behind us and make Damini the best film. Whatever personal matters had happened on either side, we decided that we would not comment on them. 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."
After a filmography as stellar as Meenakshi Sheshadri's, the actress chose to step away and married US-based investment banker Harish Mysore in 1995, amid all the hullabaloo that had unfolded at the epicentre of Bollywood's scandalous arena.
The Happily Ever After
Meenakshi Sheshadri and Harish Mysore had a quiet, civil and registered marriage in New York in 1995. The actress had spoken in interviews about the initial culture shock she faced, moving away from the resounding stardom of tinsel town to adjusting to a grounded domestic life in the US.
The couple have two children - a daughter, Kendra Mysore, and a son, Josh Mysore.
As for Meenakshi Sheshadri, she raised her children away from the prying eyes of Hindi cinema and returned to her eternal passion and dedication to classical arts.
She taught Bharatanatyam, Kathak and Odissi, and later went on to establish her regional dance school, most often referred to as Cherish Dance School, in the Dallas area.
Over the years, she and her students have performed at local community functions, prominent fundraisers and Indian conventions, carving a niche for herself.
Interestingly, despite her flourishing film career once, Meenakshi Sheshadri cannot be mentioned without revisiting her link-ups with Kumar Sanu and, more widely publicised, rejecting Rajkumar Santoshi.
Either way, it was undoubtedly one of Bollywood's biggest "lovestruck" feuds, if we may say so.