Do you know Meenakshi Seshadri left acting and Bollywood when she was at the peak of her career. Reports stated that it was one-sided love from a director which promoted her for it.
Meenakshi Seshadri was one of the most popular names in the 80s. She rose to fame with iconic roles in films like Hero, Damini, and Ghayal. She was not just hailed for her acting chops but for her stunning looks. The doe-eyed diva was the highest paid actress of her time. Despite being on top of her game, why did Meenakshi leave acting. Is it because of a one-sided love? Let us know.
While Meenakshi Seshadri worked with Rajkumar Santoshi, he developed feelings for her during their collaborations. While they worked together in 1990 for Ghayal, he fell madly-in-love with her and was smitten by her beauty. However, when he proposed his love for the actress, she turned it down. Dejected by her rejection, Rajkumar publicly proclaimed his love for the actress in an interview. When an interviewer asked the director about his feelings for Meenakshi, he said:
“I was in love with Meenakshi, but she rejected me. I wanted to marry her.”
After Meenakshi rejected Rajkumar’s proposal, a professional tension cropped up between them. Their 1993 film, Damini was a superhit and Meenakshi was praised for her performance in it. But do you know, the director reportedly wanted to replace her in the film after she rejected his proposal. It was only after the intervention of the Cine Workers Association that she was reinstated in it.
Rajkumar Santoshi’s love for Meenakshi was genuine as he thought she too was fond of him. Long drives, long conversations on the phone, suggestions and discussions became a part of Rajkumar and Meenakshi's daily activities and he hoped that someday Meenakshi might say yes to his proposal. As per reports, Rajkumar once had a heated conversation with Meenakshi’s mother, where he told her:
“You do not know the difference between a proposal and a proposition. I was asking your daughter to marry me not to sleep with me."
Despite their differences, Meenakshi and Santoshi worked together again in Ghatak (1996), a film that was reportedly signed before their fallout. Though Meenakshi’s performance in Ghatak was loved and appreciated, but her strained relationship with Rajkumar Santoshi forced her to step away from acting. She left acting and took retirement when her career was at the peak.
In an interview with ETimes, Meenakshi Seshadri spoke about her strained relationship with Rajkumar Santoshi. She revealed how after the initial hiccup, she and Rajkumar thought of continuing Damini with digging the past. Speaking about the same, she 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 decided that we will put everything behind us and make 'Damini' as the best film. Jo bhi personal baaten hui hoon, is taraf se ye hua, us taraf se ye hua, hum dono ne faisala kiya that we won't comment. And it was the most dignified thing to do.”
What do you think about Meenakshi Seshadri’s decision to quit films at the peak of her career?
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