Remembring Veteran Actress Mandakini on her 59th Birthday... BY LT ALI PETER JOHN

I first met her as a number of nude and semi-nude pictures shot by my friend, J P Singhal, one of the best photographers who worked both for the corporate sector and especially for films - Ali Peter John

Singhal was known for the best calendars for which he was better known and next to his making a name as a designer of calendars, he was an expert in taking pictures of aspiring starlets who he had the rare gift(?) Of luring them to pose in every provocative manner and could talk the starlets into stripping completely without any complaints before the pictures were shot and even after.

He had a collection of nude pictures of some of the leading actresses in the initial stages of their lives. Some leading filmmakers visited him in his studio in Worli only to have a look at the latest nude pictures he had shot.

Incidentally, Singhal was a good friend of M F Husain and wanted me to write a book on Husain which would be illustrated with Husain's photographs shot by him, but that was not to be because Husain was forced to leave the country and Singhal left the world and my dream to be a via media between two great human beings was left incomplete. And will never be completed now...

I was on my way to the office when l decided to meet Singhal and after treating to the best tea, he had a certain kind of mischief in his eyes when he took out an album from his shelf and kept it before me.

There were photographs in black and white and color and all the photographers were of a girl called Yasmeen Yusuf and all the photographs showed the young Yasmeen in semi nude and nude postures. I had never in my life seen so many nude pictures till then.

Singhal told me that he planned to show the pictures to Raj Kapoor and was sure that the Showman would cast her in his next film which was soon after the grand success of "Booby" ...

Singhal had a meeting with the Showman and showed him the pictures of Yasmeen Joseph and the Showman grabbed all the pictures and screamed, " I have found my Ganga"

One thing led to another. One of Raj Kapoor's assistants K K Singh had a script that he had written in the hope of Raj Kapoor directing it. His dream came true when Raj Kapoor signed Yasmeen as the leading lady of his film which he based on Singh's script and called his film, "Ram Teri Ganga Maili".

Yasmeen had been signed for an earlier film called "Mazloon" and was given the name Mandakini. Raj Kapoor retained the same name and with Raj Kapoor signing her with his son Rajiv Kapoor, Mandakini was an overnight star.

Her scenes in "Ram Teri Ganga Maili " created a furor all over. But it was the photographs of Mandakini in the media, dressed in a transparent white saari was that created a real storm. The entire film was laced with scenes that were controversial and had become a subject of debate and discussion and even gossip.

But the Showman completed "Ram Teri Ganga Maili " even though he was not well most of the time and had to be carried on "paalkis " when the shooting was to be held at high altitudes.

The censors tried their worst to cut off the shocking scenes of Mandakini (Ganga) but the Showman had answers to all their objections and "Ram Teri"... was released to a thunderous response all over the country and even abroad. It was unfortunately the last film directed by Raj Kapoor...

The success of" Ram Teri " made an unknown Yasmeen Joseph Mandakini, a very big star who was flooded with offers because after all, she was the heroine of Raj Kapoor.

Unfortunately, all the films she signed were either very small films or produced and directed by almost unknown directors. These films led to her fall and when she was without any work, she made headlines when she moved to Dubai and was mostly seen in the company of the notorious smuggler Dawood Ibrahim, a fact which closed the doors of lndia for her. She denied having any relationship with Dawood, but her photographs with him in cricket stadiums and other public places proved otherwise.

She returned to India and married a former Buddhist monk and had a boy and a girl from him. She kept looking for work in films and when nothing came of her efforts, she started a yoga class which was based on Tibetian Yoga.

She is now in Bombay again with her family. And when my friend Hemaa met her for the last time with her children, she was still looking glamorous and continued to express her desire to make a comeback in films.

She is 58 now, married, a mother of two children, and has lost touch with her roots as an actress. Normally, all these factors read to an actress being disqualified to be a leading actress. So, thus Mandakini have any chance of coming back ? Or will she opt to play the sister's and mother's roles?

GANGA AGAR SAHI CHALE TOH GANGA MAA HAI , GANGA HI AGAR TEDEH MEDE RAASTON PAR CHALE TOH GANGA MAILI TOH HO HI JAAYEGI . HAI KI NAHI?

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