Story by ANI | Posted by Vidushi Gaur | Date 16-09-2026
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Veteran actress Mandakini has opened up about the controversial photograph of her with underworld don Dawood Ibrahim that surfaced years ago, clarifying that she was not invited by him and that she had travelled to Dubai for a show before attending a cricket match where the photograph was taken.
Speaking to ANI in an exclusive interview, Mandakini said she had no control over the speculation and reports that followed the photograph, adding that as an artist, she interacted with several people and did not distinguish between them.
“Jo bhi log likhna chahe, jo bhi bolna chahe, we don’t have control over it. Ek artist ko hazaron log milte hain aur hum sabke liye barabar hai. Bahut saare log saath mein the…kiske liye choose karein, kiske liye choose na karein… Hum waha kisi show ke liye gaye the. No, I was not invited by Dawood. (Whatever people want to write or say, we don’t have control over it. An artist has to meet many people, and we are equal to everyone. There were so many people with us; whom do we choose, and whom do we not? I was in Dubai for a show and then went for the match. I was not invited by Dawood. I didn’t realise it at the moment)”, she said.
The photograph later became the subject of controversy and widespread speculation, which Mandakini said had a significant impact on her film career.
“The controversy did a lot of damage. Later, I came to know that one should have a team to take care of all these things. I denied the rumours everywhere,” she added.
rose to fame with her debut film ‘Ram Teri Ganga Maili’, in which she played the lead role and became one of the prominent faces of Hindi cinema in the 1980s. The film, directed by Raj Kapoor, went on to become a major success and established Mandakini as a leading actress of her era.
Following the success of the film, Mandakini continued to work in Hindi cinema and appeared in more than 75 films during her career. She also shared the screen with several leading actors, including Anil Kapoor, Mithun Chakraborty, Govinda, among others.
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