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Meet actor who was dropped from a movie without being informed, became a BIG Mani Ratnam heroine later, and is close kin to three Bollywood actress
Read on to learn about a stunning actress in the 90s who still mesmerizes in Indian cinemas, widely known for her roles in a Mani Ratnam directorial!
An actress who was once a mesmerizing heartthrob of many who became popular with her one cinematic role and is still remembered for it. Over the years she has donned various characters and that too in multiple languages.
Yes, we are talking about the stunning actress Madhoo also known previously as Madhubala. The 55-year-old actress has had a stellar career over the years and is certainly still entertaining us over the years. Let’s take a quick dive into the life and career of the performer.
Madhoo: From being dropped from a movie to becoming a sensation
Madhoo who was born with the name Padma Malini started off her cinematic career, drawing inspiration from her aunt and veteran Bollywood actress Hema Malini. Making a start for her cinematic career, Madhoo was once offered a small role in a movie for which she enrolled in Roshan Taneja's School of Acting for 2 months as preparation.
However, making a dismay in her journey, the makers of the film dropped her without even notifying the actress about it. But this did not let her spirits go down in vain, as a resurgence, the actress empowered herself by losing weight, correcting her hairstyle, and giving herself a complete make-over building up more self-confidence.
Stepping into the shoes of a leading lady, Madhoo was signed by action director Veeru Devgan to star alongside his son Ajay Devgn’s debut movie Phool Aur Kaante. However, the Bollywood movie only released after her Tamil debut Azhagan by K Balachander, making it her first on-screen appearance.
Both her films were hits back in 1991 with the Ajay Devgn starrer even going on to become the fifth-highest grosser back then. Further on, in the same year, Madhoo made her way to Malayalam movies as well with films like Ottayal Pattalam and Neelagiri starring Mammootty in the lead.
By 1992, the actress had appeared in two more Malayalam films including the Mohanlal starrer cult-classic Yodha. However, the film that shot up the popularity of Madhoo in the same year was the evergreen Mani Ratnam classic flick Roja co-starring Aravind Swamy.
Check out a song from Yodha featuring Mohanlal and Madhoo
The romantic thriller movie marked a pinnacle milestone in Tamil cinema culture telling the tale of a young girl from a village in Tamil Nadu. The movie focuses on how a newlywed finds herself making efforts to rescue her husband who was captured by militants in J&K, depicting complex human emotions under strong socio-political settings.
Not only did the movie manage to become a cult classic but also introduced the world to the musical maestro AR Rahman who has mesmerized everyone with his talent ever since. Interestingly, in the same year itself, the actress also made her debut in Telugu cinema with the movie Allari Priyudu. Over the years, Madhoo has managed to become a household face who is remembered by many, especially those who grew up in the 90s.
Check out a song from Mani Ratnam's Roja
Making her presence known across various languages, Madhoo has been part of movies like Iruvar, Diljale, and many more. The actress was last seen this in year Telugu for the Ravi Teja starrer movie Eagle.
Besides Indian films, the actress is also known for her appearances in TV shows like Aarambh: Kahaani Devsena Ki, and even recent web series like Fireflies: Parth Aur Jugnu and the web series Sweet Kaaram Coffee. The actress is also next set to feature in the much-awaited movie Kannappa as well starring Vishnu Manchu.
Madhoo’s personal life
On March 26, 1969, Padmini Malini aka Madhoo was born to Raghunath and his wife Renuka. Her father was the brother of veteran actress Hema Malini, making the latter her paternal aunt and making Esha Deol her cousin.
Learning the dancing art of Bharatnatyam from her mother at a young age, the actress was introduced to the world of art early on. However, by the age of 13, the actress had lost her mother to cancer.
Making an illustrious career in cinemas over the years, Madhoo had met her husband Anand Shah during a photoshoot in 1999. The latter is the cousin brother of Jay Mehta, making the actress also related to Juhi Chawla. Madhoo also has two daughters by the names Amaya and Keia.
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